Superwood

Superwood is a reengineered wood from InventWood. It's real timber that's chemically treated to remove part of its structure, then compressed under heat so the remaining cellulose fibers pack tightly together. It keeps the look of wood but performs in a different class, engineered for up to 10× the strength-to-weight of steel.

Unlike engineered wood, which glues smaller pieces together, Superwood restructures the wood itself at the molecular level with no synthetic binders. That density is what gives it its strength, its Class A fire rating, and its resistance to moisture and pests, while it still looks and feels like real wood.

Superwood is available first for exterior applications, led by SUPERWOOD XP residential siding — a modified tongue-and-groove profile in lengths up to 16 feet. Structural, load-bearing uses are still moving through building-code certification, so conventional materials should carry framing and structural members for now.

Superwood carries a Class A fire rating (ASTM E84) and is self-extinguishing, reaching it through density rather than added flame retardants. Under flame it forms a dense char layer that holds far longer than natural wood — in InventWood's testing, up to six times longer than ipe — making it a strong candidate for wildfire-prone and wildland-urban interface (WUI) zones.

Superwood is made from real wood — including domestic, reclaimed, fast-growing, and underutilized species that often carry little economic value — and Cambium supplies the raw material that goes into it. At scale, InventWood projects the process to be a net carbon sink, storing more biogenic carbon than its manufacturing emits, positioning it as a low-carbon alternative to steel and concrete.

Production is scaling from InventWood's first commercial plant, so early capacity is limited and allocated ahead of time. If you have a project in mind, reach out to the Cambium team to check current availability, lead times, and approved applications.