Stora Enso Permitted to Produce and Deliver CLT Panels in the U.S.

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): Stora Enso announced that it has received approval for producing and delivering cross laminated timber (CLT) panels that comply with the International Building Code (IBC) to the U.S.

The company’s entry into the U.S. market comes at the right time, with the U.S. reporting phenomenal surge in wooden buildings. The revised code allows for mass timber buildings of up to 18 storeys, as compared with 5 before. The change is expected to result in notable boost to mid-rise wooden buildings, which replace concrete and steel with wood products to a great extent.

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Stora Enso will manufacture CLT panels at its mill in Ybbs, Austria. The mill is capable of producing CLT panels with width of up to 9.68 feet and length of up to 52.5 feet. Also, the company plans to apply for similar CLT certification for its Zdirec mill in the Czech Republic, which is expected to start operations in Q3 2022.

Commenting on the development, Steve Lieberman, Business Development Manager-North America, Stora Enso said that the certification will lift wood’s appeal as a raw material in the mid-rise building segment. The license is a real game changer for the company, enabling it to provide CLT also to the U.S. and Canada, he added.