InventWood is about to mass-produce wood that's stronger than steel
https://techcrunch.com/2025/05/12/inventwood-is-about-to-mass-produce-wood-thats-stronger-than-steel/
>about to
"It seemed like yet another headline-grabbing discovery that wouldn't make it out of the lab."
"high-end"
I'll wait before I get excited.
But treating it for outdoor use sounds promising. Current environmental regs have reduced 'salt-treated' to about as good as Thompson Water Seal. And the composite decking materials have little strength for spanning.
>> I'll wait before I get excited.
Of course. It could revolutionize construction, or not.
Tensile strength is not really one of the strengths you generally care about for construction, where sheer and compressive strength is really important.
At the same time, journalists often don't pay attention to details like that and the inventor could be reading the article and thinking, "Dammit! They keep talking about tensile strength when they should be talking about the amazing sheer strength."
I'm wondering if this will dull drill bits and saw blades faster and be harder/slower to saw and drill?
Probably compared to regular wood, but hardness and strength are very different and not necessarily related properties - it's pretty easy to drill through and cut Kevlar, for example, which is also "stronger than steel"
But in any case, that is theorizing about a product that is "about to" make drill bits more expensive ;-)
>it's pretty easy to drill through and cut Kevlar
While paper and drywall will dull blades pretty darn fast.
+
also composite products made with adhesives.
Similarly, fiber cement board is fragile but quickly destroys blades and bits.
Anyway, engineers have been really pushing the limits with wood, with some very large structures getting built with engineered wood. I could see this product being commercially viable, but expensive enough that it won't replace wood in most construction. For the vast vast vast majority of residential construction, there is no need for it just as there is no need for steel.
That's sort of good news, I think, because when you start needing large steel beams, cost goes up quite a bit, which means this product doesn't need to compete with wood for price.