Choose Wood

Build it Better with Wood

Wood is a naturally beautiful and adds character and warmth, but more than this it offers exceptional value for money, especially compared with other high quality materials.  It also offers unique sustainable credentials – wood is a natural, renewable product.

More than a solid performer

Wood is tough. And, because it’s a solid product, it will take hard knocks in its stride. As it ages, it develops a patina which is part of its character

Wood acts as a natural humidity regulator, absorbing humidity in damp conditions and releasing moisture in dry conditions

Wood is durable. A good quality wood product should, with a little care and maintenance, last a lifetime. Many Victorian houses still have their original wood windows and floors

Wood is a material that’s simple to use, to maintain and to repair

Wood and the environment

Wood is the only naturally renewable mainstream building material. Over 90% of the wood we use comes from Europe’s forests,1 which are growing by 661,000 hectares every year2 – that’s an area the size of three football pitches every hour of the day and night. For added reassurance, look for certified timber. FSC, PEFC, SFI or CSA are the schemes recognized by the government’s Central Point of Expertise on Timber (CPET) as evidence of sustainability and legality. CPET also recognizes MTCC (Malaysian Timber Certification Council) as evidence of legality.

Find out more about how the EUTR is eradicating illegal timber

Using wood from sustainably managed forests actually reduces carbon dioxide emissions, as the carbon dioxide stored by the forest and in the timber product outweighs any carbon dioxide created during the production of the product. Each tonne of timber used instead of other building materials (like steel, or brick and concrete block) saves around a tonne of carbon dioxide.

A quick history of wood

If you need help specifying timber products why not call our helpline on 0844 209 2610 or visit one of our detailed product sections

More from BWF:

How BWF Members Build it Better with Wood

Find out more about Timber Windows and external doors

Find out more about Timber doors and fire doors

Find out more about Timber stairs

The Whole Life Cycle and Cost of a Timber Window

Further reading:

Wood for Good: Wood for good is the UK’s wood promotion campaign. The Wood for Good campaign works on behalf of the whole timber industry in the UK. It aims to promote the suitability and sustainability of wood as a building material to the construction and logistics sectors and associated professionals such as architects and design engineers.

Carbon, Fossil Fuel, and Biodiversity Mitigation With Wood and Forests: Research, carried out by scientists from Yale and the University of Washington, showed that wood-based construction consumes much less energy than concrete or steel construction.