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Pine
2 usd/kg
Pine ranges from light brown heartwood to white sapwood, with conspicuous growth rings. It has moderate strength and good machining properties – and a distinctive resinous smell when worked. It is a lightweight softwood that comes from evergreen coniferous tress. These trees can be fast growing, which makes them popular for timber plantations – although this can reduce the benefit to environment of these trees removing CO2 from the atmosphere. The wood is used in everything from construction (timber frame, non-structural, engineered wood, plywood, cladding, window frames, doors, interior panelling), through to furniture, wood fibre products and paper. They are vulnerable to decay and so are primarily used indoors. They are treated (pressure-impregnated) to make them rot resistant, but will not last as long as other more hardy species, such as larch, oak and chestnut. Pine tends to be a little stronger and more durable than spruce, which is used in many of the same applications. In Europe, they are differentiated as redwood (ER) and whitewood (EW), respectively.
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Sustainability concerns
Non-renewable ingredients
Raw material generates polluting by-products
Low circularity potential
Potentially toxic in use
Hazardous end of life
Scots pine is the most commonly used wood for pressure impregnation (also called salt impregnation), to make it more durable outdoors. Mainly because it is widely available and yields a high proportion of sapwood. Other species are suitable, including spruce, Douglas fir and larch. The process involves placing pre-cut timber into a chamber where vacuum or pressure is applied. The chamber is filled with the impregnation liquid, which penetrates the wood cells. It is only suitable for sapwood, because the heartwood resists impregnation. If wood is only painted or varnished, and not impregnated, then the surface is protected against weathering, UV light and biological factors for around 2 years. Pressure-impregnated timber, on the other hand, may be guaranteed for up to 20 years.
Copper (typically 0.1-0.2%) and a number of organic substances (fungicides and insecticides), in a water-based solution, are used for impregnation. The grey-green colour of impregnated wood comes from the inclusion of copper. Over time, the colour will fade and it will become grey like untreated wood. The content of boron is considered to be very low and does not trigger any classification. As a result, it is not typically considered hazardous waste at the end of its life. However, impregnated wood may not be used in wood-burning stoves or bonfires; it should be disposed of carefully at municipal waste recycling; and it should not be used in food contact applications. This is because the chemistry is considered dangerous, especially for the aquatic environment, and they are not considered biodegradable. At the end of its useful life, impregnated wood not suitable for reuse is disposed in landfill, or incinerated for energy recovery.
Water-based copper impregnation is suitable for a range of exterior applications. There are two principal grades:
– A grade impregnated wood is used in wooden structures that come into contact with soil, fresh water, and concrete. It is also used for safety-promoting structures such as piers, fence posts, staircases, railings, bridges, load-bearing structures on terraces, and on the lower reaches and underlay structures of buildings.
– AB grade impregnated wood is used for applications that are above ground level, such as fence planks, garden furniture, terraces, pergolas, flower boxes and sandboxes, and playground equipment.
Oil-based creosote is used in applications where the wood will be placed underground, in contact with water, and in safety critical structural applications, such as poles and sleepers. It produces timber products that can last 50 years without maintenance.
