{{Short description|American engineered wood company}}
'''InventWood''' is a materials science company that develops densified wood products under the trade name '''Superwood'''. The company was founded by materials engineer Liangbing Hu,<ref name="TechCrunch2025">{{cite news |last1= De Chant |first1= Tim |title= InventWood is about to mass-produce wood that's stronger than steel |url= https://techcrunch.com/2025/05/12/inventwood-is-about-to-mass-produce-wood-thats-stronger-than-steel/ |work= TechCrunch |date= 12 May 2025 |access-date= 4 June 2025}}</ref> and grew out of research led by Hu at the University of Maryland, College Park. The company is headquartered in Maryland.<ref name="TechCrunch2025"/> The commercial production of Superwood is scheduled to begin in mid-2025.
== Research background == In 2018, Hu's laboratory reported that partially removing lignin from natural wood and then compressing the remaining cellulose under heat produced a material roughly three times denser than the original timber and an order of magnitude stronger in bending and tension.<ref name="Hu2018">{{cite journal |last=Song |first=Jianwei |last2=Chen |first2=Chaoji |last3=Zhu |first3=Shuze |last4=Zhu |first4=Mingwei |last5=Dai |first5=Jiaqi |last6=Ray |first6=Upamanyu |last7=Li |first7=Yiju |last8=Kuang |first8=Yudi |last9=Li |first9=Yongfeng |last10=Quispe |first10=Nelson |last11=Yao |first11=Yonggang |last12=Gong |first12=Amy |last13=Leiste |first13=Ulrich H. |last14=Bruck |first14=Hugh A. |last15=Zhu |first15=J. Y. |date=7 February 2018 |title=Processing bulk natural wood into a high-performance structural material |journal=Nature |volume=554 |issue=7691 |pages=224–228 |doi=10.1038/nature25476}}</ref> The material was commercially named Superwood.
Superwood is produced in two steps. First, boards undergo "partial removal of lignin and hemicellulose from the natural wood via a boiling process in an aqueous mixture of NaOH and Na<small>2</small>SO<small>3</small>" while leaving the cellulose fibres largely intact.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Song |first=Jianwei |last2=Chen |first2=Chaoji |last3=Zhu |first3=Shuze |last4=Zhu |first4=Mingwei |last5=Dai |first5=Jiaqi |last6=Ray |first6=Upamanyu |last7=Li |first7=Yiju |last8=Kuang |first8=Yudi |last9=Li |first9=Yongfeng |last10=Quispe |first10=Nelson |last11=Yao |first11=Yonggang |last12=Gong |first12=Amy |last13=Leiste |first13=Ulrich H. |last14=Bruck |first14=Hugh A. |last15=Zhu |first15=J. Y. |date=2018-02-08 |title=Processing bulk natural wood into a high-performance structural material |url=https://www.nature.com/articles/nature25476 |journal=Nature |language=en |volume=554 |issue=7691 |pages=224–228 |doi=10.1038/nature25476 |issn=1476-4687|url-access=subscription }}</ref> Second, the softened boards are pressed at moderate temperature and pressure, a stage that collapses cell walls, aligns cellulose nanofibrils and allows residual lignin to flow and re-bond, locking the structure in place.<ref name="Hu2018"/> The hot-press stage is typically carried out at about 65 °C (150 °F) and reduces the board’s thickness by roughly a factor of five, further concentrating the cellulose network and raising the bulk density.<ref name="NewAtlas2025">{{cite web |date=22 May 2025 |title='Superwood' that's 50 % stronger than steel is coming this year |url=https://newatlas.com/materials/superwood-stronger-steel-inventwood/ |website=New Atlas}}</ref> The procedure works with many fast-growing softwoods and even with non-woody species such as bamboo.<ref name="Perkins2018">{{cite news |last=Perkins |first=Sid |title=Stronger Than Steel, Able to Stop a Speeding Bullet—It's Super Wood! |work=Scientific American |date=7 February 2018 |url=https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/stronger-than-steel-able-to-stop-a-speeding-bullet-mdash-it-rsquo-s-super-wood/}}</ref><ref name="Inc2025">{{cite news |last=Aiello |first=Chloe |title=This Startup Invented Wood That's Stronger Than Steel. Here's How |work=Inc. |url=https://www.inc.com/chloe-aiello/inventwood-invented-wood-thats-stronger-than-steel-heres-how/91189315 |date=14 May 2025}}</ref>
Laboratory tests and independent assessments have reported tensile strength up to about 50 percent higher than structural-grade steel on an equal-cross-section basis. Because Superwood is significantly lighter, its strength-to-weight ratio is roughly ten times that of steel.<ref name="TechCrunch2025"/> Charpy impact tests show an order-of-magnitude gain in toughness compared with the parent wood, while compression and bending strengths also rise markedly.<ref name="Hu2018"/> Superwood has attained a Class A fire rating and is resistant to insects, moisture, and rot when impregnated with a polymer.<ref name="TechCrunch2025"/> In longer-term ageing trials, the densified wood has also resisted fungal attack and shows slower aerobic decomposition than untreated wood when exposed to soil microorganisms.<ref name="Perkins2018"/>
== Fundraising and commercialisation == InventWood raised US$15 million in its Series A round led by climate-focused investors such as Grantham Foundation and Baruch Future Ventures, Builders Vision, and Muus Climate Partners.<ref name="TechCrunch2025"/> The company’s first commercial production line is scheduled to begin operation in mid-2025.<ref name="Newsweek2025">{{cite web |date=14 May 2025 |title=What is 'Super Wood'? New material strong as steel nears mass production |url=https://www.newsweek.com/super-wood-inventwood-construction-production-2072071 |website=Newsweek}}</ref> The initial market focus is on cladding and facade panels,<ref name="NewAtlas2025"/> and prototype parts are being evaluated for lightweight vehicle interiors, aircraft cabin components, and furniture.<ref name="Inc2025"/><ref name="Newsweek2025"/>
==References== {{Reflist}}
==See also== *Pulp and paper industry in the United States
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Category:2016 establishments in Maryland Category:Timber industry Category:Agricultural economics Category:Low-carbon economy Category:Sustainable technologies Category:Resource economics Category:Wood products