{"id":98201,"date":"2026-03-10T09:13:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-10T09:13:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/lvl-at-a-crossroads-in-europe\/"},"modified":"2026-03-11T00:59:48","modified_gmt":"2026-03-11T00:59:48","slug":"lvl-at-a-crossroads-in-europe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/ro\/lvl-at-a-crossroads-in-europe\/","title":{"rendered":"LVL at a crossroads in Europe"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

When news emerged in late 2025 that Stora Enso was considering divesting its construction division, the announcement landed like a bombshell across the timber construction sector. Yet at the Internationales Holzbau-Forum (IHF) Forum in Innsbruck, Austria the revelation seemed to pass almost unnoticed. Stora Enso maintained its presence at the event, while the wider industry continued to celebrate the growing role of engineered wood in modern construction.<\/p>\n

The contrast was striking. At the same moment when one of the largest producers of engineered timber products was reportedly considering stepping back from the sector, other manufacturers were doubling down on laminated veneer lumber.<\/p>\n

Competing signals from the LVL market<\/strong><\/p>\n

French plywood group Th\u00e9bault used the forum to launch its silver fir-based LVL with considerable fanfare. The product appeared in several high-profile installations, including the Pan\u2019auditorium 2 and the Quadrilogue structure, where LVL supports nested columns and the square load-bearing framework.<\/p>\n

Elsewhere, Mets\u00e4 Wood marked the 50th anniversary of its Kerto LVL product while exhibiting simultaneously at the Paris Forum and the DACH+HOLZ trade fair in Cologne.<\/p>\n

The juxtaposition was hard to ignore. Mets\u00e4 Wood was celebrating half a century of LVL production, while Stora Enso\u2014its main competitor in the segment in recent years\u2014was reportedly weighing the sale of its entire construction materials division.<\/p>\n

Such a move would represent a seismic shift for the industry. Stora Enso is not only one of the world\u2019s leading producers of cross-laminated timber panels, but also holds significant LVL production capacity. Divesting these assets would raise immediate questions about who could absorb such operations.<\/p>\n

For the French market, the consequences could be significant. Companies such as ACDF and long-standing partners like Woodeum and WO2 have built projects around Stora Enso products. A change in ownership could alter the dynamics of supply for large timber construction projects.<\/p>\n

And if a buyer were found for the CLT operations, another question would quickly follow: would the LVL business also have to be sold, perhaps to finance the first transaction?<\/p>\n

A question of profitability<\/strong><\/p>\n

Behind these strategic uncertainties lies a more fundamental issue: how profitable is LVL compared with other engineered wood products?<\/p>\n

CLT has in recent years demonstrated the strength of its ecosystem. At events such as the International Wood Construction Forum, the product is supported by a dense network of systems, software tools and industrial partners.<\/p>\n

LVL occupies a different position. It is highly valued by engineers and structural designers for its mechanical performance, yet it remains far less visible in the architectural narrative surrounding timber construction.<\/p>\n

This contrast was evident at the Grand Palais Forum. While Th\u00e9bault\u2019s new LVL attracted attention among specialists in the Pan\u2019auditorium and the Quadrilogue structure, visitors passing through the exhibition space were often drawn instead to the Douglas-fir CLT panels on display.<\/p>\n

From carpenters\u2019 material to industrial product<\/strong><\/p>\n

Historically, Kerto LVL was a familiar material for carpenters. Its use in I-beams was once considered a manufacturing privilege reserved for highly specialised workshops.<\/p>\n

After the 2008 financial crisis, however, Mets\u00e4 Wood struggled to expand the production network for Kerto box-section elements under the Kerto-Ripa system.<\/p>\n

Several initiatives attempted to industrialise the concept. Poulingue, for example, sought to supply the Paris region through river transport logistics before becoming SN Poulingue. Companies such as Guillet Production later joined the Kerto-Ripa network.<\/p>\n

Today, the context may be shifting again.<\/p>\n

New regulations may favour LVL<\/strong><\/p>\n

A major change could come from new safety requirements in France. Proposed amendments to fire regulations are pushing for the encapsulation of structural timber elements, a measure that firefighters have been advocating and that could be implemented before the current June 2027 deadline.<\/p>\n

Such rules could significantly increase demand for LVL and glulam products.<\/p>\n

Encapsulation reduces the importance of the visual appearance of structural timber, as beams and columns will be covered by protective layers. In this context, engineers may prioritise mechanical performance rather than aesthetics.<\/p>\n

LVL offers a clear advantage in this regard. Its high strength allows columns and beams to be designed with smaller cross-sections, leaving space for the required fire protection layers without altering structural proportions.<\/p>\n

The result could be a construction landscape in which large volumes of LVL and glulam remain largely invisible behind protective casings.<\/p>\n

CLT, by contrast, has often benefited from its exposed aesthetic qualities. If structural timber increasingly disappears behind protective layers, the balance between engineered wood products could shift.<\/p>\n

The same logic applies to I-beams. Once encapsulated, their structural components will be hidden from view.<\/p>\n

New material combinations<\/strong><\/p>\n

LVL may also find new roles beyond structural framing. The use of laminated veneer lumber in formwork systems is opening the door to hybrid construction approaches involving bio-based and geo-sourced materials.<\/p>\n

Instead of conventional combinations such as plasterboard and mineral wool, some designers are exploring alternatives such as compressed earth blocks. These materials can be used as non-stabilised elements, either structural or non-structural.<\/p>\n

Some purists argue that compressed earth blocks are incompatible with adhesive-filled timber elements. Yet adhesive technologies continue to evolve, and the industrial advantages of veneer unrolling remain significant.<\/p>\n

Expanding the range of species<\/strong><\/p>\n

Another development reshaping the LVL landscape is the extension of the technology to new wood species.<\/p>\n

Recent work on beech with BauBuche and on fir with Th\u00e9bault\u2019s TeboLVL demonstrates that laminated veneer techniques can be applied beyond traditional softwood species.<\/p>\n

This raises intriguing possibilities for the future. Could the technology be extended to other species, including tropical hardwoods? What about oak?<\/p>\n

Some engineers have even suggested that certain forms of pitted oak might lend themselves well to LVL production.<\/p>\n

Half a century after the birth of Kerto, the future of laminated veneer lumber remains far from settled. The sector stands at a crossroads where regulatory changes, industrial strategy and new material innovations could reshape its role in timber construction.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":98204,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5204],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-98201","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nLVL at a crossroads in Europe - Timber Industry News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/ro\/lvl-at-a-crossroads-in-europe\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"ro_RO\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"LVL at a crossroads in Europe - Timber Industry News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/ro\/lvl-at-a-crossroads-in-europe\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Timber Industry News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-03-10T09:13:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-03-11T00:59:48+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/default.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"500\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"500\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"GWMI Admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Scris de\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"GWMI Admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Timp estimat pentru citire\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minute\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/lvl-at-a-crossroads-in-europe\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/lvl-at-a-crossroads-in-europe\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"GWMI Admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/#\/schema\/person\/135a1ae8119d1d1755135add5b7287ff\"},\"headline\":\"LVL at a crossroads in Europe\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-03-10T09:13:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-03-11T00:59:48+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/lvl-at-a-crossroads-in-europe\/\"},\"wordCount\":972,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/lvl-at-a-crossroads-in-europe\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/lvl-at-a-crossroads-in-europe.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Daily News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"ro-RO\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/lvl-at-a-crossroads-in-europe\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/lvl-at-a-crossroads-in-europe\/\",\"name\":\"LVL at a crossroads in Europe - Timber Industry News\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/lvl-at-a-crossroads-in-europe\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/lvl-at-a-crossroads-in-europe\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/lvl-at-a-crossroads-in-europe.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-03-10T09:13:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-03-11T00:59:48+00:00\",\"inLanguage\":\"ro-RO\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/lvl-at-a-crossroads-in-europe\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"ro-RO\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/lvl-at-a-crossroads-in-europe\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/lvl-at-a-crossroads-in-europe.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/lvl-at-a-crossroads-in-europe.jpg\",\"width\":1024,\"height\":682,\"caption\":\"LVL at a crossroads in Europe\"},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/\",\"name\":\"Timber Industry News\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"ro-RO\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Timber Industry News\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"ro-RO\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/logo_color.svg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/logo_color.svg\",\"width\":150,\"height\":57,\"caption\":\"Timber Industry News\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/#\/schema\/person\/135a1ae8119d1d1755135add5b7287ff\",\"name\":\"GWMI Admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"ro-RO\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7e3f366983e368f37c12ad29c07423641931b311f2561bc3cb4b4eaf6f44c3cb?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7e3f366983e368f37c12ad29c07423641931b311f2561bc3cb4b4eaf6f44c3cb?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"GWMI Admin\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"LVL at a crossroads in Europe - Timber Industry News","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/ro\/lvl-at-a-crossroads-in-europe\/","og_locale":"ro_RO","og_type":"article","og_title":"LVL at a crossroads in Europe - Timber Industry News","og_url":"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/ro\/lvl-at-a-crossroads-in-europe\/","og_site_name":"Timber Industry News","article_published_time":"2026-03-10T09:13:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-03-11T00:59:48+00:00","og_image":[{"width":500,"height":500,"url":"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/default.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"GWMI Admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Scris de":"GWMI Admin","Timp estimat pentru citire":"5 minute"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/lvl-at-a-crossroads-in-europe\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/lvl-at-a-crossroads-in-europe\/"},"author":{"name":"GWMI Admin","@id":"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/#\/schema\/person\/135a1ae8119d1d1755135add5b7287ff"},"headline":"LVL at a crossroads in Europe","datePublished":"2026-03-10T09:13:00+00:00","dateModified":"2026-03-11T00:59:48+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/lvl-at-a-crossroads-in-europe\/"},"wordCount":972,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/lvl-at-a-crossroads-in-europe\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/lvl-at-a-crossroads-in-europe.jpg","articleSection":["Daily News"],"inLanguage":"ro-RO"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/lvl-at-a-crossroads-in-europe\/","url":"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/lvl-at-a-crossroads-in-europe\/","name":"LVL at a crossroads in Europe - Timber Industry News","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/lvl-at-a-crossroads-in-europe\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/lvl-at-a-crossroads-in-europe\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/lvl-at-a-crossroads-in-europe.jpg","datePublished":"2026-03-10T09:13:00+00:00","dateModified":"2026-03-11T00:59:48+00:00","inLanguage":"ro-RO","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/lvl-at-a-crossroads-in-europe\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"ro-RO","@id":"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/lvl-at-a-crossroads-in-europe\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/lvl-at-a-crossroads-in-europe.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/lvl-at-a-crossroads-in-europe.jpg","width":1024,"height":682,"caption":"LVL at a crossroads in Europe"},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/","name":"\u0218tiri din industria lemnului","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"ro-RO"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/#organization","name":"\u0218tiri din industria lemnului","url":"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"ro-RO","@id":"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/logo_color.svg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/logo_color.svg","width":150,"height":57,"caption":"Timber Industry News"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/#\/schema\/person\/135a1ae8119d1d1755135add5b7287ff","name":"GWMI Admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"ro-RO","@id":"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7e3f366983e368f37c12ad29c07423641931b311f2561bc3cb4b4eaf6f44c3cb?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7e3f366983e368f37c12ad29c07423641931b311f2561bc3cb4b4eaf6f44c3cb?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"GWMI Admin"}}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/ro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98201","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/ro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/ro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/ro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/ro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=98201"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/ro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98201\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":98203,"href":"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/ro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98201\/revisions\/98203"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/ro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/98204"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/ro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=98201"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/ro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=98201"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/ro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=98201"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}