‘It might just outmuscle metal’

You probably have a wooden chair in the house, or maybe a cutting board in the kitchen. It’s solid. Dependable. But you’d never mistake it for steel. An intriguing project could one day change that. Turns out, scientists are looking at everyday wood and finding ways to turn it into a supermaterial.

According to Wood Central, the breakthrough could change how we build just about everything. A team of scientists from Spain and the United States has developed a process to make wood so dense that it becomes stronger than stainless steel.

The goal is to create a tough, lightweight alternative to building materials such as steel and concrete, which are responsible for a huge amount of heat-trapping pollution. The science, published in Science Advances, is surprisingly simple. A chemical bath removes some of the wood’s natural rigidity, allowing its strongest fibers to be pressed together into a super-dense structure.

“Wood is one of the most accessible biological materials, but outside its conventional use, it is barely being explored for high-performance applications,” researcher Erlantz Lizundia said.

The possibilities are endless. This isn’t just a lab experiment; another startup has developed a superwood that’s not only stronger than steel but also resistant to fire and water. Meanwhile, other researchers are finding new ways to use hardwoods in mass timber construction, further expanding the options for sustainable building.

These developments are part of a larger trend toward using innovative, eco-friendly materials to build homes and cities. “Our results show that it is possible to obtain materials with a very high mechanical performance and which are, in turn, economically viable and offer carbon capture capabilities,” Lizundia said.

So, when can you expect to see buildings made of superwood? While the project is still in its early stages, the process is designed to be simple and affordable, which could speed up adoption. The potential uses go far beyond buildings.

Because the material is strong yet lightweight, it could find its way into everything from vehicles to aerospace components. It’s a powerful reminder that sometimes the best solutions for the future can be found by improving the natural materials we’ve used all along. “Even in advanced engineering, timber has a place — and now, it might just outmuscle metal,” the researchers said.

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