Exclusive: InventWood is about to mass-produce wood that’s stronger than steel | TechCrunch
techcrunch.com
The material has 50% more tensile strength than steel with a strength-to-weight ratio that’s ten-times better.

InventWood’s Superwood represents a breakthrough material that transforms ordinary wood into a substance stronger than steel through molecular restructuring and densification[1]. The company is launching a 90,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Frederick, Maryland in Q3 2025 to begin commercial production[2].

Key features of Superwood:

  • 50% more tensile strength than steel with 10x better strength-to-weight ratio[3]
  • Fire-resistant, rot-resistant, and pest-resistant while maintaining wood’s natural appearance[2:1]
  • Created through a two-step process involving chemical treatment and hot-pressing[4]
  • Can be produced in hours rather than weeks using “food industry” chemicals[3:1]

Environmental Impact:

  • Could replace up to 80% of global steel and concrete use[5]
  • Potential to reduce carbon emissions by 37.2 gigatons over 30 years[5:1]
  • Trees act as carbon stores: steel produces 1.85 kg CO2 per kilogram, while wood removes 1.8 kg CO2[5:2]

Business Development:

  • Secured $15 million in Series A funding in 2025[2:2]
  • Total capital raised exceeds $50 million[2:3]
  • Formed partnership with Intectural for North American distribution[2:4]
  • Initial products will focus on building facades before expanding to structural applications[3:2]

  1. InventWood — Technology ↩︎

  2. InventWood Announces $15 Million First Close of Series A ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎

  3. TechCrunch - InventWood is about to mass-produce wood that’s stronger than steel ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎

  4. New Atlas - ‘Superwood’ that’s 50% stronger than steel is coming this year ↩︎

  5. InventWood aims to ‘replace steel and concrete’ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎

  • rbn@sopuli.xyz
    0·
    30 days ago

    Initial products will focus on building facades before expanding to structural applications

    Isn’t that a pretty pointless first application for a material that’s (presumably) significantly more expensive than ordinary wood and which barely benefits from the extra strength? A facade doesn’t need to be super strong and the higher density will probably also lead to a worse insulation.