A sample of microscope images from our wood anatomy team - click for a larger view.

How can I tell what kind of wood something is made from?

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Wood is an organic material and has many distinct characteristics and features that allow us to distinguish between different species. Here at Agroisolab, we can use an array of analytical methods and tools to be able to achieve a clear identification of any given timber. One of the preferred methods of analysis is wood microscopy, by taking a closer look at the cellular structures present within the wood these features become much more apparent and help us build a clearer picture of the timber used within a piece of furniture,  an instrument or even wood chips used for smoking and curing meats, fish, cheeses or spirits.

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Did you know that knowing the true species of your timber products is required under EUTR and UKTR?

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Businesses must gather information from their supply chain on their products.
This must include product description (wood species, country of harvest, volume), details of the suppliers, and other compliance documents such as certification or other 3rd party schemes.

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Risk Assessment – Analysis and evaluation of the information gathered against relevant criteria including:
assurance of compliance with legislation, the prevalence of illegal harvesting of the tree species, and practices in the country of harvest, and accounting for the complexity of the supply chain.

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Risk Mitigation – If there is evidence of non-negligible risk then businesses must respond proportionately to the risks identified.
This may include requesting additional information or documents from suppliers, 3rd party verification, working with suppliers to change or changing suppliers altogether.

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What types of timber and timber products are regulated under EUTR?

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Products Covered by the EUTR

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The below list of products covered by the EUTR is taken from the EU’s official annex. If you are unsure about whether the below applies to your product, contact us for advice or check with official EU information.

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• 4401 Fuel wood, in logs, in billets, in twigs, in faggots or in similar forms; wood in chips or particles; sawdust and wood waste and scrap, whether or not agglomerated in logs, briquettes, pellets or similar forms

• 4403 Wood in the rough, whether or not stripped of bark or sapwood, or roughly squared

• 4406 Railway or tramway sleepers (cross-ties) of wood

• 4407 Wood sawn or chipped lengthwise, sliced or peeled, whether or not planed, sanded or end-jointed, of a thickness exceeding 6 mm

• 4408 Sheets for veneering (including those obtained by slicing laminated wood), for plywood or for other similar laminated wood and other wood, sawn lengthwise, sliced or peeled, whether or not planed, sanded, spliced or end-jointed, of a thickness not exceeding 6 mm

• 4409 Wood (including strips and friezes for parquet flooring, not assembled) continuously shaped (tongued, grooved, rebated, chamfered, V-jointed, beaded, molded, rounded or the like) along any of its edges, ends or faces, whether or not planed, sanded or end-jointed

• 4410 Particle board, oriented strand board (OSB) and similar board (for example, waferboard) of wood or other ligneous materials, whether or not agglomerated with resins or other organic binding substances

• 4411 Fibreboard of wood or other ligneous materials, whether or not bonded with resins or other organic substances

• 4412 Plywood, veneered panels and similar laminated wood

• 4413 Densified wood, in blocks, plates, strips or profile shapes

• 4414 Wooden frames for paintings, photographs, mirrors or similar objects

• 4415 Packing cases, boxes, crates, drums and similar packings, of wood; cable-drums of wood; pallets, box pallets and other load boards, of wood; pallet collars of wood. Note that exemptions apply to packing material used exclusively as packing material to support, protect or carry another product placed on the market.

• 4416 Casks, barrels, vats, tubs and other coopers’ products and parts thereof, of wood, including staves.

• 4418 Builders’ joinery and carpentry of wood, including cellular wood panels, assembled flooring panels, shingles and shakes.

• (47 & 48) Pulp and paper with the exception of bamboo-based and recovered products. These include among others: paper and paper board; envelopes; plain postcards; boxes of stationery; copy paper; wallpaper; cigarette paper; toilet paper; handkerchiefs; cleansing tissues; towels; serviettes; napkins for babies; tampons; bed sheets, sanitary and hospital articles, articles of apparel and clothing accessories made from paper; registers, account books, notebooks, order books, receipt books;  letter and memorandum books; diaries; albums; book covers; paper and paperboard labels; trays, dishes, cups and the like of paper and paperboard; egg boxes.

• Wooden furniture Note that exemptions apply to seats, bamboo furniture, and medical, surgical, dental or veterinary furniture. (9403 30, 9403 40, 9403 50 00, 9403 60, 9403 90 30)

• 9406 Prefabricated buildings

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