As wood is becoming ever more desired as a construction material, the demand for cross laminated timber (CLT) and glued laminated timber, better known as glulam, is growing. The cross laminated timber market is expected to grow a CAGR of 9.1% up until 2024. Similarly, the glulam market is likely to experience growth at a CAGR rate of 5.9% till 2025. Consequently, the adhesives used for laminating timber are gaining more market share.
The reason behind the market growth is the growing desire to replace concrete and steel structures with wooden alternatives, as wood is a more sustainable building material, and does not compromise on strength. Besides being sustainable, wood is also lighter in weight than the alternatives, and cross laminated timber and glulam are stronger than solid wood.
Cross laminated timber and glulam use a range of adhesives including melamine (urea) formaldehyde, phenol resorcinol formaldehyde and polyurethane based products. Engineered wood using these systems are suitable for use as load bearing structures and other beams in walls, floors, frames and roofs.