Our Nordic sawn timber is crafted for durability and sustainability. This premium sawn timber is ideal for various construction applications.

UPM Timber manufactures high-quality standard and special sawn timber products from Nordic pine and spruce. Our versatile product range includes more than 1 500 standard and special sawn timber products and more than 300 different sawing grades.

Our range of standard sawn timber offers a wide variety of options for a wide range of end-uses. If you have additional requirements in terms of quality, dimensions or final moisture content, we design and manufacture special UPM+ products especially for the carpentry and furniture industries.

The difference between standard and special sawn timber is based on sawing and drying technology, lengths and quality characteristics.

Please use protective gloves, safety glasses, and safety footwear when handling sawn timber.

Finnish sawn timber

We produce high-quality sawn timber from Finnish pine and spruce logs. Finnish wood is known for its excellent quality. Thanks to slow growth, Nordic sawn timber is strong and straight grained, with minimal internal cracks. The wood's thin, dense growth rings, light color, and low number of knots make it a visually appealing material for various applications. Nordic wood is also known for its ability to absorb and release moisture efficiently. This characteristic helps regulate moisture movement within the wood’s structure, enhancing structural strength and durability. In addition, the small proportion of young wood, a high proportion of heartwood, and low resin content factor in the wood's durable structure. 
 
The quality of the logs used significantly impacts the quality of the sawn timber. Dry conditions, abundant flowering, and seed production can reduce the growth of the tree. The quality of the log is also affected by its sturdiness and shape as well as number and type of branches. For example, dead black twigs affect the sawing process and market price of the log. 
 
A high-quality product requires high-quality logs for sawing. Sawn timber quality grades are standardised, and additionally customers may also have specific requirements for the timber.

Sawn timber products as carbon storage 

Forests are significant carbon storages. Trees use carbon dioxide and water for sunlight-induced photosynthesis, meaning they capture carbon dioxide to fuel their growth. In this biochemical process, glucose and oxygen are produced. The tree uses glucose as nourishment, oxygen is released into the atmosphere, and carbon is stored in the tree’s biomass. Approximately half of the wood's mass consists of carbon.

When our timber products end up in permanent buildings and structures, for example, they store carbon for decades or even centuries. The carbon bound in the wood is therefore retained in the timber and forms a long-term carbon storage. Since Finland cannot use all the timber it produces, the surplus timber is exported abroad. In this way, carbon ends up being stored for decades in buildings and furniture, even in countries where local forests are not as efficient at sequestering carbon. Finnish trees that end up as carbon stocks are always replaced by new seedlings, so our operations do not cause deforestation.

In recent years, the main countries exporting sawn timber have been Japan, China and Egypt. In 2023, exports of sawn timber generated export revenues of EUR 1.9 billion for Finland.

The whole log is accurately utilised

The most valuable part of the tree is the sturdy logs, which are used to produce timber. At UPM Timber, the whole log is used efficiently and further processed to a high degree. Nothing goes to waste, as the leftover wood is used to produce pulp, paper, biochemicals, and energy.

But what is the wood left over from sawing used for when the round log is turned into square-edged timber?

The yield of lumber is about 47%, which means that just over two cubic metres of logs are needed to produce one cube of lumber. However, the whole log is carefully utilised in the process, as the logs yield not only sawn timber but also bark, chips and sawdust for reuse. Bark makes up about 10% of the logs and is supplied to thermal plants for the production of electricity and heat. Chips account for about 30% of the logs and sawdust for 10%. The chips are used as raw material for pulp at UPM's pulp mills, while the broke is supplied either as raw material for pulp or to power plants for electricity and heat production.