Meet SUPERWOOD—Reengineered Timber That Can Outperform Steel

It may sound too good to be true, but it’s very real! It's wood. It's a composite. It's SUPERWOOD, a reengineered material that’s four to 20 times stronger than natural timber—and potentially four times lighter in structural applications. In October 2025, InventWood made headlines when it introduced this revolutionary real wood that's reengineered by altering the material at the molecular level to outperform natural wood and even steel.

The one-of-a-kind material is the result of years of work by material scientist Liangbing Hu, who cofounded InventWood. During his time at the University of Maryland’s Center for Materials Innovation, Liangbing found ways to re-engineer wood, like making it transparent, but his goal was to make wood stronger. Now a professor of electrical and computer engineering at Yale, Liangbing achieved this objective by working on the cellular level. 

But you won’t need an advanced science degree to understand this proprietary two-step method used to develop SUPERWOOD. Here’s a simple breakdown: InventWood first adapts the complex polymer that gives wood its strength and then removes a structural component in the plant cell walls. This process collapses wood's porous structure and modifies its cellulose fibers, which results in a material that’s four to 20 times stronger than natural wood. Not only that, but SUPERWOOD is also three to 10 times more dent-resistant than natural timber, and it's received a Class A fire-resistance rating.

“It looks just like wood, and when you test it, it behaves like wood,” InventWood CEO Alex Lau told CNN, adding, “except it’s much stronger and better than wood in pretty much every aspect that we’ve tested.”

Because of its unique density, SUPERWOOD is engineered for exceptional structural performance. In load-bearing applications, Alex says the product would allow for structures to be up to four times lighter than average, making it more earthquake-resistant and easier on building foundations, which results in quicker construction. But those are potential benefits down the line: Until the brand receives certification for full building code approval, the material is available for applications like siding, decking, and fencing.

Sound interesting? Get your name on the reservation list to order this radical new material. Since opening up reservations in June, the brand has received an overwhelming response. At present, interested parties can place a deposit for 2026 orders. It seems like SUPERWOOD is super popular!

—Dalene Rovenstine