Accoya

Accoya® wood is the result of decades of research and development that has brought together a long-established, extensively proven wood modification technique and leading-edge patented technology – acetylation to create a high performance wood, ideal for outdoor use and challenging applications.

FEATURES & BENEFITS

Key features

DIMENSIONALLY 
STABLE

OUTSTANDING 
DURABILITY

PERFECT FOR 
COATING

Accoya® has properties that match or exceed those of the best tropical hardwoods and treated woods, yet is manufactured using wood from sustainable sources.

Accoya® is the world’s leading high technology long life wood.

ACETYLATION PROCESS

Step 1
Accoya is based upon acetylated wood technology, a process that has been studied by scientists around the world for more than 80 years.

This method of improving wood has been proven to deliver such superior performance that it has long been used as the “gold standard” against which other methods are measured.

Step 2

The physical properties of any material are determined by its chemical structure. Wood contains an abundance of chemical groups called “free hydroxyls”. Free hydroxyl groups absorb and release water according to changes in the climatic conditions to which the wood is exposed.

This is the main reason why wood swells and shrinks. It is also believed that the digestion of wood by enzymes initiates at the free hydroxyl sites – which is one of the principal reasons why wood is prone to decay.

Step 3

Acetylation effectively changes the free hydroxyls within the wood into acetyl groups. This is done by reacting the wood with acetic anhydride, which comes from acetic acid (vinegar when in dilute form).

When the free hydroxyl group is transformed to an acetyl group, the ability of the wood to absorb water is greatly reduced, rendering the wood more dimensionally stable and extremely durable.

Step 4

Acetyl groups are already naturally present in all wood species. This means that the manufacturing process adds nothing into the wood that does not already occur within it.

The end product, Accoya® wood, does not add toxins to the environment. The effect of altering the wood’s chemical structure, as opposed to merely altering its chemical content, is to create an end product that is dramatically superior to its source species.

Step 5

Accoya wood is modified right through the cross section whereas, by contrast, virtually all other treatments merely insert chemicals (such as oils, ammonia or metal compounds) into the wood, improving durability, to a degree, but not dimensional stability.