CLT is made from boards of timber, which are sorted, (finger-jointed) together into long strips and arranged side by side to form layers. These are glued and pressed to form panels of multiple layers. Each layer is at 90 degrees to the one before, forming the cross-lamination. The timber is kiln-dried to a moisture content of 10-14% which assists with adhesion and reduces dimensional variations and surface cracking. The panels are assembled by placing the boards side-by-side to form solid wood layers.

Each successive layer is laid perpendicular to the preceding layer with adhesive being applied between layers. Once assembled the board is then pressed, in a large press, and finally cut to size and/or milled to its final specification. The timber species that are typically used for CLT in Europe are softwoods such as Spruce and/or Pine. In Indonesia, we are using Acacia wood. In CLT production the lost material is not wasted – all of the offcuts and sawdust are processed into co-products such as furniture. Or as fuel for the kiln. This is an optimized process that allows most production to be self-sufficient in terms of energy use. Leaving almost no waste product.