Hey there, I’m Jake, and I’ve been running a LVL board supply business here in the Pacific Northwest for almost 12 years. Every single week, I get the same question at trade shows, on phone calls, and even from neighbors dropping off coffee at my shop: “Are LVL boards actually environmentally friendly?” It’s a fair question—especially right now, when so many of you are building decks, framing homes, or finishing basement projects and want to make choices that don’t leave a heavy mark on the planet. Before I started in this industry, I used to assume all engineered wood products were just fancy ways to cut down trees faster. But digging into the science, talking to foresters I work with, and visiting the mills that produce LVL, I’ve learned there’s way more to the story than meets the eye. LVL Board
Let’s start with what LVL even is, because a lot of folks mix it up with particleboard or MDF, and those are two very different products. LVL stands for Laminated Veneer Lumber. Unlike particleboard, which is made from tiny wood chips and resin, or MDF, which is ground into fibers, LVL is made from thin, continuous wood veneers—usually 2 to 4 millimeters thick. The veneers are peeled from logs, then arranged with the grain running parallel to each other, stacked into a thick mat, bonded with a waterproof adhesive, and pressed together under high heat and pressure. The result is a product that’s stronger than most natural solid lumber, straighter, and less likely to warp or twist when exposed to moisture or temperature changes.
Now, when it comes to environmental impact, the first big point is where LVL comes from: the logs used to make it. Most LVL manufacturers source their wood from FSC-certified forests here in the U.S. and Canada, which means those forests are managed sustainably—for every tree cut down, at least one is planted, and the whole ecosystem is protected, from soil health to wildlife habitats. I’ve visited one of our partner mills in Oregon a few times, and their forestry team told me they only harvest mature trees that are past their peak growth, and they use trees that might otherwise be wasted for things like firewood or paper products. Unlike solid lumber, which often requires cutting whole logs that might have defects, LVL can use smaller veneers from logs that aren’t big enough for standard 2x4s. That means less waste from each tree—maybe an extra 10% to 15% of usable wood from the same log, according to the American Wood Council.
Another big environmental win for LVL is how strong it is. Because it’s engineered to be more consistent and stronger than solid lumber, you don’t need as much of it to do the same job. For example, if you’re building a deck frame, a LVL beam that’s 2 inches thick might hold the same weight as a solid Douglas fir beam that’s 3 inches thick. That means you’re using less wood overall for the same structural support, which translates to fewer trees needed for your project. I see this all the time with custom home builders—they’ll spec LVL for headers over garage doors or load-bearing beams because it cuts down on the amount of wood they bring to the site, and that adds up over a whole house build.
But let’s not ignore the downsides, because honest answers matter. The first big one is the adhesive used in LVL production. Most traditional LVL uses formaldehyde-based resins, which are volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that can off-gas into the air, especially when the product is new. Formaldehyde is classified as a possible human carcinogen by the EPA, so that’s a real concern for people building homes, where indoor air quality is important. A few years back, we started carrying a line of low-VOC LVL that uses soy-based adhesives, right? That’s a game-changer for a lot of our customers who are building eco-friendly homes, or worried about air quality for their kids or pets. Those soy-based resins don’t off-gas nearly as much—they meet the strict California CARB Phase 2 standards, which is one of the toughest indoor air quality rules in the country. That’s a big step forward, but it’s important to note that not all LVL is made with these adhesives, so if environmental impact is your top priority, you have to ask your supplier about the resin they use.
Another downside is energy use in production. LVL mills use a lot of heat and pressure to press the veneers together, and that energy usually comes from fossil fuels, at least in part. But here’s what I tell customers: newer LVL mills are way more efficient than they used to be. The mill I visit in Oregon uses 100% wood waste—like sawdust, bark, and leftover veneer from the production process—to power their boilers. That means they’re not burning coal or natural gas to run their operations, they’re recycling the waste from making LVL into energy. And as more mills switch to solar and wind power, that energy footprint is only going to get smaller. I’ve seen one mill in Washington that added a 5-acre solar array on their property last year, and now they get 30% of their electricity from the sun. It’s not perfect, but it’s getting better fast.
Then there’s the end of LVL’s life cycle. Where does LVL go when you’re done with it? If you build a deck with LVL, that deck might last 30 to 40 years before it needs to be replaced, right? That’s way longer than some other building materials, like plastic decking, which can take hundreds of years to decompose in a landfill. When LVL does reach the end of its life, if it’s made with soy-based adhesive and no toxic chemicals, it can be recycled, composted, or even burned for energy—just like natural wood. Some cities even accept treated wood (wait, important: LVL isn’t pressure-treated, but if you use a coating or sealant on it, that’s a different story) for recycling into mulch or landscape products. But if LVL has formaldehyde-based adhesives, off-gassing happens even as it breaks down, so it’s better to send it to a landfill or use it for energy rather than compost it. That’s why choosing low-VOC LVL is such a key part of its environmental profile.
I also want to compare LVL to other common building materials, because that’s how you really measure if something is “environmentally friendly.” Let’s take steel, for example. Steel is super strong, but producing steel has a massive carbon footprint—like 2 tons of CO2 for every ton of steel made, according to the International Energy Agency. LVL, on the other hand, sequesters carbon. When a tree grows, it absorbs CO2 from the atmosphere and stores it in its wood. When you turn that tree into LVL, that carbon stays stored in the product for as long as the LVL lasts. A 2021 study from the University of British Columbia found that using wood products (including LVL) instead of steel or concrete in a mid-sized home reduces the home’s carbon footprint by almost 20% over its lifetime. That’s a huge number. Concrete is even worse—its production is responsible for about 8% of global CO2 emissions. So when you weigh the options, LVL stacks up really well against the other big structural materials.
But here’s the thing I’ve learned over the years: “environmentally friendly” isn’t a black and white term. No building product is perfect, but LVL has a lot of advantages over other options, especially when you choose the right kind. I’ve had customers who thought LVL was all bad because of formaldehyde, until I showed them our line of soy-based LVL, and then they switched all their framing to it. I’ve also had small business owners building backyard studios who used LVL for the headers and beams, because it’s strong, affordable, and better for the planet than metal or concrete.
I do want to be transparent about the areas where LVL still has room to grow. The biggest one is making low-VOC LVL more affordable. Right now, soy-based adhesive LVL costs a little more than traditional LVL, which puts it out of reach for some budget builders. We work hard to keep our prices competitive, but it’s a trade-off—we want to offer the most eco-friendly product without pricing people out of making sustainable choices. Another area is reducing waste in the mill process. Even with all the efficiency improvements, about 5% of the veneer produced is still wasted during pressing and cutting. Mills are working on recycling that waste into new veneer or other products, so that number should go down.
At the end of the day, the question of whether LVL is environmentally friendly depends on a few things: where it’s sourced, what adhesive is used in production, how it’s used, and what you’re comparing it to. For most builders and homeowners, LVL is a solid choice—way better than steel or concrete, and much less wasteful than solid lumber, when it’s made with sustainable practices and low-VOC adhesives.
If you’re working on a project right now and want to learn more about our LVL products, or how to choose the right one for your needs, I’d love to chat. We can talk about your project size, your budget, and what environmental factors matter most to you, so you can make the best choice for your build and the planet. Feel free to reach out anytime to start a conversation about what LVL can do for you.
Formwork References:
- American Wood Council. (2022). Engineered Wood Products: Sustainability and Performance. Washington, D.C.: American Wood Council.
- International Energy Agency. (2023). Steel Production and Carbon Emissions: Global Trends and Opportunities for Reduction. Paris: International Energy Agency.
- University of British Columbia. (2021). Carbon Footprint Comparison of Wood vs. Steel and Concrete in Residential Construction. Vancouver: UBC Department of Forestry.
- California Air Resources Board. (2019). CARB Phase 2 Formaldehyde Standards for Composite Wood Products. Sacramento: California Environmental Protection Agency.
- Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. (2022). Sustainable Forest Management Certification: Global Status and Impacts. Rome: FAO.
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