"InventWood". -- New Materials Technology.

[RCA]

I have always been interested in Materials Science, going back decades. Although, it just hasn't progressed as fast as I thought it would, it now seems to have hit a new benchmark:

"InvestWood" will start selling its new "SuperWood" or "MettleWood") this summer.

About — InventWood

www.inventwood.com

• InventWood’s MettleWood is 12 times stronger than natural wood and exceeds steel’s strength-to-weight ratio.
• The sustainable material stores carbon instead of emitting it, unlike traditional construction materials.
• Production will scale to commercial levels by late 2025 following a $20 million investment led by Bill Gates’ Breakthrough Energy Ventures.

Per ChatGPT:

ChatGPT - Superwood vs Steel

Shared via ChatGPT

chatgpt.com

• 50% more tensile strength than steel (85,000 PSI)
• The material achieves a strength-to-weight ratio up to 10 times that of steel
• 50% less density than steel
• 80% lighter than steel
• 50% the cost of steel
• Class A fire rating InventWood
• Weather-resistant and pest/rot-resistant
• Naturally beautiful with authentic wood grain
• Carbon-negative, removing about 1.8 kg of CO2 per kilogram compared to steel's 1.85 kg emissions per kilogram

Impact on appraisal: As new homes adopt this and similar new materials, existing homes will decrease in value. We need homes that are resistant to fire, hurricances, tornadoes and earthquakes.

 

[RCA]

I have always been interested in Materials Science, going back decades. Although, it just hasn't progressed as fast as I thought it would, it now seems to have hit a new benchmark:

"InvestWood" will start selling its new "SuperWood" or "MettleWood") this summer.

About — InventWood

www.inventwood.com

• InventWood’s MettleWood is 12 times stronger than natural wood and exceeds steel’s strength-to-weight ratio.
• The sustainable material stores carbon instead of emitting it, unlike traditional construction materials.
• Production will scale to commercial levels by late 2025 following a $20 million investment led by Bill Gates’ Breakthrough Energy Ventures.

Per ChatGPT:

ChatGPT - Superwood vs Steel

Shared via ChatGPT

chatgpt.com

• 50% more tensile strength than steel (85,000 PSI)
• The material achieves a strength-to-weight ratio up to 10 times that of steel
• 50% less density than steel
• 80% lighter than steel
• 50% the cost of steel
• Class A fire rating InventWood
• Weather-resistant and pest/rot-resistant
• Naturally beautiful with authentic wood grain
• Carbon-negative, removing about 1.8 kg of CO2 per kilogram compared to steel's 1.85 kg emissions per kilogram

Impact on appraisal: As new homes adopt this and similar new materials, existing homes will decrease in value. We need homes that are resistant to fire, hurricances, tornadoes and earthquakes.

And --- look under their Careers tab for an interesting job, which I am sure they will be updating this year.

 

[J Grant]

Interesting!

 

[Charles West]

This sounds exciting: a wood product displacing steel as a building material. Did the producers provide any idea when availability will happen? I want to build a carport over my driveway to protect our rides from the sun. I have a two-year-old estimate for $50K for an anchored steel and aluminum construct, but that kind of product sounds like it would hold just fine in the Sacramento summer heat.

 

[RCA]

This sounds exciting: a wood product displacing steel as a building material. Did the producers provide any idea when availability will happen? I want to build a carport over my driveway to protect our rides from the sun. I have a two-year-old estimate for $50K for an anchored steel and aluminum construct, but that kind of product sounds like it would hold just fine in the Sacramento summer heat.

They say they are taking orders for this summer. However, one question should enter your mind - how are do they connect the boards? They don't say. I emailed them asking about such issues, but haven't heard back from them yet.

I would think such a structure should be very sturdy, - well able to resist tornadoes,- if they have a good system for connecting the material. Grok suggested they would likely require drilling holes and using screws or bolts, or maybe some kind of glue. It's an interesting question. I would want to use 4x4" SuperWood on the corners and bolts alternating on each side for interior facing 90 degree angles and - I am not sure about exterior facing 90 degree angles - an exterior 4x4" would not look that great. 4x4" is generally stronger than 2 2x4" studs.

They said they are taking orders for the summer. However, one question should enter your mind - how do they connect the boards? They don't say. I would think such a structure would be very sturdy. Well, able to resist tornado. That is if they have a good system for connecting the material. Grok suggested that they would likely require drilling holes and using screws or maybe with some sort of glue. It's an interesting question. I would want to use 4 x 4 inch SuperWood on the corners and bolts alternating on each side for the interior facing 90° angles. I am not sure about the exterior facing any degree angles, and an exterior 4 x 4 inch vertical board in the corner would not look that great - maybe triangular rather than scare. Something to think about.

I think InventWood has to design an entire house showing how they're doing all the connections before selling the product. If they are planning on taking orders now, I would want to assume they have tested designs by now. So, I expect they will return a replay to my email in a week or two.

 

[ucbruin]

There's lab grown diamonds so wood should be a no brainer....

 

[KHS445]

Looking online it appears the product was initially introduced to the public about 7+ years ago. I would imagine with 140+ patents and years of continued research they have addressed most of the common concerns. It will be interesting due to the density and strength of this product what does the material weigh compared to other building materials, how are drill holes or to cut specific lengths, etc. I also wonder if this product can be used in conjunction with normal materials.

It will be interesting how quickly building codes will be updates to reflect the impact this product may have on things like stud spacing, support beams, deck construction, etc.

Like every new product pricing is going to weigh heavily on wide spread acceptance.

 

[Flakey]

Per ChatGPT:

Looks like ChatGPT is just parroting their sales pitch. Also, the statement "Impact on appraisal: As new homes adopt this and similar new materials, existing homes will decrease in value." does not seem credible. AI, AI, AI

 

[Charles West]

They say they are taking orders for this summer. However, one question should enter your mind - how are do they connect the boards? They don't say. I emailed them asking about such issues, but haven't heard back from them yet.

I would think such a structure should be very sturdy, - well able to resist tornadoes,- if they have a good system for connecting the material. Grok suggested they would likely require drilling holes and using screws or bolts, or maybe some kind of glue. It's an interesting question. I would want to use 4x4" SuperWood on the corners and bolts alternating on each side for interior facing 90 degree angles and - I am not sure about exterior facing 90 degree angles - an exterior 4x4" would not look that great. 4x4" is generally stronger than 2 2x4" studs.

They said they are taking orders for the summer. However, one question should enter your mind - how do they connect the boards? They don't say. I would think such a structure would be very sturdy. Well, able to resist tornado. That is if they have a good system for connecting the material. Grok suggested that they would likely require drilling holes and using screws or maybe with some sort of glue. It's an interesting question. I would want to use 4 x 4 inch SuperWood on the corners and bolts alternating on each side for the interior facing 90° angles. I am not sure about the exterior facing any degree angles, and an exterior 4 x 4 inch vertical board in the corner would not look that great - maybe triangular rather than scare. Something to think about.

I think InventWood has to design an entire house showing how they're doing all the connections before selling the product. If they are planning on taking orders now, I would want to assume they have tested designs by now. So, I expect they will return a replay to my email in a week or two.

I would think they would tie everything together with steel brackets and concrete anchors in the ground.

 

[John Hassler]

There isn’t much factual information on the web, which is a red flag.
Sounds a bit like laminated lumber (LVL) with a finish veneer. LVLs are about 2x as strong as steel on a weight basis.