Engineered Wood

Bonding solutions that transform wood into a high-performance structural building material

A green revolution is underway in the global construction industry and the use of engineered wood is gaining ground. As a renewable material, timber offers ideal structural properties and stores carbon dioxide from the atmosphere over the lifetime of a building, reducing its carbon footprint.

Henkel’s engineered wood adhesives optimize production lines and fulfill stringent fire resistance requirements. Whether it is the height of a mass timber building or the design of the wood elements, architects across the world have flexibility to realize their vision. Henkel is your innovative partner.

The Premium Value of LOCTITE^® Engineered Wood Adhesives

Our high-performing (PUR) polyurethane adhesives for wood are used by many of the world’s leading cross laminated timber (CLT) and glued-laminated timber (glulam) manufacturers. Our LOCTITE^® PUR adhesive has chemical and physical properties that make it more resilient than other legacy adhesives at maintaining strength, form, and functionality over time. Our polyurethane adhesives for engineered wood offer:

Quick, room temperature curing
Low coating weight
Solvent free formulations
Zero adhesive-related formaldehyde emissions

LOCTITE^® HB X is optimized for heat and fire performance, enhances the fire safety performance of cross-laminated timber (CLT), and glued-laminated timber (glulam) projects. LOCTITE^® HB X:

Maintains bond line integrity during fire event
Offers 60+ minutes of fire resistance and self-extinguishing properties
Provide Charring rate close to solid timber.
First 1C-PUR adhesive to attain certification on three continents

Polyurethane PUR Engineered Wood Applications

Find more information about the technological background of our engineered wood glue adhesive solutions below or on our engineered wood applications page.

Application	Application Description	Loctite Adhesives Features	Our Adhesives Benefits
Cross-Laminated Timber	• Load-bearing engineered wood element • Layers are bonded orthogonally (cross grain) for better stability and bi-directional strength • Used as pre-fabricated walls, flooring, and roof slabs	• Fast curing process in cold presses • Applied in controlled quantities with meticulous accuracy • PUR technology and formaldehyde-free • Multiple international certifications for strength, durability, and fire performance	• Faster production lines and cost efficiency • Healthier indoor air quality in comparison to other technologies • Fire resistance greater than 60 minutes and self-extinguishing properties
Glue Laminated Timber	• Load-bearing engineered wood element • Layers are bonded parallel to the grain • Used as columns, beams, and trusses in a straight or curved format	• Less brittle and hard than conventional adhesives • Flexible open time (between 2-70 minutes) • Multiple certifications for strength, durability, and fire performance	• Less wear and tear on saw blades, saving money and time on replacement blades • Improved aesthetics of visible grade glulam • Production flexibility • Fire resistance greater than 60 minutes and self-extinguishing properties
Finger-Jointed Timber	• Load-bearing engineered wood element • Consist of shorter pieces of timber finger-jointed with structural adhesives • Used mainly in buildings as posts, rafters, and beams	• Quick curing time and in controlled quantities • PUR adhesives are flexible to moisture content and temperature variation	• Increase production line flexibility and productivity • Ability to work with fresh cut wood in specific conditions
I-Joists	• “I” shaped load-bearing engineered wood element • Top and bottom flange made of laminates bonded to a web made of panels • Used as framing elements in buildings (wall and roof framing)	• Room temperature curing • Short curing time • PUR technology and formaldehyde-free	• Increase production line flexibility and productivity • Avoids buying special equipment for heat curing • Healthier indoor air quality in comparison to other technologies

Accessories

To assure the safe and professional use of our adhesives systems, we provide our customers with accessories that have been tested by the Center of Competence and are designed for LOCTITE^® products:

LOCTITE^® SOLVENT

• With, your equipment and machine parts can be easily cleaned. By immerging the contaminated parts into the solvent bath, the adhesive remains can be easily removed from the components.

LOCTITE^® RELEASE AGENT

• The LOCTITE^® RELEASE AGENT prevents adhesives from sticking on the equipment and tools. With continuous application of the release agent, adhesive residues can be easily removed. The use of the LOCTITE^® is recommended in order to extend the lifetime of your machinery.

LOCTITE^® RELEASE PASTE

• LOCTITE^® RELEASE PASTE can help prevent unwanted adhesion between fittings and threaded joints. Already applied in small portions, it helps to optimize your production processes.

LOCTITE^® BARRAGE AGENT

• The LOCTITE^® BARRAGE AGENT improves protection against moisture and helps to prevent the reaction of 1-component PUR adhesive within a closed application system. Used by equipment suppliers, it should be flushed through pumps, valves, fittings, and piping parts before the using the adhesives.

Adhesives for Cross-Laminated Timber

The construction industry continues to evolve as new materials are used to improve the longevity and strength of structures. Additionally, the constant push to increase productivity drives innovation and enables introduction of new ways to resolve skilled labor shortages, along with incorporating efficient materials for modularizing and fabricating structures off-site. This trend has given rise to modular and prefabricated solutions. Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) is a key contributor to modular panels. The benefits of CLT panels are:

Faster on-site assembly
Higher quality construction
More standardized building

Cross laminated timber adhesives are used to cross bond layers of timber to create a solid wood panel. Cross laminated timber, or CLT for short, is made by using at least 3 and a maximum of 9 layers of wood. The layers of wood are stacked in alternating directions, so the wood grain of each panel is positioned in a different direction than the layer above and below and are then glued together with a CLT adhesive. Cross laminated timber glue adhesives improve manufacturing processes and allow for more efficient and sustainable construction materials. Henkel’s LOCTITE^® CLT glue adhesives offer high strength bonding solutions that provide maximum flexibility for manufacturers.

The recent advances in building materials increase the number of components mass produced and brought to construction sites. This results in buildings being erected more quickly and quietly with far less waste. Another driving factor relates to reducing environmental impact of new construction. Beyond energy efficient new construction, a focus on zero carbon emissions allowed the growth of CLT for large construction design. This goes beyond the materials once they are on-site. It includes the efficient manufacturing of modular panels.

One example is the Carbon 12 project. At 85-feet tall, it is the tallest CLT building in the United States (as of January 2020). The popularity will continue to grow as CLT manufacturers are able to provide a natural and innovative alternative to steel and concrete. Cost-effective and renewable, mass timber construction is becoming a popular platform for owners, architects, engineers, and builders.

Collaborating to Deliver Success

Cross Laminated Timber manufacturing is adaptable to each project. The panel thickness and length fit specific building uses and environments. In new building, CLT keeps construction on site to a few days. CLT components may be shipped for just-in-time scheduling, arrive on-site as a kit of parts which minimizes storage requirements.

Henkel works with a variety of CLT manufacturers, contractors, and architects to develop solutions to achieve more functional and sustainable buildings. Contact us to learn more how we can help you with your CLT project.

Case Studies

Mass timber might be made in factories using standardized, quality-controlled processes, and shipped in a prefabricated format, but there are countless variations in the way that can be applied. Here we present some examples of how our customers’ products are used in award-winning commercial and residential buildings.

Be inspired by how mass timber is making its way into resort hotels, schools, flagship corporate headquarters, student housing, luxury condominiums, sport facilities, and even parking garages and manufacturing plants.

Our customers make Cross-Laminated Timber, Glulam and Finger-Jointed Timber products from wood that is sourced from sustainably managed forests and bonded with Henkel Loctite structural adhesives.

Their processes create a solid wood material with the strength of concrete but a lower carbon footprint and a lighter weight. In turn, architects and engineers use it to fulfil green building strategies, overcome construction site challenges, or simply create beautiful iconic designs.