Sawdust turns into an iwood panel

iwood panels are made of sawdust and wood flour, or alternatively of the husk of rice, grain or similar. Sawdust and wood flour are by-products of the wood and the furniture industry. Both saw dust and wood flour are used almost exclusively for generating production energy and as a surface material for chipboards. The price paid per cubic meter saw dust on the free market is between 34 cents and 5 euros (depending on the area in Europe). The handling of these by-products can easily cost more than the sales return, not to mention transport. These extremely low prices express how difficult it is to dispose of saw dust and wood flour.

In Switzerland it is assumed that sawmill expansion will be limited because of the lack of demand for the by-products (of which saw dust and wood flour are a part). If these by-products cannot be sold, operating the sawmills is no longer commercially viable. The total volume of oddments must be marketable, as this income is vital for the sawyers. Industry members say that clever marketing of the by-products can mean the difference between making a profit or loss.

This is especially true in the case of saw dust. Some sawyers are discussing the necessity of '”disposing” of the by-products against a charge in the future.