Scientists create ‘Superwood’ that’s 10 times stronger than steel

Maryland-based InventWood has created a high-strength “Superwood.” Courtesy InventWood

A US company has engineered a new type of wood that it says has up to 10 times the strength-to-weight ratio of steel, while also being up to six times lighter.

“Superwood” has just launched as a commercial product, manufactured by InventWood, a company co-founded by material scientist Liangbing Hu.

Over a decade ago, Hu set out on a quest to reinvent one of the oldest building materials known to humankind. While working at the University of Maryland’s Center for Materials Innovation, Hu, who’s now a professor at Yale , found innovative ways to re-engineer wood. He even made it transparent by removing part of one of its key components, lignin, which gives wood its color and some of its strength.