“Shou Sugi Ban” is a traditional Japanese process whereby wood is intensely burned and brushed to act both as a preservative and fire retardant, while also creating beautiful grain patterns in the wood, with or without additional finishing.

Charring the wood changes its properties, making it more resistant to insects and decay, while maintenance is greatly reduced or eliminated completely. In fact, there are many wooden structures in Japan that are several hundred years old, that have been constructed with wood that has been processed this way.

Traditionally, the Shou Sugi Ban process was done over an open fire, banding three boards together into a triangular chimney, and standing it over the fire. The fire would burn up the inside of the boards, and then the boards were knocked apart and brushed by hand. Although this sounds like a very exciting and romantic ritual, it certainly wasn’t suitable for high volume production, and consistency was difficult to achieve. More recently, hand torches have been used and scrubbing still done by hand, which is not very efficient, with consistency still an issue.

At Branded Wood Co., we’ve spent over two years designing and developing a proprietary machine that performs all the necessary operations to create beautiful, durable Shou Sugi Ban style wood products at a reasonable cost.

Unlike many of the enhanced designer woods produced today that are chemically modified, the Shou Sugi Ban process requires only heat and brushing, so there are no potential allergens, making it perfect for commercial and office applications.

While adding both practical and esthetic benefits to the wood, it can be used outside for siding, decks, fences, cabanas, outdoor rooms, etc. Inside applications include floors, walls, ceilings, bars, wainscoting, special features, etc.

While we do stock inventory of some Branded Wood – Shou Sugi Ban wood products, we can source the wood you require from suppliers that we work with, or you can purchase your wood products from your own preferred supplier, and simply have it delivered to our factory for processing. After consulting with you, we’ll determine the degree of charring and brushing that’s required for your application, then run samples for approval and process your order. We also offer standard and custom coloring for your Branded Wood Products.

Call or email us today to discuss your design project.