A growing alliance of construction industry bodies, sawmillers and forestry advocates in the UK has joined forces to promote domestically produced C16-graded timber — a structural wood grade widely suitable for standard building projects — through the Trust UK C16 campaign. The initiative encourages the construction sector to use home-grown timber more frequently, cutting carbon emissions, supporting local businesses and strengthening supply chains.
Why C16 Timber Matters
C16 is a formal strength grade of softwood timber defined under European standards and is widely accepted for load-bearing components such as joists, studs and rafters in residential and commercial builds. The grades ensure timber meets minimum strength and stiffness requirements, making C16 suitable for many everyday construction applications.
The UK currently imports a large share — around 80 per cent — of the timber products it uses, despite having productive forests and sawmilling capacity domestically. This reliance on imports not only increases the industry’s carbon footprint from transport, but also limits opportunities for rural jobs and local economic growth.
A United Industry Push
At the heart of the Trust UK C16 campaign is a coalition of key players: the forestry trade association Confederation of Forest Industries (known as Confor) and Timber Development UK, working with the UK’s largest sawmillers such as BSW Timber, James Jones & Sons and Glennon Brothers. Together, they are calling on architects, engineers, contractors and specifiers across the construction sector to trust and prioritise UK-grown C16 timber.
Industry bodies and millers involved are highlighting the material’s sustainable credentials — including carbon storage within wood and reduced emissions compared with high-carbon alternatives like steel, concrete or imported timber — while also showcasing UK timber’s availability and versatility for mainstream use.
A Four-Step Call to Action
The campaign advocates a practical four-part strategy to shift industry practice:
- Grow — increase planting and sustainable forest management to expand future timber supply.
- Manufacture — enhance UK milling and processing capacity to meet construction demand.
- Specify — encourage construction professionals to select C16 timber in building designs.
- Build — use UK timber on the ground, reducing dependence on imported materials.
By bringing together supply and demand sides — from forestry and sawmills to construction decision-makers — the initiative aims to rebalance timber supply chains and build resilience into UK construction sectors.
Sustainability and Economic Benefits
Proponents argue that expanding the use of UK-sourced timber aligns with broader industry goals around net-zero construction, reducing embodied carbon in buildings and supporting local economies. Timber sequesters carbon as it grows and continues to store it while in use, contributing to decarbonisation strategies for both rural land management and built environment planning.
The Trust UK C16 campaign represents a strategic push within the broader Forestry and Timber in Construction Roadmap, a government-backed plan aimed at increasing wood use in UK building projects as part of sustainable construction policy.
As climate commitments and material security concerns grow among builders, policymakers and specifiers alike, this industry-wide collaboration highlights how a traditional resource like timber can play a central role in a greener, more resilient construction future.