Canfor
- Company typePublic
- Founded1936
- HeadquartersVancouver, Canada
- Headcount5,001–10,000
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
Canfor firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Canfor
- Legal name
- Canadian Forest Products Ltd.
- Website
- https://canfor.com
- Company type
- Public
- Founded year
- 1936
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 5,001–10,000 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Canfor industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Forest Products Manufacturing
- NAICS
- Sawmills (321113), Wood Product Manufacturing (321), Engineered Wood Member Manufacturing (321215), Sawmills and Wood Preservation (3211)
- SIC
- Sawmills & Planting Mills, General (2421), Millwood, Veneer, Plywood, & Structural Wood Members (2430), Pulp Mills (2611)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Softwood Lumber Sawmills (IMAMABAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Planing Mills & Lumber Surfacing (IMAMABAE), Engineered Wood Products Distribution (LVL, I-joists, Glulam, CLT) (IMAMAIAD)
Keywords
Where Canfor is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Vancouver
- HQ country
- Canada
- HQ region
- North America
Offices10 records
Markets served
Canfor business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Structural Lumber Sales: Manufacturing and sale of structural lumber products including Spruce Pine Fir (Western Canada), Southern Yellow Pine (US South), Norwegian Spruce and Scots Pine (Sweden). Products sold to construction, manufacturing, and distribution customers.
- Engineered Wood Products: Production and sale of glue-laminated timber (glulam) products including Power Beam, 24F Glulam, PRG Power Rated Glulam, Power Columns, and Power Preserved Glulam for residential, commercial, and mass timber construction.
- Pulp and Paper Products: Production and global sale of Northern Bleached Softwood Kraft (NBSK) pulp and kraft paper products for tissue, packaging, specialty, and food-grade applications from mills in Prince George, BC.
- Interior and Exterior Wood Products: Manufacturing of appearance boards, paneling, siding, fascia, furring strips, and decking for residential and commercial construction applications.
- Bioproducts: Development and production of bio-based products including wood-based alternatives to plastics, biochar, and biofuels from wood residuals.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | B2B product pricing - negotiated directly with customers |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels6 records
Canfor product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Canfor manufactures and sells sustainable lumber, engineered wood products, pulp, paper, and bioproducts through vertically integrated operations spanning forest management, sawmilling, pulp production, and engineered wood manufacturing. The company operates across Canada, the United States, and Sweden through 66 facilities serving construction, manufacturing, and industrial customers worldwide with certified sustainable wood products under proprietary brands such as Power Products and Polar Kraft.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Canfor Pulp: Northern Bleached Softwood Kraft (NBSK) Pulp produced at Northwood and Intercontinental Pulp Mills; specialty pulp and paper products
- Vida
- Power Products
- Polar Kraft
- Canfor Southern Pine
- Good Things Come From Trees
- Canfor Green Energy
- Power Preserved Glulam
Products and services
- Structural Lumber Structural lumber products including Spruce Pine Fir (Western Canada), Southern Yellow Pine (US South), Rocky Mountain Douglas-fir & Western Larch, and Norwegian Spruce & Scots Pine (Sweden). Sold to construction companies, building material distributors, and industrial manufacturers globally for structural framing, dimensional lumber, and long-span lumber applications.
- Engineered Wood (Power Products Glulam) Glue-laminated timber (glulam) products under the Power Products brand including Power Beam, 24F Glulam, PRG Power Rated Glulam, Power Columns, and Power Preserved Glulam. Manufactured in the US South and distributed across the United States for residential, commercial, and mass timber construction applications. Includes Power Preserved Glulam, a pressure-treated glulam product for exterior structural applications with 25-year warranty.
- Power Preserved Glulam Pressure-treated glue-laminated timber products designed for exterior structural applications, backed by a 25-year warranty. Manufactured for residential, commercial, and industrial mass timber applications requiring enhanced durability.
- Interior Finishes (Appearance Boards and Paneling) Premium-quality appearance boards and paneling for interior wall finishes, ceiling applications, and architectural paneling. Products often feature a straight, fine grain and are suitable for a variety of architectural styles. Sold to remodeling contractors and homeowners through building material distribution.
- Exterior Envelope Products (Siding, Fascia, Furring Strips) Exterior wood products including siding, fascia, and furring strips for exterior soffits and building envelope applications. Designed for residential and commercial construction requiring durable exterior finishes.
- Outdoor Living Products (Decking and Fencing) Natural wood decking, fencing, balusters, and finishing details for outdoor residential applications including yards, patios, and porches. Products deliver natural wood beauty and lasting performance for durable exterior environments.
- Pulp and Paper Products Northern Bleached Softwood Kraft (NBSK) pulp produced at Northwood and Intercontinental Pulp Mills in Prince George with combined 428,000 admt/yr capacity. Kraft paper products under Polar Kraft brand (Polar Kraft R, Polar Kraft X, PolAIR P) and Polar Premium White for packaging, specialty, tissue, printing, and food-grade applications. Sold globally to tissue, packaging, specialty, and food-grade manufacturers.
- Bioproducts Bio-based products developed and produced from wood residuals, including wood-based alternatives to plastics, biochar, and biofuels. The Arbios Biotech facility in Prince George commercializes a process to turn biomass from wood harvesting residue into renewable fuel with potential transportation applications.
- Power Sizer Design Software Free beam sizing software powered by iStruct that enables architects and engineers to analyze loads and calculate sizes and spacing for Power Products engineered wood. Supports design specification and use of Canfor glulam beams and columns in construction projects.
Quantifiable outcome
- 96% fewer embodied carbon emissions compared to steel and concrete construction when using Canfor mass timber (Google Sunnyvale project)
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Canfor
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Canfor technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability1 record
Feature5 records
Canfor partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- PinkWood Ltd.coreCanfor agreed to acquire PinkWood's I-joist business for $68 million, making PinkWood a wholly owned subsidiary. PinkWood operates the largest I-joist facility in Western Canada with 120 employees and 46 million linear feet production capacity, expected to close Q3 2026.
- Canfor Pulp Products Inc.coreCanfor completed acquisition of all remaining Canfor Pulp Products Inc. shares, achieving 100% ownership of the pulp and paper segment through a statutory plan of arrangement with 96.02% shareholder approval.
- Licella Holdings Ltd.minorCanfor sold its 50% interest in Arbios Biotech joint venture to Licella, making Arbios a wholly-owned subsidiary of Licella. The Arbios facility in Prince George commercializes biomass conversion technology for renewable fuels.
- Vida ABcoreCanfor's 77%-owned Swedish subsidiary operating 13 sawmills across central and southern Sweden, producing Norwegian Spruce and Scots Pine lumber for European and global markets.
- GoogleminorCanfor supplied FSC-certified lumber to Structurlam for Google's eco-friendly Sunnyvale office featuring mass timber construction with 96% fewer embodied carbon emissions than steel/concrete.
- Structurlam Mass Timber (Mercer Mass Timber)minorCanfor supplies lumber to Structurlam for cross-laminated timber production used in major mass timber construction projects including Google's offices.
- United WayminorOver $220,000 in corporate donations to United Way organizations across Canfor's operating areas through employee-driven workplace campaigns.
- American Red Crossminor$110,000 in disaster relief support through American Red Cross for Hurricane Helene and Milton recovery efforts.
- Carrier Sekani First NationminorPartnership for Tachick Lake Healing Centre with $18,000 lumber donation supporting Indigenous mental health and addiction treatment services.
- Lheidli T'enneh First NationminorPartnership with City of Prince George and Lheidli T'enneh First Nation for 75-space childcare centre emphasizing Dakelh language and culture.
- Skills Compétences CanadaminorPartnership supporting skilled trades workforce development and career awareness programs.
Scale indicators16 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Canfor competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- West Fraser Timber Co. Canadian lumber, OSB, and pulp producer with significant US South operations. Most direct comparable to Canfor across lumber, engineered wood, and pulp product lines, with similar geographic footprint in BC and US South.
- Interfor Corporation: Canadian lumber producer with operations across BC, US South, and US Northwest. Directly comparable to Canfor in softwood lumber focus, with similar exposure to North American housing and remodelling end markets.
- Resolute Forest Products: Lumber, pulp, and paper producer with Canadian and US operations. Recently divested certain sawmill assets to Canfor (per company history), making it a direct former-owner/counterparty and close operational comparable.
- Louisiana-Pacific Corporation: Building products manufacturer focused on siding, OSB, and engineered wood products serving residential construction. Comparable to Canfor's engineered wood segment (Power Products) with overlapping US South exposure and building products distribution.
- Mercer International: Pulp and lumber producer with operations in Canada, US, and Germany. Comparable to Canfor's NBSK pulp focus (Northwood/Intercontinental mills) and lumber operations, with similar international pulp/lumber exposure.
- Vida AB (now majority Canfor-owned): Swedish sawmilling operator with 13 facilities producing Norwegian Spruce and Scots Pine lumber. Already a 77%-owned Canfor subsidiary, but operates as an independent peer comparable to other European sawmill operators.
Broad incumbents
- Weyerhaeuser Company: Large timberland REIT and lumber/OSB producer. Operates broadly across forest products with massive timberland holdings; comparable to Canfor's lumber and wood products business but with significantly larger scale and REIT structure.
- PotlatchDeltic Corporation: Timberland REIT with lumber, plywood, and wood products operations across US South and Pacific Northwest. Comparable to Canfor's vertically integrated forest products model with timberland ownership and lumber manufacturing.
- Mondi Group: European integrated pulp and paper packaging producer. Comparable to Canfor's pulp and paper business (Polar Kraft brand, NBSK pulp), particularly in European and global packaging paper end markets.
Emerging players
- Structurlam Mass Timber (Mercer Mass Timber): Mass timber manufacturer (CLT, glulam) and Canfor customer. Operates as both a customer (supplied with Canfor lumber for Google's Sunnyvale project) and a downstream peer in the engineered wood/mass timber value chain.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Canfor social profiles
Digital presenceCanfor financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Canfor leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Canfor subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries9 records
Canfor funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors2 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Canfor M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A4 records
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Canfor
What does Canfor do?
Canfor manufactures and sells sustainable lumber, engineered wood products, pulp, paper, and bioproducts through vertically integrated operations spanning forest management, sawmilling, pulp production, and engineered wood manufacturing. The company operates across Canada, the United States, and Sweden through 66 facilities serving construction, manufacturing, and industrial customers worldwide with certified sustainable wood products under proprietary brands such as Power Products and Polar Kraft.
Is Canfor a public or private company?
Canfor is a public company. It is classified as public and is currently operating.
When was Canfor founded?
Canfor was founded in 1936. It employs 5,001 to 10,000 people.
Where is Canfor based?
Canfor is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada, in the North America region.
How does Canfor make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Structural Lumber Sales are the primary driver. The others are engineered Wood Products, pulp and Paper Products, interior and Exterior Wood Products and bioproducts.
Who are Canfor's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are West Fraser Timber Co., Interfor Corporation, Resolute Forest Products, Louisiana-Pacific Corporation, Mercer International and Vida AB (now majority Canfor-owned). Broad incumbents are Weyerhaeuser Company, PotlatchDeltic Corporation and Mondi Group. Structurlam Mass Timber (Mercer Mass Timber) is listed as an emerging player.
Does Canfor have an API?
No public API is recorded for Canfor.
What industry is Canfor in?
Canfor's product category is Forest Products Manufacturing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAMABAA, Softwood Lumber Sawmills, with a secondary code of IMAMABAE, Planing Mills & Lumber Surfacing. Its NAICS code is 321113 and its SIC code is 2421.