Chemco

What Chemco does

Chemco is a privately held specialty building-products company founded in 1981 and headquartered in Ferndale, Washington, where it operates a single manufacturing and treatment facility employing 11–50 people. Through its SaferWood brand, the company applies its proprietary Thermex-FR fire-retardant chemical via a pressure-impregnation process that permanently bonds the retardant to the wood's cellular structure, producing ignition-resistant fire-retardant-treated wood (FRTW) that does not leach or weather over time. The product is compliant with the 2024 IBC, 2024 IWUIC, 2025 California Building Code, 2025 California Wildland-Urban Interface Code, and the Colorado Wildfire Resiliency Code, and passes ASTM E2768 surface-burning (FSI ≤25, SDI ≤100) following ASTM D2898 accelerated weathering.

Chemco monetizes SaferWood through a quote-based, channel-led model: partners, distributors, and clients supply the base lumber and resell treated SaferWood inventory across the United States and Canada, while Chemco collects revenue from the proprietary treatment service performed at its Ferndale facility. The primary customer segments are builders and contractors working in Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) and California Fire Hazard Severity Zones, where compliance with the strictest U.S. wildfire construction codes is mandatory. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; engagements are project-based and supported by multi-year contracts.

In early 2026, London-based Basalt Infrastructure acquired Chemco's Irish subsidiary in one of Ireland's largest transactions of the year, with that subsidiary reporting €27 million in profits prior to the deal. Chemco concurrently appointed a former executive from TNT and UPS to lead its next expansion phase, signaling a capital-backed scaling effort around the U.S. SaferWood franchise.

Name

Chemco

Legal name

Chemco Inc.

Website

https://chemco.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1981

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Chemco is a Ferndale, Washington-based specialty building-products company that manufactures SaferWood fire-retardant-treated wood using its proprietary Thermex-FR pressure-impregnation process, selling through a distributor network to builders and contractors in U.S. and Canadian Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) markets.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Fire-Retardant Treated Wood

NAICS

Wood Preservation (321114), Sawmills and Wood Preservation (32111)

SIC

Lumber & Wood Products (No Furniture) (2400)

akta.pro primary industry

Wood Preservation & Pressure Treatment (IMAMABAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Wood Treatment & Specialty Preservatives (IMAEABAO), Wood Treatment & Preservation for Engineered Wood Products (IMAMACAM)

Keywords

• Fire retardant treated wood
• Pressure impregnation treatment
• Wildland urban interface materials
• Ignition resistant lumber
• Building code compliance wood

Headquarters

HQ city

Ferndale

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Fire Retardant Treated Wood Products: Chemco generates revenue through the sale of SaferWood, a fire-retardant-treated wood product. The company treats wood at its Ferndale, Washington facility using its proprietary Thermex-FR process, then distributes through a network of partners and distributors.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Chemco provides custom wood treating services, pressure-impregnating wood with its proprietary Thermex-FR fire retardant at its Ferndale, Washington facility to produce SaferWood, a fire-retardant-treated wood (FRTW) product. SaferWood is sold to builders, contractors, and distributors for use in Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) construction and high wildfire risk environments, complying with ASTM E2768/D2898 testing standards and major U.S. building codes.

Product overview

Chemco offers a focused product portfolio centered on SaferWood, a fire retardant treated wood product for Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) applications. SaferWood is manufactured through a proprietary pressure-impregnation process using Thermex-FR fire retardant. The product meets stringent ASTM fire testing standards (E2768, D2898) and complies with major U.S. building codes including the International Building Code, California Building Code, and Colorado Wildfire Resiliency Code. All SaferWood treatment is performed at Chemco's facility in Ferndale, Washington.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SaferWood: Fire retardant treated wood product using proprietary Thermex-FR fire retardant and treatment process for use in Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) areas
• Thermex-FR

Products and services

• SaferWood

Quantifiable outcome

• Flame Spread Index (FSI) of ≤25, meeting the <25 requirement for FRTW classification
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Viance (Chemical Specialties): Supplier of Ecolife and Preserve preservative systems for pressure-treated lumber, competing with Thermex-FR in the treated-wood channel and serving similar lumber yard and OEM customers.
• Lonza Wood Protection: Specialty chemicals division producing wood preservative systems (including acquired Arch Wood Protection assets) used in pressure-treated lumber, directly comparable to Chemco's specialty preservation chemistry.
• Hoover Treated Wood Products: One of the largest U.S. producers of fire-retardant-treated wood (Pyro-Guard) and pressure-treated wood, directly competing with SaferWood in code-compliant FRTW for commercial and WUI construction.
• Arch Wood Protection: Historical direct competitor in CCA/ACQ and specialty wood preservatives, now folded into Lonza's wood protection business, with comparable regulatory listings and channel relationships.
• Koppers Holdings: Public global leader in wood preservation technologies and treated wood products, including fire-retardant treatments and utility pole/rail tie preservation, with comparable pressure-impregnation chemistry and channel reach.

Others

• Western Wood Preservers Institute members: Industry association representing treaters using waterborne preservatives; many member firms (e.g., Pacific Wood Preserving, Wheeler) compete with Chemco in regional treated-wood markets and overlap in WUI-compliant product offerings.

Emerging players

• Fire Retardants Inc. Specialty formulator of fire-retardant coatings and treatments for wood and other substrates, competing with Thermex-FR in ignition-resistant applications but typically via topical rather than pressure-impregnation chemistry.

Broad incumbents

• Boral Limited (building products): Diversified building products platform with engineered wood and timber treatment exposure; competes indirectly with SaferWood in structural and architectural wood applications in markets where FRTW specifications overlap.
• Lonza Group (parent context): Large specialty chemicals platform whose wood protection franchise overlaps with Chemco's specialty preservation business and could absorb or compete against Chemco across multiple codes and regions.

Regional players

• Osmose Utilities Services: Wood preservation and inspection services for utility poles, railroad ties, and structural lumber; adjacent to Chemco's pressure-impregnation capability but focused on infrastructure-grade preservation rather than WUI building products.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance7 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Chemco