Zwarthout Shou Sugi Ban

Name

Zwarthout Shou Sugi Ban

Legal name

Zwarthout Shou Sugi Ban B.V.

Website

https://zwarthout.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural Wood Cladding

NAICS

Wood Preservation (321114)

SIC

Lumber & Wood Products (No Furniture) (2400)

akta.pro primary industry

Treated Wood & Preserved Timber Products (IMADADAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Wood Preservation & Pressure Treatment (IMAMABAF), Wood Coatings & Finishes (IMADAKAD)

Keywords

• Charred wood cladding
• Wood facade cladding
• Shou sugi ban products
• Fire-rated wood panels
• Sustainable building materials

Headquarters

HQ city

Lunteren

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Charred Wood Product Sales: One-time purchase of charred wood products (Marugame, Yoroi, Shodoshima, Naoshima, Sakaide, Nakatado, Omiyama, Kyushu, Takamatsu) for facade cladding and interior applications. Products are sold per board/plank with custom sizing options. Pricing is quote-based, reflecting the custom nature of each order.
2. Mounting and Installation Services: Professional mounting and installation services offered for business clients and consumers. The company has a dedicated mounting team that installs products on facades and roofs. Separate general terms govern contracting agreements for business clients versus consumers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Zwarthout Shou Sugi Ban manufactures and sells charred wood and bamboo cladding products using the traditional Japanese Shou Sugi Ban wood-charring technique. The company operates its own furnace in Lunteren, Netherlands, where charring masters treat each board individually to create a natural protective carbon layer that resists fire, rot, insects, and weather without chemical treatments. The product portfolio comprises nine branded lines (Marugame, Yoroi, Shodoshima, Naoshima, Sakaide, Nakatado, Omiyama, Kyushu, Takamatsu) using Accoya, Douglas, bamboo, Fraké, and Radiata Pine for facade cladding and interior applications, complemented by sample boxes and professional mounting services.

Product overview

Zwarthout Shou Sugi Ban is a Dutch company specializing in Shou Sugi Ban (Yakisugi) charred wood products since 2012. The company produces nine distinct charred wood and bamboo product lines—Marugame (Accoya®), Yoroi (charred bamboo), Shodoshima, Naoshima, Sakaide, Nakatado, Omiyama, Kyushu, and Takamatsu—all using the traditional Japanese fire-charring technique. Each product is named after a Japanese location and features unique characteristics based on wood species, grain patterns, fire classification, and origin. The products are used for sustainable facade cladding and interior applications, with some products (like Yoroi) achieving high fire ratings (B-s1,d0) suitable for public buildings and commercial applications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Marugame: Charred Accoya wood product with characteristic, versatile and silvery charred layer pattern. Made from Pinus Radiata acetylated wood.
• Yoroi
• Shodoshima
• Naoshima
• Sakaide
• Nakatado
• Omiyama
• Kyushu
• Takamatsu

Products and services

• Marugame Charred Accoya wood product with characteristic, versatile and silvery charred layer pattern, made from Pinus Radiata modified through non-toxic acetylation process. Labeled with durability class 1, Cradle-to-Cradle Gold certified, with 50+ year lifespan above ground. Used for facade and interior applications.
• Yoroi Deeply charred FSC bamboo product made from MOSO Bamboo X-treme boards, achieving fire class B-s1,d0 without chemical fire retardants. Features natural appearance with refined markings and is maintenance-free. Used for interior and facade applications requiring fire resistance.
• Shodoshima Lively flame pattern created by plain-sawn FSC-certified Douglas fir from the Netherlands. Wood is sawn parallel to growth rings creating flame drawing; features knots that fall out during charring. Durability class 3 with fire class D per EN13501. Used for facade and interior applications.
• Naoshima Natural and irregular pattern FSC-certified Douglas fir product from the Netherlands that weathers beautifully over time, fitting within Japanese Wabi Sabi philosophy. Features visible knots up to 2cm that can fall out during charring. Labeled with durability class 3 and available with optional Naoshima Strong eco protective layer treatment.
• Sakaide FSC-certified Douglas fir product from the Netherlands with fire class D per European EN13501 standard. Part of the Japanese-inspired product line named after locations in Japan. Used for facade and interior applications.
• Nakatado

Quantifiable outcome

• Accoya-based products (Marugame) have durability class 1 with 50+ year lifespan above ground
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered supporting, core and regional.

• Grad Group (Grad rail system)supportingTechnology or IntegrationGrad Group provides the Grad rail system used for invisible fixing of timber facade cladding. Zwarthout uses this system because of its combination of aesthetics, sustainability, and easy mounting. The system allows wooden cladding boards to be installed without visible screws or nails.
• MOSO International (Bamboo supplier)coreTechnology or IntegrationMOSO International supplies Bamboo X-treme planks used to create Yoroi charred bamboo products. The bamboo boards are compressed from bamboo fibers and then individually charred by Zwarthout using the Shou Sugi Ban technique. This is a critical supply partnership for the Yoroi product line.
• Accoya (Wood supplier)coreTechnology or IntegrationAccoya provides acetylated Radiata Pine wood used for Marugame products. Accoya is modified through a non-toxic acetylation process, labeled with durability class 1, with Cradle-to-Cradle Gold certification. This is essential for the Marugame product line.
• Banema (Portuguese distributor)regionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBanema is the Portuguese distributor for Zwarthout products. They facilitated Portuguese projects including Casa Alcanena and Cabanas da Comporta.
• Teknos (Treatment supplier)supportingTechnology or IntegrationTeknos supplies Bito Black and Bito White treatment products used on Shodoshima and other products for eco protective layering and color fixation.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/zwarthoutwood
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/zwarthout-shou-sugi-ban

Compliance9 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Zwarthout Shou Sugi Ban