Le Commerce du Bois

What Le Commerce du Bois does

Le Commerce du Bois (LCB) is a non-profit professional association (association loi 1901) established in 2000 and operating through its legal entity Union des Industries de la Construction et du Commerce du Bois (UICCB), headquartered in Nogent-sur-Marne, France. LCB represents approximately 250 French companies engaged in the national and international wood trade, spanning négocants (traders/distributors), raboteurs (planers), importateurs (importers), commercial agents, and supporting partenaires (certification bodies, research institutes, logistics and financial providers). The association describes 149 years of combined member-company experience and a sourcing footprint across 40 supplier countries.

LCB's core service portfolio is anchored in regulatory compliance. It acts as a designated Control Organization under the EU Timber Regulation (RBUE), issuing Attestations de Conformité à la Diligence Raisonnée to member operators, and supports compliance with the EU Deforestation Regulation (RDUE), including registration on the European Commission's TRACES platform for Due Diligence Declaration submissions. Digital infrastructure comprises the Thémis portal for tracking sustainable wood supplies across the membership, the Académie LCB training program covering Eurocode construction standards and regulatory topics, and the Revue CIB professional journal. A public-facing supplier finder enables buyers to locate members by species (softwoods, tropical hardwoods, temperate hardwoods) and end-use application (structural, cladding, decking, interior).

The business model is subscription-based: annual membership dues paid by approximately 250 companies form the primary revenue stream, supplemented by training, publication, and compliance attestation fees; pricing is not publicly disclosed. LCB is governed by an elected Board of Directors, operates with approximately 13 employees (three permanent: director, market research/prospecting manager, communications manager), and maintains strategic partnerships with the European Commission DG ENV, ATIBT, FSC, PEFC, CITES, ENSTIB, EOS, ETTF, FCBA, CIRAD, and FAO UNECE. There are no recorded funding rounds, acquisitions, or external equity ownership.

Name

Le Commerce du Bois

Legal name

Union des Industries de la Construction et du Commerce du Bois (UICCB)

Website

https://lecommercedubois.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Le Commerce du Bois (LCB) is a French non-profit professional association founded in 2000, serving approximately 250 wood-trade companies with EU regulatory compliance services, sustainable supply tracking via the Thémis portal, training, and industry representation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wood Trade Association Services

NAICS

Support Activities for Forestry (1153)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Forestry (800)

akta.pro primary industry

Forest Certification, Compliance & Chain-of-Custody Support (AFAMAAAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sustainable Forest Certification & Chain-of-Custody Services (FSC/PEFC/SFI) (IMAMAJAJ), Controlled Wood / Due Diligence / Risk Assessment Services (AFAMALAC), Trade, Export Controls & Customs Compliance (BPAHAFAN)

Keywords

• Wood trade association
• Timber compliance services
• Forest certification guidance
• Due diligence systems
• Professional association services

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: LCB generates revenue through annual membership fees paid by member companies (négociants, raboteurs, importateurs, agents, and partners). Membership provides access to compliance support, certification services, training (Académie LCB), publications (Revue CIB), and industry representation.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Le Commerce du Bois (LCB) is a French non-profit professional association (association loi 1901) that represents and serves companies engaged in the national and international trade of wood products, including traders (négociants), planers (raboteurs), importers, and commercial agents. The association provides regulatory compliance support for the EU Timber Regulation (RBUE) and EU Deforestation Regulation (RDUE), forest certification guidance, due diligence systems, industry publications (Revue CIB), and professional training (Académie LCB). It also operates the Thémis portal for tracking sustainable wood sourcing and serves as an Organization de Contrôle for the EU Timber Regulation.

Product overview

Le Commerce du Bois (LCB) is a professional trade association representing French wood trading companies (importers, sawyers, agents, and merchants). Rather than a unified software product, LCB offers a portfolio of membership services: a member directory organized by wood species categories (coniferous, tropical, temperate hardwoods) and product uses (structural wood, cladding, decking, interior fitting, panels); the CIB professional journal; the Thémis portal for tracking sustainable sourcing; a Diligence Raisonnée due diligence system for EU timber regulation compliance; professional training through Académie LCB; and regulatory guidance on RBUE/RDUE deforestation rules and CITES. The association also facilitates compliance with the EU Information System for RDUE declarations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Thémis Portal Online portal for tracking sustainable wood supply chains, enabling members to contribute to and access data on certified wood sourcing across softwoods, tropical hardwoods, and temperate hardwoods.
• Revue CIB Professional journal covering wood industry news, market trends, regulatory updates, and member profiles, distributed to association members and industry subscribers.
• Diligence Raisonnée (Due Diligence System) Due diligence system that wood operators can use or adapt to comply with EU Timber Regulations (RBUE/RDUE). LCB acts as a control organization issuing attestations of compliance (Attestation de Conformité à la Diligence Raisonnée) to qualifying member companies.
• Académie LCB Professional training programs and educational resources for wood industry professionals, including modules on wood construction, Eurocode standards, and regulatory compliance, offered in collaboration with ENSTIB PACTE e-campus.
• RDUE Information System Support Guidance and training to help members comply with the EU Deforestation Regulation (RDUE), including assistance with European Commission TRACES platform registration and Due Diligence Declaration submissions.

Named customers9 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• European Commission (DG ENV)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLCB collaborates with the European Commission's DG ENV on implementation of the EU Deforestation Regulation (RDUE). The association participated in training sessions on the Information System platform and helps members comply with new requirements for Due Diligence Declarations.
• ATIBT (Association Technique Internationale des Bois Tropicaux)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint support for RDUE compliance, with ATIBT contact Caroline Duhesme providing assistance to members. Collaboration on tropical wood market issues and regulatory compliance.
• FSC (Forest Stewardship Council)coreOthersForest certification body. LCB members handle FSC-certified wood products and the association monitors FSC General Assembly developments.
• PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification)coreOthersForest certification body. LCB promotes PEFC certification among members and monitors certification developments.
• CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species)coreOthersInternational convention regulating trade in endangered species. LCB provides guidance to members on CITES compliance for tropical wood species.
• ENSTIB (École Nationale Supérieure des Technologies et Industries du Bois)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for professional training programs. LCB promotes ENSTIB PACTE e-campus modules to members, covering wood construction and Eurocode standards.
• FAO UNECE (Food and Agriculture Organization / United Nations Economic Commission for Europe)minorOthersInternational organizations providing wood market data and statistics. LCB references FAO UNECE market declarations and industry data in its publications.
• EOS (European Organisation of the Sawmill Industry)minorOthersEuropean sawmill industry organization. LCB participates in ISC (International Softwood Conference) organized in collaboration with EOS.
• ETTF (European Timber Trade Federation)minorOthersEuropean timber trade federation. LCB participates in ISC conference organized in collaboration with ETTF.
• FCBA (Institut Technologique)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrench technological institute for forest, cellulose, and wood construction. FCBA is a member-partner providing research and technical expertise.
• CIRADminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrench agricultural research institute for sustainable development. CIRAD is a member-partner providing expertise on tropical forest management.
• CIB (Congrès International Bois)minorOthersInternational Wood Congress. LCB organizes buyer meetings and industry surveys in collaboration with CIB.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• European Timber Trade Federation (ETTF): Pan-European federation representing national timber trade federations. ETTF co-organises the International Softwood Conference with LCB and operates at a broader geographic scope, making it a logical incumbent counterpart.
• Bureau Veritas: Global testing, inspection, and certification (TIC) company that is an LCB partner member. Bureau Veritas operates third-party certification services that overlap with LCB's RBUE control-organization role, but at significantly greater scale.

Others

• CIRAD: French agricultural research centre for sustainable development with significant expertise on tropical forestry. CIRAD is an LCB partner member and provides the scientific backbone for LCB's RDUE and sustainable-sourcing positions.

Regional players

• FSC France: National chapter of the Forest Stewardship Council. FSC is one of the two forest-certification systems LCB actively promotes to its members, placing it in a closely adjacent standards-and-certification role.
• PEFC France: National chapter of PEFC, the second major forest-certification scheme supported by LCB. PEFC competes in the same voluntary certification market that LCB members rely on for sustainable sourcing claims.
• Union des Industries du Bois (UIB): Industry federation representing wood-using manufacturers in France. UIB serves a different stage of the value chain (manufacturers rather than traders/importers) but operates in the same French wood-industry institutional landscape as LCB.
• Nederlands Hout Unie: Dutch association for the timber trade and wood wholesale. Comparable in mandate and structure to LCB but serving the Netherlands market, making it a strong functional peer for benchmarking membership-based trade-association models.

Emerging players

• FCBA (Institut Technologique Forêt Cellulose Bois-Construction Ameublement): French industrial technical institute covering forest, wood, and construction. FCBA is an LCB partner member but also operates overlapping training, certification, and technical-research services for the same wood-trade audience.

Direct peers

• ATIBT (Association Technique Internationale des Bois Tropicaux): International technical association for tropical timber, headquartered in France. ATIBT partners directly with LCB on RDUE compliance for tropical species and serves an overlapping importer/trader constituency, making it the closest functional peer.
• Fédération Française du Négoce du Bois et de l'Importation (FN BI): French federation representing wood wholesalers and importers - a near-identical membership base to LCB. Where LCB and FN BI overlap in membership and policy advocacy, they are direct counterparts.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/le-commerce-du-bois

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

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 Le Commerce du Bois