What 3RT does

3RT is an Australian sustainable timber technology company headquartered in Heatherton, Victoria, with an Innovation Centre in Adelaide. It has developed a patented manufacturing process that converts low-value juvenile plantation wood (representing 45% of globally logged wood) into premium engineered hardwoods in approximately one day. The process is enabled by a water-based, formaldehyde-free Nano-glue that biomimics native tree structure, and is managed by AI and robotics inside compact 650sqm Digital Production Units. The resulting 'Square Trees' timber blocks (300+ kg) and downstream products (flooring, stairways, structural posts and beams, doors and windows, panels, joinery, furniture, cladding, screening) are certified to AS/NZS structural, fire, and slip-resistance standards and carry FSC, PEFC, and Australian Made certifications.

The company's commercial model is a hybrid of direct timber sales to construction and furnishing enterprises (across species including Blackbutt, White Gum, Tasmanian Oak, Hoop Pine, Spotted Gum, Maple, Jarrah, and Mahogany) and an Equipment as a Service (EaaS) licensing model. Under EaaS, licensees receive custom-designed 650sqm plug-and-play production units, Bosch-managed installation and maintenance, Henkel-supplied Nanoglue, R&D and bespoke product development support from 3RT's Innovation Centre, and ongoing software upgrades under multi-year contracts. Strategic partners include Bosch (automation and manufacturing), Henkel (Nanoglue supply, Loctite-branded adhesives, Materials Roadmap), and Flinders University's Institute for Nanoscale Science & Technology (R&D). The company is privately held, founder-managed by Managing Director Peter Torreele, and operates without disclosed institutional funding or external ownership; no revenue, funding, or headcount figures have been disclosed.

Name

3RT

Legal name

3RT

Website

https://3rt.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

3RT is an Australian sustainable timber technology company that converts low-value juvenile plantation wood into premium engineered hardwoods in one day, using a patented Nano-glue process managed by AI and robotics, and licenses it globally via an Equipment-as-a-Service model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Engineered Wood Products

NAICS

Engineered Wood Member Manufacturing (321215), Wood Product Manufacturing (321), Sawmills and Wood Preservation (3211), Sawmill, Woodworking, and Paper Machinery Manufacturing (333243)

SIC

Millwood, Veneer, Plywood, & Structural Wood Members (2430), Wholesale-Lumber, Plywood, Millwork & Wood Panels (5031), Sawmills & Planting Mills, General (2421)

akta.pro primary industry

Engineered Wood Products Distribution (LVL, I-joists, Glulam, CLT) (IMAMAIAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Engineered Wood Siding, Trim & Mouldings (IMAMACAI), Hardwood Lumber Sawmills (IMAMABAB)

Keywords

• Engineered timber
• Sustainable hardwood
• Timber licensing
• Wood manufacturing technology
• Plantation wood processing

Headquarters

HQ city

Heatherton

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Equipment as a Service (EaaS) Licensing: Licensees pay for access to 3RT's technology platform, receiving custom-designed production units, installation, maintenance (via Bosch), local Nanoglue production and logistics (via Henkel), R&D support, and software upgrades. Services include ROI analysis, project engineering, on-site support, and remote assistance from the Innovation Centre.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

3RT converts low-value juvenile plantation wood into premium engineered hardwood using a patented water-based formaldehyde-free Nano-glue process managed by AI and robotics inside compact plug-and-play production units. It sells engineered timber products (Square Trees, structural posts and beams, staircase components, flooring, and species-specific timber) directly to construction and furnishing companies, and licenses its Digital Production Units globally through an Equipment as a Service (EaaS) model.

Product overview

3RT offers a unified sustainable timber technology platform centered on its patented Nano-glue process that converts low-value juvenile plantation resources into premium engineered hardwoods in approximately one day. The core product portfolio consists of engineered Square Trees timber blocks (weighing over 300kg) available in multiple species (Blackbutt, White Gum, Tasmanian Oak, Hoop Pine, Spotted Gum, Maple, Jarrah, Mahogany) with three cut options (A Cut, B Cut, Bespoke). The company licenses its Digital Production Units (650sqm plug-and-play systems) globally through an Equipment as a Service model, supporting applications including flooring, stairways, structural posts and beams, doors and windows, decorative panels, joinery, furniture, cladding, and screening. The ecosystem includes support from Henkel (Nanoglue adhesives) and Bosch (manufacturing/maintenance).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• 3RT Engineered Timber Scientifically engineered timber that duplicates mature wood, sold for structural and decorative applications including flooring, stairways, posts and beams, doors, windows, panels, joinery, furniture, cladding and screening.
• Square Trees Timber blocks weighing over 300kg with a unique folding pattern producing the look and properties of natural trees; the square shape reduces slab cutting and improves yield with dimensionally consistent and stable timber.
• 3RT Species Collection Engineered timber offered across multiple species including Blackbutt (Australia), White Gum (Brazil), Tasmanian Oak (Australia), Hoop Pine (Australia), Spotted Gum (Australia), Maple (North America), Jarrah (Australia) and Mahogany (Indonesia).
• 3RT Cut Options (A Cut, B Cut, Bespoke) Three cut options for 3RT engineered timber: A Cut (modern, minimal imperfections), B Cut (rustic with exposed natural imperfections), and Bespoke (mix timber species and custom cuts including end grain).
• Staircase Components Ready-to-install staircase components certified for commercial and residential use, available in Blackbutt, Birch and Tasmanian Oak species.
• Structural Posts and Beams Structural timber products certified for load-bearing applications, available in Blackbutt and White Gum species.
• Digital Production Units (Equipment as a Service licensing) Compact 650sqm plug-and-play production units licensed to manufacturers globally, including custom design, installation, maintenance by Bosch, Nanoglue supply and logistics by Henkel, on-site and remote support, and software automation upgrades.
• 3RT Bespoke Wood A bespoke engineered wood offering allowing customers to design the perfect wood for their application using locally available sustainable resources, including mixing timber species and custom cuts.

Quantifiable outcome

• Converts juvenile wood into products with properties that exceed mature trees
• +2 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• HenkelcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHenkel is a leading provider of engineered wood solutions globally, offering high-impact structural adhesives under the Loctite brand for mass timber products. They developed a long-term partnership with 3RT providing support for product development, technology transfer, access to new markets, and further development of the 3RT Materials Roadmap. Henkel provides local Nanoglue production and logistics to licensees.
• BoschcoreTechnology or IntegrationBosch is a leading global supplier of technology and services with operations in Mobility Solutions, Industrial Technology, Consumer Goods, and Energy and Building Technology. The collaboration with Bosch Australia Manufacturing Solutions covers manufacturing, installation, and maintenance of the 3RT production units, as well as further development of the 3RT Automation Roadmap. The compact 650sqm plug-and-play systems are installed and maintained by Bosch.
• Flinders UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFlinders University has been a centre of research and excellence for over 50 years. Their Institute for Nanoscale Science & Technology is a hub of nanotechnology research working across energy, health, environment, and security. From its start, 3RT has a longstanding partnership with Flinders Institute for Nanoscale Science & Technology which has led to the creation of some of 3RT's most exciting products and continues with development of the 3RT Materials Roadmap.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Henkel: Henkel is a 3RT strategic partner providing local Nanoglue production and logistics to licensees under its Loctite engineered wood adhesives brand. Included as an adjacent/ecosystem participant: Henkel's adhesive IP and global supply chain are core to 3RT's deployment model and represent the most direct competitive threat if Henkel chooses to internalize similar biomimetic bonding technology.
• Bosch: Bosch is a 3RT strategic partner handling manufacturing, installation and maintenance of the 650sqm Digital Production Units via Bosch Australia Manufacturing Solutions. Included as an ecosystem participant and adjacent industrial automation supplier; Bosch's industrial technology capabilities underpin 3RT's plug-and-play unit reliability and global rollout, while also being a potential competitor if Bosch commercializes competing automated timber production systems.

Broad incumbents

• Binderholz: Binderholz is a leading European manufacturer of CLT, glulam, and solid structural timber with multiple production sites. Comparable as a broad incumbent in engineered/structural wood products targeting construction, with overlapping sustainability positioning but no proprietary biomimetic bonding technology.
• Stora Enso: Stora Enso is one of the largest global engineered wood (CLT, LVL, glulam) and mass timber producers with deep European distribution. Broadly comparable to 3RT in end markets (construction, furnishing) and product category (engineered structural timber), but operates at much larger scale and with conventional, not proprietary nano-glue, technology.
• Weyerhaeuser: Weyerhaeuser is a major integrated timberland owner and engineered wood (LVL, I-joists, structural) producer with significant North American distribution. Broad incumbent comparable in engineered wood product category and construction end markets, but with a fundamentally different vertically integrated forestry-led model.
• Boise Cascade: Boise Cascade manufactures engineered wood products (I-joists, LVL) and distributes a broad range of building materials in North America. Comparable as a broad incumbent in engineered structural wood serving construction; 3RT's premium hardwood positioning and Nano-glue IP differentiate it from Boise's commodity-leaning portfolio.
• Mayr-Melnhof Holz: Mayr-Melnhof Holz is a leading European sawmill and engineered wood (glulam, CLT, sawn timber) producer serving construction, packaging, and industrial customers. Comparable as a broad incumbent in hardwood/softwood processing and engineered wood manufacturing with overlapping end markets in construction and furnishing.

Direct peers

• Kebony: Kebony uses a proprietary bio-based liquid impregnation process to modify softwoods into durable, hardwood-like products marketed as sustainable alternatives to tropical hardwoods. Directly comparable to 3RT in targeting construction, cladding and decking with modified/engineered wood positioned against tropical hardwood, steel and aluminium.
• Accsys Technologies (Accoya): Accsys produces Accoya, a proprietary acetylated modified wood that uses a chemical/biological process to upgrade lower-grade timber into high-performance, durable wood. Closely comparable to 3RT's model of using a proprietary process to convert lower-value wood into premium, sustainable, non-toxic hardwood substitutes sold into construction and furnishing markets.
• Structurlam: Structurlam (part of Mercer International) manufactures mass timber (CLT, glulam) and engineered wood for commercial and residential construction in North America. Closely comparable as a specialist engineered/mass timber producer serving similar use cases (structural beams and posts, flooring, large-scale construction projects) but with conventional adhesive technology.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/DesignerHardwood
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/3rt-technologies
• Instagraminstagram.com/designerhardwood

Compliance19 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 3RT