What Chemicals Are Used in Pressure-Treated Lumber?

What Chemicals Are Used in Pressure-Treated Lumber?

There are several different types of pressure-treated wood available in retail lumber yards today. A discussion involving all of them would result in an alphabet soup of acronyms for the various types of treatment formulations.

We'll make it simple: at ProWood, we treat our pressure-treated lumber with a formulation known as Micronized Copper Azole, or MCA. The finished product contains two active ingredients to stop decay and termite attack: copper and tebuconazole. And, you've probably heard of Azoles as they're used in several everyday personal care products such as foot creams and fungal ointments. Copper is a common metal used to build water pipes, electrical, etc. that humans come in contact with every day. These two ingredients are applied in a mixture of water at a solution strength of less than 1% active ingredients (99% or more water).

Best of all, the EPA has registered our preservative and deemed it appropriate for the protection of wood from rot and termites when used as directed. This simple formulation helps pressure-treated wood become an eco-friendly product and serviceable for decades.