Discover the Science Behind Thermo Bamboo

Revolutionizing bamboo into high-performance, durable materials

What is Thermo Bamboo?

Thermo bamboo, also known as thermo-treated bamboo scrimber, is an engineered material made by recombining bamboo strands under high heat and pressure.

While bamboo is a fast-growing and renewable resource, its natural form is susceptible to decay, deformation, and pest damage.

Through a carefully controlled 20-step process, raw bamboo is transformed into Thermo Bamboo. This process removes sugars, enhances durability, and restructures the bamboo at the molecular level, producing a material that offers:

Exceptional durability and dimensional stability
Superior resistance to fire, termites, and fungi compared with hardwoods
Composed of approximately 85% bamboo and 15% resin, and fully biodegradable

Thermo bamboo is ideal for demanding outdoor applications in architecture, landscaping, and home furnishings.

Applications:

ZHUART Thermo Bamboo Production Process

1. Raw Material Selection

ZHUART’s thermo bamboo products begin with carefully selected Moso bamboo (Phyllostachys edulis), harvested at the age of 4 to 6 years. These culms are sourced from responsibly managed plantations in Fujian and Zhejiang provinces, regions known for their bamboo resources. At this stage of maturity, the bamboo reaches ideal fiber density and uniform structure, which are critical for the stability and performance of thermo-treated materials.

Moso bamboo is one of the most widely used species for outdoor engineered bamboo products due to its excellent material properties. Its dense and uniform fiber structure makes it ideal for heat treatment and recombination. In particular, the inner tissue (bamboo meat)—located between the outer green layer (bamboo skin) and the inner yellow layer—accounts for the largest portion of the culm and provides excellent bonding characteristics.

2. Strand Preparation

The harvested Moso bamboo culms are split into uniform strips, and then passed through a rolling machine that separates the bamboo fibers. This step, called defibering, helps loosen the compact structure and forms long, flexible bamboo strands.

During this process, both the outer bamboo skin and the inner layer are carefully removed. Only the middle tissue (bamboo meat) is retained.

The bamboo outer skin is rich in silica and waxes, which hinders adhesive bonding and limits heat treatment effectiveness. The bamboo inner layer, with its porous, loose tissue, lacks mechanical strength and dimensional stability.
In contrast, the middle layer—bamboo meat—is rich in aligned cellulose fibers, which form the structural backbone of bamboo. Removing the outer and inner layers allows us to create a more uniform, bondable, and mechanically robust material.

3. Thermal Modification

To enhance the durability and stability of bamboo fibers, ZHUART applies two thermal treatment methods based on product type:

Deep Carbon Product: Bamboo strands undergo high-temperature vacuum drying at temperatures exceeding 220°C.
Light Carbon Product: Strands are subjected to steam carbonization at about 100°C.

Both processes serve two functions:

Sugar Removal: Decomposes sugars, starches, proteins, and other nutrients that attract mold, insects, and fungi.
Enhanced Stability: Heat breaks down hydrophilic hydroxyl groups in hemicellulose, reducing the bamboo’s ability to absorb water. This minimizes swelling, shrinking, and warping during outdoor exposure.

Deep Carbon and Light Carbon products look different in color, and their production processes vary.
Deep Carbon products undergoe longer and more intense thermal treatment. The bamboo fibers become more brittle, leading to enhanced uniformity in color and long-term stability.
Light Carbon is treated at lower temperatures, which helps preserve more of the bamboo’s natural fiber strength. ZHUART has optimized the Light Carbon processing technique to achieve durability comparable to Deep Carbon. However, its resistance to mold is slightly lower and requires more maintenance.

4. Resin Application

After thermal modification, the bamboo strands are immersed in phenolic resin (also known as bioglue) to bond the fiber bundles together. During this process, the resin penetrates deeply into the bamboo’s cellular structure, filling internal voids and coating each fiber to form a strong and cohesive internal matrix. Excess resin is then drained, and the strands are carefully dried to reach the optimal moisture content before hot pressing.

Phenolic resin is commonly used in outdoor-grade engineered wood. It helps reduce surface cracking and significantly improves water resistance and dimensional stability.

At ZHUART, we use Dynea™ phenolic resin, which complies with strict environmental and safety regulations, including those of the EU and the United States. Dynea’s resins are well known for their low emissions and exceptional bonding performance in structural outdoor applications.

5. High-Density Compression

ZHUART uses hot pressing to transform bamboo strands into dense, durable structural materials. During hot pressing, the strands are layered into molds and compressed under temperatures of up to 132°C and pressures reaching 22 MPa, with steam circulating throughout the press system. Heated platens evenly transfer thermal energy, allowing the resin to fully flow and cure within the bamboo fiber bundles.

The combination of heat and pressure creates strong internal bonding, significantly enhancing dimensional stability and resistance to moisture, decay, and warping. In this process, a 15 cm thick bamboo mat can be compressed into a 2.1 cm board.

ZHUART operates the industry’s largest 5400-ton press and is the only manufacturer capable of producing thermo bamboo panels up to 60 cm thick, opening the door to large-format structural applications.

Although both methods use bamboo strands, cold pressing cures the board after pressing, resulting in lower density and higher expansion rates. This leads to inferior physical performance compared to hot pressing. Cold-pressed products are more prone to warping, moisture absorption and mold when used outdoors.

6. Shaping and Finishing

Once the hot-pressed bamboo panels have stabilized, releasing internal stress and reaching chemical and physical equilibrium, they undergo a series of precision processing steps:

Cutting & Sanding: Panels are trimmed to size and sanded on the surface.
Shaping: Panels are processed into different profiles.
Oiling: Surfaces are treated with eco-friendly outdoor oils to enhance UV resistance and weather durability.
Sorting & Inspection: Each piece is carefully sorted and quality-checked to ensure consistent appearance and performance.

This stage ensures that every product is not only beautiful and durable but also ready for long-term outdoor use.

Benefits of ZHUART Thermo Bamboo

Thermo Bamboo represents a revolutionary advancement in sustainable building materials, offering exceptional performance characteristics that surpass both traditional hardwoods and composite alternatives.

Remarkable Density & Hardness

At 1150-1250 kg/m³, Thermo Bamboo exceeds the density of premium hardwoods like oak (700 kg/m³) and even ipe (1100 kg/m³). This translates to superior load-bearing capacity and resistance to wear, making it ideal for high-traffic areas.

Exceptional Durability

With Class 1 durability rating (EN 350 standard), Thermo Bamboo offers 25+ years of service life in outdoor applications. This surpasses most hardwoods including teak and ipe, which typically achieve Class 2 ratings.

Superior Dimensional Stability

Thermal modification significantly reduces the material’s tendency to expand, contract, warp or crack with humidity and temperature changes. With swelling rates of ≤0.4% after 24 hours in water (compared to 2-4% for traditional hardwoods), Thermo Bamboo maintains its integrity in challenging environments.

Enhanced Fire Resistance

Meets Class Bf1-s1 (EN 13501-1) and Class A (ASTM) fire safety standards without eco-damaging fire retardants. This natural fire resistance outperforms both traditional timber and WPC materials, which typically require chemical treatments to achieve similar ratings.

Eco-Friendly & Sustainable

Moso bamboo reaches harvest maturity in 4-6 years (versus 50-100 years for hardwoods), absorbs 35% more CO₂ than equivalent timber forests, and ZHUART’s manufacturing process achieves over 90% raw material utilization—twice the efficiency of traditional wood processing.

Healthier Living Environment

With Class E1 VOC emission, Thermo Bamboo contributes to healthier indoor air quality compared to many treated woods and WPC products that may release harmful compounds over time. The thermal modification process naturally eliminates the need for toxic preservatives.

Thermo bamboo decking - Nora Buri Resort, Thailand — Thermo bamboo decking – Nora Buri Resort, Thailand

Expert Insight: While premium hardwoods like ipe and teak have traditionally dominated high-end outdoor applications, ZHUART Thermo Bamboo offers comparable or superior performance with significantly better environmental credentials. Unlike WPC products that sacrifice authentic appearance and feel for maintenance benefits, Thermo Bamboo delivers the best of both worlds—natural aesthetics with exceptional durability and minimal maintenance requirements.

Thermo Bamboo vs. Traditional Materials

Performance Attribute	ZHUART Thermo Bamboo	Traditional Hardwoods	WPC (Wood-Plastic Composite)
Density	1150–1250 kg/m³	600-1100 kg/m³ (species dependent)	950-1100 kg/m³
Stability	Excellent	Moderate to Poor	Prone to deformation in extreme temperatures
Resistance to Fungi	Class 0 (High)	Class 1-3 (Species dependent)	Good
Termite Resistance	Class 10 (High)	Low to Moderate (requires treatment)	Moderate to High
Bending Strength (MOR)	≥80 MPa	50-170 MPa (species dependent)	20-40 MPa (lower mechanical strength)
Sustainability	Harvest cycle: 4-6 years	Harvest cycle: 30-100 years	Contains non-renewable plastics
Maintenance Requirements	Low (annual oiling recommended)	High (regular sealing/staining required)	Low (periodic cleaning)
Natural Appearance	Authentic wood-like aesthetics	Natural beauty	Artificial appearance
Heat Retention	Low (comfortable in hot weather)	Moderate to low	High (can become uncomfortably hot)

Applications for Thermo Bamboo

Outdoor Decking

Residential and commercial decks, pool surrounds, and boardwalks

Exterior Cladding

Provides elegant, durable façades for modern architecture

Panels & Beams

Outdoor frameworks and structural applications

Railing & Outdoor Furniture

Tailored designs for indoor/outdoor furniture and fixtures

Start Your Next Project with ZHUART

ZHUART delivers eco-smart bamboo decking, cladding and panels with uncompromising performance.

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