Discover the Science Behind Thermo Bamboo

Revolutionizing bamboo into high-performance, durable materials

What is Thermo Bamboo?

Thermo bamboo, also called 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, we turn raw bamboo into Thermo Bamboo. This process removes sugars, enhances durability, and restructures the bamboo at the molecular level, producing a material that offers:

Superior strength and load-bearing capacity
Excellent dimensional stability
Natural resistance to decay, insects, and moisture
A sustainable alternative to tropical hardwoods and WPC

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

Applications:

zhuart thermo bamboo outdoor street funiture

ZHUART Thermo Bamboo Production Process

1. Raw Material Selection

Our thermo bamboo products start with carefully selected Moso bamboo (Phyllostachys edulis), harvested at 4 to 6 years old. These culms are sourced from responsibly managed plantations in Fujian and Zhejiang provinces, regions known for their rich 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) that 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, we remove both the outer bamboo skin and the inner layer, and only keep the middle tissue — bamboo meat.

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. Carbonization

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

Deep Carbon Product: Bamboo strands undergo high-temperature vacuum carbonization at temperatures exceeding 220°C.
Light Carbon Product: Strands are subjected to steam carbonization at 100-140°C.

Both processes serve two functions:

Decomposes nutrients like sugars, starches, and proteins that attract mold and insects.
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 undergo longer and more intense thermal treatment — vacuum carbonization at above 220°C, leading to enhanced uniformity in color and long-term stability.
Light Carbon is treated at lower temperatures — steam carbonization at 100-140°C. ZHUART has optimized the Light Carbon processing technique to achieve durability comparable to Deep Carbon. However, its resistance to mold is lower and therefore requires more maintenance.

4. Resin Impregnation

After heat treatment, bamboo strands are immersed in phenolic resin (also called bioglue) to bond the fiber bundles together. During this process, the resin penetrates deeply into the bamboo’s cell 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 moisture resistance and dimensional stability.

We use Dynea™ phenolic resin, which complies with strict environmental and safety regulations in both the EU and the US. Dynea’s resins are well known for their low emissions and exceptional bonding performance in outdoor structural uses.

5. Hot Pressing

We use hot pressing to turn bamboo strands into dense, durable material with stable structure. During hot pressing, bamboo strands are layered into molds and compressed at temperatures up to 130°C and pressures over 20 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.

We operates the industry’s largest 5400-ton press and is the only manufacturer capable of producing bamboo scrimber panels up to 60 mm thick and 4.2 metres long, 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 go through a series of processing steps:

Panels are trimmed to size and sanded on the surface.
Panels are processed into different profiles.
Surfaces are treated with outdoor oils or left unfinished.
Each piece is sorted and quality-checked.

This stage ensures that every product is beautiful and ready for long-term use.

Benefits of ZHUART Thermo Bamboo

ZHUART Thermo Bamboo is a high-performance sustainable building material. It offers a combination of strength, dimensional stability, and durability that competes favorably with traditional hardwoods and composite alternatives.

Exceptional 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 high density, combined with high bending strength (≥80 MPa), gives it excellent wear resistance and structural performance, making it well suited to high-traffic decks, boardwalks, and outdoor flooring..

Long-lasting Durability

With Class 1 durability rating (EN 350), Thermo Bamboo can last over 25 years in outdoor use. This surpasses most hardwoods including teak, which usually get Class 2 ratings.

Outstanding Dimensional Stability

Heat treatment greatly lowers the material’s tendency to expand, contract, warp, or crack with changes in humidity and temperature. Its swelling rate stays below 1% after 24 hours in 20°C water (compared to 2-4% for traditional hardwoods). Thermo Bamboo keeps its shape in tough environments.

Natural Fire Resistance

It meets Class Bf1-s1 (EN 13501-1) and Class A (ASTM) fire safety standards without using harmful fire retardants. This natural fire resistance beats both regular timber and WPC materials, which often need chemical treatments to reach similar ratings.

Eco-Friendly & Sustainable

Moso bamboo reaches harvest age in 4-6 years versus 50-100 years for hardwoods. It absorbs 35% more CO₂ than similar timber forests. Our production process achieves over 90% raw material use, twice the efficiency of traditional wood processing.

Healthy Living Environment

With Class E1 VOC emissions, Thermo Bamboo supports better air quality compared to many treated woods and WPC products that may release harmful compounds over time.

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

Property	ZHUART Thermo Bamboo	Traditional Hardwoods	WPC
Density	1150–1200 kg/m³	600-1100 kg/m³, species dependent	950-1100 kg/m³
Stability	Excellent	Moderate to poor	Prone to deformation in extreme temperatures
Fungus Resistance	Class 0 (High)	Class 1-3, species dependent	Good
Termite Resistance	Class 10 (High)	Low to moderate	Moderate to High
Bending Strength (MOR)	80-140 MPa	50-140 MPa, species dependent	20-40 MPa, lower mechanical strength
Sustainability	Harvest cycle: 4-6 years	Harvest cycle: 30-100 years	Contains plastics
Maintenance Requirements	Low	High, regular sealing/ staining required	Low
Natural Appearance	Wood-like	Natural beauty	Artificial look
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

Custom solutions for ourdoor use

Start Your Next Project with ZHUART

ZHUART delivers eco-smart bamboo solutions with exceptional performance and lasting durability.

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