This study examined the differences in biological wood properties of heat treated wood originating from four different European industrial heat treatment plants. The manufacturers of heat treated material were: PLATO Hout B.V./Netherlands, Thermo Wood/Finland, New Option Wood/France and Menz Holz/Germany where Oil-Heat treated Wood (OHT) is produced. The results of miniblock tests with basidiomycetes on malt agar showed a substantially reduced mass loss on heat treated material caused by fungal attack compared to untreated controls and heartwood of Douglas fir and oak. Only slight differences in mass loss were found between the four thermally modified materials. Analogous to the classification of natural durability (EN 350-1), PLATO wood and Oil-Heat treated wood were classified as “durable”, Premium wood and Retified wood were classified as “moderately durable“.

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