1 Jun 2026
,France
In Saône-et-Loire, Ducerf is actively promoting oak CLT panels, offering a serious alternative to traditional softwoods. In Charolais, the family-run company has launched the “Batichêne” production line within the specialist company Bois Croisés de Bourgogne, in collaboration with five small sawmills and joinery companies.
According to Ducerf’s technical director Thibaut Chastanier, the company plans to reach a first milestone of 6,000 m2 within five years, which would represent around 1% of the market.
The choice of oak is explained by several factors: "the elegance of the material and, most importantly, its limited carbon footprint, as well as its high density – up to 1200 kg/m3, 60% higher than that of softwoods", explains Chastanier. This is important in the context of the consistent and stricter RE2020 regulations.
The raw materials used are entirely French, and the resources are sourced from a radius of up to 250 km. The Batichêne panel was presented at the «Fabriqué en France» exhibition at the Élysée Palace from 15 to 16 November. The use of oak panels in construction also opens up new markets for secondary quality oak.
The project was developed in collaboration with the research team of the National School of Arts and Crafts (Ensam) in Cluny and was tested on two buildings of the departmental high school. Current investments amount to €3.5 million, including the acquisition of a high-frequency press in 2024 for €1.7 million, which will increase productivity and quality of recycled wood processing.
The company also offers a range of solid and glued wood in oak, beech, ash and acacia for interior decoration, stairs, cladding, terraces, doors and windows. According to Thibaut Chastanier, this activity benefits from the increasing share of wood thanks to energy renovation.
In parallel, Ducerf is modernising the sawmill in Vandeness-les-Charols with an investment plan of €15 million over several years. The first phase – an automatic debarker for 2.7 million euros, which allows to increase productivity by 10-15% and process logs with a diameter of up to 1.4 m and a length of up to 12 m, - explains Deputy CEO Jean-Marie Ducerf.
Each year, the sawmill processes around 40,000 m³ of oak, coming from a radius of 170 km. Ducerf plans to increase the share of internal supply for secondary processing from 20% to 50%, in order to control quality and compensate for the decline in the number of sawmills in France, adds President Edouard Ducerf.
The two processing stages each generate half of the company's turnover, which is 38 million euros. In total, the group plans to invest 45 million euros, including the creation of a cogeneration plant at the sawmill. Supported by government subsidies through ADEME, this project is the most ambitious modernization plan in the 140-year history of the family-owned company.
