Cross-laminated timber and glulam are engineered wood products made by bonding layers of lumber into panels and beams that carry loads rivaling concrete and steel. North American manufacturing capacity for both has expanded sharply in the past decade. A $50 million glulam plant in Alabama will produce an estimated 84 million board feet of beams and columns a year, and automated CLT lines in Alabama and Montana are each built to turn out 2 million cubic feet of panels annually. Contractors bidding that work in the state should confirm their credentials first; the practical guide to getting a general contractor’s license in Alabama walks through the licensing path from application to bond.
The buildout marks a shift for the U.S. market, which until recently imported most of its cross-laminated timber from Europe. Domestic plants shorten supply chains, cut freight cost, and let designers specify engineered wood with dependable local lead times. Understanding how the panels and beams are made, how capacity is measured, and where the products perform best helps builders decide when mass timber fits a project.
The production methods are not new to the industry. Cross-laminated timber has been tested and used widely in Europe for decades, and the plants opening in the United States adopt the same grading, pressing, and quality-control standards that European mills proved out.
What Cross-Laminated Timber Is
CLT is a panel made by stacking dimension lumber in layers and gluing them together with the grain of each layer running perpendicular to the one below. Panels commonly use 3, 5, or 7 layers, which gives the product strength in two directions. A typical panel runs 8 to 10 feet wide and 40 to 60 feet long, sized to become a full wall or floor section.
Glulam, short for glued laminated timber, is the beam-and-column cousin: its laminations all run parallel, so it behaves like a single large piece of wood with the defects of individual boards scattered and neutralized. Alabama became the site for a flagship plant because the state anchors the fastest-growing mass timber market in the country, a region whose construction demand spans everything from warehouse floors to coastal resilience work such as the hurricane evacuation routes along the Florida-Alabama line.
How CLT Panels Are Made
- Lumber is graded, kiln-dried, and finger-jointed into long, defect-free lamellas
- Lamellas are face-glued in alternating directions to build the layup
- The stack is pressed under high pressure while the adhesive cures
- Panels are cut to size and routed for doors, windows, and chases on a CNC line
- Each panel is labeled with its position in the building and shipped flat
The pressing step is where capacity is won or lost. A plant output in cubic feet per year depends on press size, cycle time, and how much of the line is automated.
Glulam Beams and Columns: Size and Strength
Glulam beams and columns are specified in larger cross sections than most framing lumber, and the manufacturing line must process those sizes end to end. Current equipment handles beams and columns up to 24 inches by 48 inches and 40 feet long, which covers the largest residential and light commercial spans without splices.
Exposed glulam carries the visual warmth that draws buyers to timber construction, from an open vacation home in Montana to a downtown office atrium, which is why architects specify it for visible structure rather than hiding it behind drywall.
CLT and Glulam Compared
| Property | CLT panel | Glulam beam |
|---|---|---|
| Layer orientation | Alternating, perpendicular | Parallel |
| Primary use | Walls, floors, roofs | Beams, columns, arches |
| Typical sizes | 8–10 ft wide, up to 60 ft long | Up to 24 x 48 in, 40 ft long |
| Strength direction | Two-way panel action | One-way along the member |
| Capacity measure | Cubic feet per year | Board feet per year |
Sizing a Glulam Member
Engineers size glulam by span, load, and allowable stress. A 3-1/8-inch-wide by 9-inch-deep beam carries modest residential floor loads over about 14 feet, while a 5-1/8 by 18-inch member spans 30 feet or more under the same loading. Deeper members deflect less, so deflection, not strength, often controls the design in long spans.
Manufacturing Capacity and the Economics of Scale
Capacity numbers tell the story of the buildout. The new Alabama glulam plant represents a $50 million investment and is forecast to produce 84 million board feet of beams and columns per year. The CLT facilities, one in Alabama and one in Montana, are each being automated to produce 2 million cubic feet of panels annually, an investment of $24 million across the two sites.
What Automation Buys
Fully automated lines move panels from press to CNC routing to shipping with minimal handling. Automation tightens dimensional tolerances, which matters because CLT panels are manufactured to within millimeters so they assemble on site without field cutting. It also cuts labor cost per cubic foot, the number that decides whether a plant can price competitively against steel and concrete systems.
Board Feet Versus Cubic Feet
The two capacity measures describe different products. Board feet, a volume equal to 1 inch by 12 inches by 12 inches, is the natural unit for beams and lumber, so the 84 million board feet of glulam is the equivalent of a very long stack of beams. Cubic feet suits panels: 2 million cubic feet equals roughly 25,000 panels that measure 8 feet by 10 feet by 12 inches thick.
Logistics set the other limit on output. Moving 40-foot beams and full wall panels strains the same delivery choreography that keeps remote asphalt projects moving under the Big Montana sky, where long haul distances and seasonal road closures shape every schedule.
Where Mass Timber Goes to Work
CLT and glulam serve three broad markets: building construction, industrial matting, and bridging. In buildings, CLT panels form load-bearing walls, floors, and roofs, while glulam beams and columns frame the structure between them. Mid-rise residential, schools, offices, and civic buildings are the fastest-growing uses, with panels arriving on site ready to bolt together.
Building Types That Suit CLT
- Mid-rise residential: repetitive floor plates make panel layouts efficient
- Schools and civic buildings: long spans, fast enclosure, low site noise
- Offices: exposed wood ceilings cut finishes and add daylight appeal
- Industrial: heavy floor capacity and wide column grids
Matting and Bridging
Beyond buildings, CLT panels are laid as industrial matting to carry equipment over soft ground, and both products are used in bridging applications. Those uses connect mass timber to the heavy civil sector, where full-depth reclamation projects in Alabama stabilized truck-damaged roadbeds and demonstrated how engineered wood fits alongside traditional pavement work.
Carbon, Cost, and the Case for Wood
Wood is the only structural material that removes carbon from the atmosphere as it grows. Trees absorb carbon dioxide, store the carbon in their fibers, and release oxygen, and that carbon stays locked in the panel or beam for the life of the building. Life-cycle assessments consistently show lower embodied carbon for mass timber than for steel or concrete frames of equal performance.
The forests that supply the mills compound the benefit. Managed timberland replanted after harvest keeps absorbing carbon on a rolling cycle, and the oxygen released during growth improves local air quality, an effect that shows up in regional environmental accounting.
Embodied Carbon Accounting
The calculation nets manufacturing emissions against sequestered carbon. Harvesting, drying, gluing, and shipping consume energy, but the panel still ends up storing far more carbon than its production released. Environmental product declarations now publish those numbers per cubic meter, letting designers compare systems on a like-for-like basis.
Fire Performance
Mass timber performs predictably in fire because the outer layer chars at a known rate and insulates the unburned wood beneath. Heavy timber sections retain structural capacity through a fire, which is why building codes accept exposed CLT and glulam in many occupancy types.
The market spans every price point, from mountain lodge construction in Big Sky, Montana, to affordable mid-rise housing, and that breadth keeps demand steady enough to justify new plants.
What the Regional Buildout Changes for Builders
New domestic capacity shortens lead times. Instead of waiting on overseas shipments or import slots, regional builders book panels from plants a day drive away, which also cuts freight cost and the risk of damaged loads. Designers gain a reliable local supply when they specify engineered wood on the drawing.
Supply Chain Effects
- Shorter lead times for panels and beams in the Southeast and Mountain West
- Lower freight cost and damage risk on regional deliveries
- Engineer-of-record support from manufacturers during design
- Growing local crews trained in mass timber erection
The plants also add steady industrial payrolls to rural regions, including small towns in Montana where cowboy traditions run deep, and builders in those states gain a nearby source of panels and beams for the next generation of projects.