Sawn Timber
Kiln-Dried (KD) Timber: Pine and Eucalyptus with Controlled Moisture Content
Pine and eucalyptus timber kiln-dried to a controlled moisture content, rough-sawn or S4S planed, ready for pallets, packaging and export across Europe.
- ✅ Shipping across Europe
- ✅ ISPM 15 treatment available
- ✅ Our own sawmill in Galicia
Kiln-dried (KD) timber is Galician pine or eucalyptus that has gone through an industrial drying cycle in a kiln chamber, where temperature and air humidity are raised and controlled in stages until the wood's internal moisture content drops to a stable, targeted range — typically between 12% and 18%, depending on what the timber will be used for. Air-drying leaves the result to the weather and can take months; kiln drying compresses that into days and lets us aim for a specific, repeatable moisture figure instead of an approximate one. We supply this timber rough-sawn or planed on all four sides (S4S), cut to the sections and lengths a given order calls for.
It's a product that pallet and packaging manufacturers reach for when the cargo is moisture-sensitive, that electronics, pharmaceutical and food-sector buyers specify when the wood itself must not warp, split or add moisture to the goods it protects, and that joiners and builders ask for when a piece needs to hold its dimensions before machining. It's also increasingly requested by exporters selling into markets where the buyer's own import conditions call for dried or heat-treated wood — a requirement that has become more common outside the EU. We explain further down exactly how kiln drying differs from ISPM 15 heat treatment, since the two are often confused and don't always need to be combined in the same order.
We work with pine and eucalyptus sourced in Galicia, drying it ourselves in-house and adjusting the cycle to the end use of each order — drying timber for a one-way pallet is not the same job as drying it for a precision-instrument case. We serve orders within Spain and across the rest of Europe (Portugal, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, the United Kingdom and Ireland), with export paperwork and, where a customer's destination requires it, additional phytosanitary treatment arranged alongside the drying. It's a straightforward distinction that's easy to overlook until a shipment reaches destination with condensation-damp packaging, or an import inspector asking for treatment paperwork that was never arranged.
Specifications
| Species | Galician pine and eucalyptus |
|---|---|
| Final moisture content | Approx. 12–18%, depending on end use |
| Finish | Rough-sawn or S4S planed (four sides) |
| Sections | From 22×70 mm to 200×200 mm, made to order |
| Lengths | 2 to 6 m, cut to order |
| Drying method | Industrial kiln chamber, controlled temperature/humidity cycle |
| Phytosanitary treatment | Available on request, in line with ISPM 15 (separate from drying) |
| Supply format | Strapped bundles, sized to order |
| Recommended use | Pallets, industrial packaging, joinery and lightweight structures |
| Indicative lead time | 2–4 weeks depending on volume and specification |
| Minimum order | Kiln-dried runs are scheduled by volume — from smaller specified batches up to full-truckload orders. |
Kiln drying, step by step — and how it differs from ISPM 15 heat treatment
The process starts at the sawmill: pine or eucalyptus is cut to the requested section and stacked with spacer battens (stickers) so air can move freely between boards. That stack goes into the drying chamber, where a programmed cycle raises temperature and manages relative humidity over a period that can run from a few days to well over a week, depending on the thickness of the piece and the species. The aim is to bring the wood's internal moisture content down gradually, avoiding the internal stress that causes cracking, warping or end-splitting — drying too fast damages a piece just as surely as not drying it enough.
It's worth being precise about what kiln drying is not: it is not the same thing as the heat treatment required under ISPM 15 (the IPPC's International Standard for Phytosanitary Measures No. 15) for wood packaging in international trade. The two processes solve different problems. Kiln drying controls moisture content to improve dimensional stability. ISPM 15 heat treatment requires the core of the piece to reach a minimum temperature of 56°C for at least 30 minutes, with the sole purpose of killing insects, fungi and pathogens before the wood crosses a border. A board can be perfectly dry and still not have met that thermal profile, and vice versa. Only when a kiln schedule is deliberately run to reach and hold that core temperature does a single pass through the chamber satisfy both requirements — otherwise the two are separate processes, ordered separately depending on what the shipment and its destination require.
Cycle time varies a lot by species and thickness: a thin pine board might be ready in two or three days, while a thick eucalyptus piece can need well over a week in the chamber. During the process we take periodic moisture readings at different points in the stack, and adjust the drying programme if some pieces are drying faster than others — common when a stack mixes different sections. What we're after isn't just "dry wood", but a consistent batch where every piece falls within the same moisture range before it leaves the kiln.
Species and finish: pine, eucalyptus and S4S planing
We work mainly with Galician pine — the core species at our sawmill — and eucalyptus, both sourced regionally. Kiln-dried pine becomes easier to machine and loses weight, which matters both to joiners and to whoever is paying freight by the kilogram. Eucalyptus, being denser, delivers stronger, stiffer pieces once dried, useful for structural components in pallets or crates that need to carry load.
Timber is supplied rough-sawn or planed on all four sides (S4S), with sharp or eased edges as requested. S4S gives a piece with a more consistent section and a surface ready for direct assembly, cutting machining time on the customer's own line — something packaging manufacturers running series production particularly value. If your order doesn't need kiln drying, our Galician sawn pine timber is also available.
Visual grading also comes into the picture when we prepare an order: we can set aside pieces with fewer knots or cleaner faces for a visible packaging application or a joinery piece, while pieces with sound knots are perfectly adequate for structural use in a pallet or load-bearing base. Telling us the end use helps us match the right part of a batch to your order, rather than applying one grading rule to the whole run.
Dimensional stability and quality control
The main reason to specify KD timber over green or air-dried stock is stability: a piece with controlled moisture content moves far less once it's assembled, meaning fewer gaps, cracks and distortions in the finished pallet or crate. That matters most in export packaging, which will pass through several different climates and humidity levels over the course of a sea or road journey.
Before an order ships, we check moisture content with a contact meter on a representative sample from the batch, and verify sections and lengths against the agreed specification. We don't claim a dimensional tolerance certified by an external body — we work to internal control criteria matched to what each application needs — but we do adjust the drying cycle and machining to the project at hand, from structural boards to fine battens for lightweight packaging.
When a piece isn't dry enough, the problem usually doesn't show up when the pallet or crate is built, but weeks later: the wood keeps losing moisture in transit or in the customer's warehouse, shrinks, and gaps open up at nailed or stapled joints, sometimes with surface cracking. Ordering KD timber with moisture matched to the final destination cuts that risk off at the source, instead of trying to fix it after the packaging has already been assembled.
Where KD timber makes a difference, by industry
KD timber earns its keep wherever moisture or weight is a real problem:
- Pallets for moisture-sensitive cargo (dry food, paper, textiles)
- Packaging for electronics and precision components, where the wood must not add moisture to the contents
- Crates and cages for pharmaceutical and healthcare shipments
- Export pallets where packaging weight directly affects freight cost
- Outdoor joinery and lightweight structures that need stable pieces before painting or treating
- Orders bound for markets where dried or treated wood is a condition of the sale
For pallet applications, this timber pairs naturally with our custom-made wood pallets, built to the section and load rating each customer needs, and with our industrial wood crates and packaging when the finished product is a closed or semi-closed case rather than an open pallet.
In food and beverage, for example, damp timber in a pallet can encourage mould over a long sea crossing; in electronics, moisture released from the wood itself can affect components sensitive to corrosion. In both cases, specifying KD timber on the order — rather than just "pine timber" with no further detail — is how a buyer makes sure the supplier understands the actual requirement behind the order.
Galician forest sourcing and sustainability
The timber we dry comes from Galician forests, sourced through the same buying and sawing operation that has been the core of Maderas Caamaño's business for decades. Working with regional suppliers and woodlands means we know where each batch originates and keep the supply chain shorter than it would be with imported timber.
Our purchasing and processing approach follows the responsible forest management principles promoted by organisations such as the FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) and PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification), aimed at ensuring forestry activity doesn't outpace the woodland's own regeneration. We present this as the approach we take to buying and processing Galician timber, not as a formal certification held by our company.
Buying locally sourced timber also has a practical side beyond traceability: it cuts down transport before the wood even reaches the sawmill and supports forestry activity in the local area, where active woodland management — clearing, thinning, harvesting — also plays a recognised role in wildfire prevention. This isn't a certification; it's simply how we buy, and where the timber we later dry and machine comes from.
Export and logistics across Europe
We ship KD timber within Spain and to Portugal, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, the United Kingdom and Ireland, on EXW, FOB or delivered terms as agreed with each customer. Accompanying paperwork is prepared in Spanish and English, and we coordinate transport around the volume and destination of each order.
For destinations outside the EU — the United Kingdom or Switzerland, for instance — the wood packaging travelling with a shipment (pallets, crates, dunnage) typically needs heat treatment under ISPM 15, stamped with the corresponding IPPC mark; as explained above, that is a separate process from kiln drying and is arranged on top of it when an order requires it. Within the EU, if the pallet carrying your goods is part of the EPAL exchange pool, it can be swapped at destination for an equivalent unit through the network of approved pallet exchanges, without needing to return the original.
For every shipment we prepare the usual commercial documentation — invoice, packing list and, where relevant, the phytosanitary certificate or the ISPM 15 mark on the packaging — matched to the language and format customs or a destination-country broker typically expects. When an order combines different products — KD timber alongside already-assembled pallets, for instance — we coordinate the shipment as a single consignment wherever volume and carrier allow, to simplify clearance at the other end. Getting this paperwork right before the truck or container leaves the yard saves far more time than sorting it out once a shipment is already sitting at a border post.
Why choose Maderas Caamaño
We're a family-run sawmill and timber yard in Vimianzo (A Coruña) that buys, saws and now also kiln-dries the timber leaving our own facility — not a reseller passing on someone else's stock with no control over the process. That lets us adjust the drying cycle, section and finish to what each specific order needs, rather than offering only a fixed catalogue of standard sizes.
Being a family business means direct contact with whoever is handling your order — there's no layer of intermediaries between the request and the sawmill floor. That means faster answers on technical questions such as non-standard sections, moisture adjustments or tight deadlines, and the flexibility to accommodate a small order or a trial shipment before committing to a larger volume.
If your project needs something different — unseasoned boards, planed battens for joinery, or an already-assembled pallet — take a look at the rest of our range, starting with our Galician sawn pine timber, and send us the sections, quantities and timeframe for your order so we can put together a quote.
Applications & uses
- Pallets for moisture-sensitive cargo
- Packaging for electronics and precision components
- Crates and cages for pharmaceutical shipments
- Lightweight export pallets
- Outdoor joinery and lightweight structures
- Shipments to markets requiring dried or treated wood
- Series-production export packaging
Gallery
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between KD timber and ISPM 15 heat-treated timber?
They're different processes. Kiln drying (KD) controls the wood's moisture content to improve dimensional stability. ISPM 15 heat treatment requires the core of the piece to reach 56°C for at least 30 minutes for pest-eradication purposes. KD timber does not automatically satisfy ISPM 15 unless the kiln schedule is specifically run to meet that thermal threshold.
What final moisture content does kiln-dried timber reach?
We typically work in a 12% to 18% range, adjusted to the end use of the piece. Packaging and pallets are usually fine at the upper end of that range; joinery or fine-machined pieces call for lower moisture content.
Is KD timber enough to export outside the European Union?
Kiln drying improves the piece's stability, but on its own it doesn't replace the ISPM 15 heat treatment that many non-EU destinations require. If your shipment needs both, we can arrange them together.
Can I order it planed (S4S) or only rough-sawn?
Both options are available. S4S (planed on four sides) gives a more consistent section ready for assembly; rough-sawn is common when the piece will be machined afterwards at the customer's own facility.
Which wood species do you kiln-dry?
Mainly Galician pine and eucalyptus, the species our sawmill works with.
What's the typical lead time?
As a guide, 2 to 4 weeks depending on order volume, the section requested, and whether additional phytosanitary treatment is added. We confirm this when preparing your quote.
What's your minimum order for kiln-dried (kd) timber: pine and eucalyptus with controlled moisture content?
Kiln-drying runs are scheduled around volume, so there's no fixed minimum published — we can generally accommodate a smaller specified batch as well as a full-truckload order. Contact us with your target moisture content, sections and volume to plan a run.
