Manal Saleh 


●        Timber Design Trail shines spotlight on solutions for practical application, including date-palm residue being turned into engineered wood panels

●        Türkiye-based Tan Timber demonstrates thermally modified timber that withstands extreme weather conditions

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | 31 August 2026 – Saudi Wood Expo kicked off its 3rd edition, co-located with Big 5 Construct Saudi, at Riyadh Front Exhibition & Conference Center on Sunday, gathering a strong community of wood and woodworking professionals from across Saudi Arabia and international markets.

The opening day saw strong engagement across the exhibition floor, with over 200 exhibitors presenting the latest products and solutions spanning timber, engineered wood, laminates, wood panels, doors, interiors, woodworking machinery and more.

Regional and international exhibitors showcase solutions for the Saudi market

International participation was prominent, with Türkiye-based Kastamonu Entegre presenting wood-based panel solutions and Saudi-based Salco Laminates Industries showcasing decorative laminate surface materials. Together, the exhibiting companies demonstrated the breadth of materials, products and manufacturing capabilities available across Saudi Arabia's project landscape.

With international weather patterns being a popular topic, Türkiye’s TanTimber is displaying its thermally modified timber, designed to resist weather conditions around the world. The brand identified Saudi Wood Expo as an important event to not only display its products but to engage with wood professionals bringing alternative solutions and expertise.

Company leaders said they have witnessed growth in the Saudi Arabian market over the past five years, especially in the use of environmentally friendly products such as wood  and “see this as a great opportunity to contribute to that growth.”.

The diverse exhibitor line-up reflected the breadth of Saudi Arabia’s evolving wood and woodworking industry, with Saudi Wooden Industries (Tajco) presenting wooden products and panels for construction and interior applications. Unilam Wood Industries and Al Arak Wooden Manufacturing Company brought focus on the range of materials driving the market, including laminates, thermowood and wood composites, alongside solutions supporting modern manufacturing and design requirements.

Timber Design Trail puts wood applications in focus

Timber Design Trail brought a closer look at how wood-based solutions are being applied across construction, interiors and manufacturing, with exhibitors highlighting materials that combine practical performance with evolving sustainability requirements. Desert Board is presenting with its PSB® Palm Strand Board, an engineered board product that converts agricultural date-palm residues that might otherwise be discarded. By giving this biomass a second life as building material, PSB® demonstrates how locally available resources can be incorporated into  more circular approach to material manufacturing.

PSB® is manufactured in Saudi Arabia, positioning it as a locally produced alternative within the wood-panel and building-materials market. By using palm residues as a raw material, PSB® can provide an alternative to wood-based panels that depend primarily on conventional forest timber, explained Abdulkader Traboulsi, Area Manager of Desert Board.

The product can be applied across the construction, furniture, fit-out and joinery industries, reflecting the growing range of applications for engineered wood products.

Also featured on the trail is Salco Laminates, presenting its wood-based panels, that are ISO 9001:2015, and FSC certified, meet LEED requirements and Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs).

As Saudi Arabia’s construction sector becomes “more sophisticated,” Saria Hani Azzouz, Managing Partner, Salco Laminates , said considerations around emissions, fire performance, moisture resistance, durability and dimensional stability are becoming more important for panels and laminates. This shift is creating further opportunities for Saudi Arabian manufacturers to strengthen quality and sustainability across their product range.

Commenting on the opening day, Muhammed Kazi, Senior Vice President, dmg events, said: “As Saudi Wood Expo opens its doors, the strong engagement from across the industry reflects the depth of opportunity within the Kingdom’s wood and woodworking sector,” said Muhammed Kazi, Senior Vice President, dmg events. “The calibre of professionals on the exhibition floor and the quality of discussions around sourcing, materials, manufacturing and supply chains demonstrate a market that is becoming progressively sophisticated in its requirements. Bringing this community together to create the conditions for businesses to identify new opportunities, build partnerships and respond to evolving market needs of Saudi Arabia’s development landscape is central to the value proposition of this event.”

With Saudi Wood Expo running until 1 September, visitors can continue to explore products and solutions, meet suppliers and discover applications across the industry value chain.

Saudi Wood Expo is free-to-attend and open to industry professionals over 18 years of age.

For more information, visit: [www.saudiwoodexpo.com]