Now available for download is Factory Furniture's latest Public Realm Timber Performance Report 2026 — a technical comparison of timber species commonly specified for external public realm projects.

In high-footfall civic environments, long-term performance is often governed by abrasion, impact resistance and realistic service life modelling — not durability classification alone.

This report evaluates eleven widely specified timbers against:

• EN 350 biological durability
• Mechanical density and abrasion resistance
• Conservative above-ground service life
• Cradle-to-gate embodied carbon
• Annualised embodied carbon (kg CO2e per year of service)
• Annualised capital cost (£ per year of service)

The analysis highlights how replacement frequency significantly alters both carbon intensity and lifecycle cost across a 25–40 year asset cycle.

The objective is simple: to support more informed, performance-led specification for long-term public assets.

If you would like a copy of the report, please download it here or send a message to [email protected]:

Factory Furniture are public furniture designers and makers using only 100% FSC timber