The EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) requires companies that place wood and wood products on the EU market, including prefabricated buildings of wood, to show they are deforestation-free and legally produced. After two delays, it applies from 30 December 2026 for large and medium companies and for timber already covered by the earlier EU Timber Regulation, and from 30 June 2027 for other micro and small operators. The duty sits with companies, not home buyers.
Timber is a renewable structural material, and the EU wants it to stay that way. The EUDR extends earlier rules against illegal logging to a broader goal: products sold in the EU must not come from land deforested after 2020. For anyone building a timber home, it adds traceability to the supply chain behind the walls. This guide explains what the regulation covers, when it applies, who carries which duty and what you can ask a manufacturer.
What does the EUDR require?
Regulation (EU) 2023/1115 covers seven commodities, including wood, and products made from them. Before placing such products on the EU market or exporting them, operators must collect information including the geolocation of the plots where the wood was harvested, assess and mitigate the risk that it is linked to deforestation or illegal production, and submit a due diligence statement. Prefabricated buildings of wood are among the listed products, alongside timber, panels and many wood products used in construction.
The product must be:
- Deforestation-free: the wood must come from land not deforested after 31 December 2020, and harvesting must not have caused forest degradation after that date.
- Legal: produced in line with the laws of the country of harvest.
- Covered by a due diligence statement or, where permitted, a simplified declaration from the upstream operator.
When does the EUDR apply?
The regulation was due to apply from the end of 2024 and was postponed twice. Regulation (EU) 2025/2650, which entered into force in December 2025, set the current dates and simplified some duties.
| Who | Applies from |
|---|---|
| Large and medium operators and traders | 30 December 2026 |
| Timber and timber products already covered by the EU Timber Regulation | 30 December 2026 |
| Other micro and small operators | 30 June 2027 |
Under the amendment, a manufacturer whose relevant timber inputs all have due diligence statements or simplified declarations is a downstream operator. It need not submit a new statement, but must keep records of its suppliers and business customers and, when buying directly from an operator, the statement references or declaration identifiers. Some micro and small primary operators in low-risk countries can use a simplified declaration.
Certification schemes such as FSC and PEFC help a supplier document where wood comes from, but they do not replace the EUDR due diligence itself. The legal duty sits with the company that places the product on the market.
What does it mean for home buyers?
As a private buyer, you have no EUDR duties: the obligations fall on the companies that place timber and timber products on the market. What changes is the documentation behind your house. When you compare timber homes, it is reasonable to ask:
- Where does the structural timber come from, and is it certified?
- Which supplier places the timber on the EU market, and how does the manufacturer check its due diligence?
- Can the manufacturer name the main material suppliers?
Where does BioBuilds' timber come from?
BioBuilds builds on a C24 timber frame from Nordic suppliers, with PEFC certification listed in its material specifications. Over 98% of the structural material volume of the building system is organic, with wood-fiber insulation alongside the timber frame. By material mass, 53% of the standard configuration comes from suppliers headquartered in Germany and 4% from suppliers headquartered in Austria. The material breakdown is in our guide to what is in your walls, and why timber stores carbon is in our guide to sustainable homes. To see the homes, configure one.
