MUF Adhesive Opens New Perspectives for Hardwood Construction

The Norwegian adhesive manufacturer Dynea has taken a decisive step toward the industrial use of hardwoods in loadbearing timber construction with its new MUF system Prefere 4546/5096. The now fully certified adhesive marks a significant expansion of flexibility and application possibilities for an increasing number of hardwood species.

With approval granted for all common hardwood species — including oak, beech, birch, and basralocus, with others such as ash, chestnut, androbinia in preparation — Dynea is, for the first time, offering a consistently tested and standards compliant system for loadbearing hardwood bonding. This addresses a segment that until now could only be served through individual approvals or systems restricted by material type.

We now have a system that can be used industrially and meets the requirements of manufacturers across Europe

Ronny Bredesen
Application Expert, Dynea

His colleague Jakob Sänger adds that interest is growing rapidly —especially in Southeast and Southwest Europe, where hardwood is increasingly being used in construction. Universities and testing institutes have also shown strong interest in the development and are eager to work closely with Dynea.

Approval Based on Wood Species

The Prefere 4546/5096 system differs from previous MUF solutions in several ways. Approval was granted by wood species rather than by application type — the first in the industry that gives glulam producers significant flexibility. The hardener content can be varied between 30 and 100 parts by weight, allowing the adhesive to suit both radiofrequency and cold press processes. In addition, the system is approved for finger jointing using separate resin and hardener application — a previously unclear regulatory area that Dynea’s solution now covers.

Another advantage lies in the consistent process design: the MUF adhesive itself remains unchanged, and only the hardener is adjusted. This allows manufacturers to switch between different wood species and markets with minimal production changes.

The effort required for switching is minimal. Our customers appreciate the easy integration into existing production processes

Franz Windisch
General Manager Sales, Dynea

Market trends confirm this development. While softwood continues to dominate timber construction in Central Europe, countries in Southeast and Southern Europe are seeing growing demand for loadbearing hardwood systems. Hardwoods such as oak and beech are gaining importance, especially in commercial construction and among glulam producers. Bredesen emphasizes:

Many companies are looking for an adhesive that works without individual approvals and provides a robust, certified system — and that’s exactly what we now offer

Ronny Bredesen
Application Expert, Dynea

Dedicated to Adhesives

With Prefere 4546/5096, Dynea has developed a product that offers full flexibility with consistent process reliability — meeting the rising market demand for high performance adhesive systems for hardwood bonding in structural timber construction.

In the past 25 years, MUF systems and other adhesive types such as PRF, EPI, or PU adhesives have had limitations across various application areas. Now we offer a universal system for a wide range of wood species — and this is only the beginning

Franz Windisch
General Manager Sales, Dynea

The company is already working on expanding approvals to additional hardwood and softwood species, such as Pinus radiata and Pinus pinaster. It is not uncommon for customers to conduct their own tests even before full approval, accelerating development. In doing so, Dynea and its partners are creating the technical foundation for broader use of hardwood in structural timber construction and once again living up to its own motto:
“We are dedicated to wood adhesives.”