CLT is 20-30% more expensive than concrete/steel because the US has only ~12 plants

Cross-laminated timber (CLT) could transform the US construction industry and create massive new demand for domestic timber, but adoption is stuck in a chicken-and-egg trap. CLT buildings are 20-30% more expensive than equivalent concrete/steel structures, primarily because the US has only about 12 CLT manufacturing plants (compared to hundreds in Europe), so most CLT is imported from Canada or Austria at significant shipping cost. Developers won't specify CLT because it's expensive; manufacturers won't build plants because there aren't enough orders. This matters because CLT represents the single largest potential new market for US timber — mass timber construction is projected to be a $1.4B+ market, but the US captures only a fraction of that value domestically. For timber-dependent rural communities where mill closures have devastated local economies, CLT plants could provide stable, higher-wage manufacturing jobs. The problem persists because building codes limited mass timber buildings to 6 stories (85 feet) until the 2021 IBC update allowed up to 18 stories, so architects and structural engineers have only a few years of code support for tall wood buildings. Insurance underwriters still apply fire risk premiums based on light-frame wood construction rather than mass timber's demonstrated char-layer fire resistance, adding 15-25% to insurance costs. And engineering schools barely teach mass timber design, so the professional workforce defaults to concrete and steel.