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Contract Drying & Contract Planing
Everything you need to know about contract timber processing at Gunreben
Drying, Planing & Cutting
Contract work with 130 years of experience
Wood is a living material. It absorbs moisture from its surroundings or releases it again – it "works." As a result, its dimensions also change: if wood becomes drier, it shrinks; if it absorbs moisture, it can swell.
Freshly cut wood contains significantly more moisture than is usual at its later place of use. Without proper drying, warping, cracks, or tension in the material can therefore occur during processing or installation.
With our technically controlled drying process, we bring your wood to a specifically suitable moisture level for its intended area of application. This keeps dimensional changes controllable and ensures that profiles and connections retain their accuracy of fit.
In addition to contract drying, we also undertake contract planing and steaming of wood. Depending on your requirements, these work steps can be combined or commissioned individually – for example, to plane wood that has already been dried.
We offer our contract work to both private customers and commercial clients – from small quantities to standard industrial order volumes.
Contract Drying
We provide technical drying of sawn timber for commercial clients in the timber trade, sawmills, and processing industries. Depending on the initial state and intended final use, we dry timber from freshly cut or air-dried to the desired target moisture content – for example, for interior use, exterior use, or specific industrial applications.
In addition to technical drying, we also offer steaming of wood, for instance, for color matching or to improve processing.
We process hardwoods, softwoods, as well as tropical woods. Typical wood species include, for example:
- Oak, beech, ash
- Pine, larch, spruce
- as well as various tropical woods
Upon arrangement, transport can also be carried out by our own truck – for both the collection and delivery of the goods.
The right wood moisture content for every area of application
We dry your timber to the target wood moisture content specified by you. If necessary, we can assist you in determining the appropriate wood moisture content, taking into account the wood species, dimensions, and the intended final application.
We can also accommodate special requirements – for example, for environments with permanently high humidity, such as in breweries or other industrial applications.
Contract Planing
In addition to drying, we also offer contract planing for your raw material. We manufacture profiles in various thicknesses and dimensions for applications in flooring, wall cladding, and decking. In doing so, we produce profiles for parquet and solid wood flooring as well as for formwork and wall paneling.
Depending on the requirements, various profiles and edge finishes are possible. In addition to standard profiles, we also manufacture custom designs according to specifications or samples.
For special profiles, tooling costs may apply depending on the design.
Decking boards- Smooth
- Grooved
- Slotted
- Cambered
- French profile
- Tongue & groove for parquet and country-house floorboards
- Profiles for wall cladding and formwork
- Beveled
- Rounded
- Custom profiling
- e.g. fence slats, bridge planks, strips, etc.
Why Georg Gunreben?
Experience and reliability:
Over 130 years of experience in wood processing ensure predictable results with no surprises.
On-time delivery:
Our processes are tailored to the requirements of commercial customers – ensuring your production chain continues to run reliably.
Technical coordination:
We dry according to your specifications or provide support in determining the appropriate target wood moisture content.
Flexible capacities:
Processing of individual batches up to larger quantities for sawmills, timber merchants, and industry.
Documented quality:
Traceable moisture measurements and controlled drying processes support your quality assurance.
Everything from a single source:
Contract drying, steaming, and contract planing – coordinated with your further processing.
Contract Work Inquiry
Simply send us your key details (type of wood, quantity, desired target moisture/profile).
Our experts will contact you personally.
Advantages of our contract work
Fast
delivery times
Through our own fleet & logistics partners
Dimensional Accuracy
& Precision
In all production steps
Secure payment system
Your payment data will be processed securely
130 Years of
Experience
In the trade and processing of wood
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Do you have a question? We are happy to help!
What happens if wood is installed with the wrong moisture content?
Typical consequences include:
- Gap formation in parquet or floorboards
- Bulging due to swelling
- Warping or twisting
- Tension in tongue and groove joints
- Cracking
- Dimensional deviations in profiles
The effects are clearly visible, especially with larger cross-sections or strongly fluctuating climatic conditions.
Why are there different target moisture contents for wood?
The target wood moisture content depends on the intended location of use.
In heated living spaces, the air is significantly drier than in outdoor areas or in industrial environments subject to moisture.
If wood is prepared too moist or too dry, it will undergo greater dimensional changes later on. Therefore, the wood moisture content is adjusted specifically.
Is contract work only available for business customers?
Our contract work is available to both commercial enterprises and private customers. Please feel free to contact us!
What is a chamfer?
A chamfer is a beveled edge on a profile.
It creates a visible shadow gap and visually reduces minimal height or dimensional differences between individual elements.
When is a tongue and groove joint used?
Tongue and groove are used when individual elements are to be positively connected, for example in solid wood parquet or floorboards.
They ensure a defined fit and a uniform joint pattern. Depending on the system, the fixation can be carried out as a floating installation or by gluing.
Which profiles can be produced by planing?
We manufacture standard and custom profiles for:
- Decking boards (smooth, ribbed, grooved, crowned, French profile)
- Solid parquet and wide-plank flooring (tongue & groove)
- Fence slats and special cross-sections
- Profiles according to drawings or samples
Does wood retain its dimensions after drying?
No. Wood is always moving. It absorbs or releases moisture depending on its environment.
Drying does not ensure that wood "remains stable," but rather that it is processed with the correct initial moisture content and that dimensional changes remain predictable.
Why is sawn timber kiln-dried?
Freshly cut wood contains significantly more moisture than is permissible for its subsequent location of use. If it is processed or installed in this state, it will change its dimensions as it later acclimatizes to the indoor or outdoor environment.
This leads to gaps, warping, tension, or cracking.
Through kiln drying, the wood is brought to a suitable target moisture content.
Which wood thicknesses can be dried?
We dry sawn timber in the range of 20 mm to 120 mm thickness.
How long does contract drying take?
The duration depends heavily on the type of wood and the initial moisture content. Oak, for example, requires a significantly slower, gentler process than softwood.
Do you also offer transport?
Yes, thanks to our own fleet of vehicles, we can efficiently organize the collection and delivery of large quantities.
Which profiles can you manufacture?
We offer the following profiles:
- Smooth
- Grooved
- Slotted
- Crowned
- French profile
- Pickup or delivery
In addition, we offer tongue and groove profiling for parquet and country-house floorboards, as well as fence slats, special cross-sections, and more. Please feel free to contact us!
Do you have a project?
Simply send us your key specifications (wood species, quantity, desired target moisture/profile). Our experts will contact you personally.
