Compare CLT prefab homes from Europe's top solid-wood manufacturers — architect-quality, carbon-negative construction with outstanding thermal and acoustic performance.
Cross-laminated timber (CLT) is the premium structural system of the prefab world. Solid panels of cross-glued timber layers — typically 3, 5, or 7 layers thick — form the structural walls, floors, and roof of a building. The result is a heavy, precise, and beautiful structure with properties that no other building material matches: high thermal mass, excellent acoustic damping, inherent fire resistance through charring, and a carbon-negative embodied footprint. European CLT producers are concentrated in Austria, Germany, Northern Italy, Spain (Catalonia), and Scandinavia.
CLT homes cost 15–30% more than equivalent timber-frame homes at the same floor area, but offer superior acoustic performance, architectural possibilities (exposed CLT ceilings and walls are a design statement), and carbon storage benefits. Most CLT manufacturers offer Passivhaus or A++ energy specifications as standard. Use the filters to compare by country, size, and price.
CLT (cross-laminated timber) consists of solid panels made from layers of timber glued at 90° to each other — similar in principle to plywood but much thicker (80–300 mm). In a CLT home, the structural panels are the walls and floors themselves — there is no separate frame. In timber-frame (stick or panel) construction, thin timber members form a frame, with insulation in the cavities. CLT is heavier, more expensive, and offers better acoustic performance and thermal mass. Timber-frame is lighter, cheaper, and thermally better in cold climates (higher insulation value per wall thickness).
Yes — CLT is classified as a fire-resistant structural material under Eurocode 5 (EN 1995). When exposed to fire, CLT chars at a predictable rate of about 0.65 mm/minute. The char layer insulates the unburned core, maintaining structural integrity for REI 60 or REI 90 (60 or 90 minutes). This meets residential fire resistance requirements across all EU countries. Most CLT homes leave the structure exposed internally — architects design adequate panel thickness to account for the charring allowance.
CLT has significantly better acoustic performance than timber-frame because of its mass. A 100 mm CLT wall achieves an airborne sound reduction of approximately 40 dB, compared to 35–38 dB for a comparable timber-frame panel wall. For multi-unit or semi-detached buildings, CLT is preferred over timber-frame precisely for this reason. For single-family detached homes, the acoustic advantage is less critical.
CLT is widely considered one of the most sustainable structural building materials. It is made from sustainably managed forests (FSC or PEFC certified), sequesters carbon in the structure for the life of the building, and produces minimal construction waste. The embodied carbon of a CLT home is negative — it stores more CO₂ than is emitted in manufacturing. This compares favourably to concrete (high embodied carbon) and steel (very high embodied carbon).
Austria leads CLT production: Bruck + Schlögl, and KLH are major manufacturers. Italy has strong CLT makers in Trentino and Veneto (Marlegno, Silea). Spain's Catalonia has a growing CLT scene driven by NOEM and Arquima. Germany's Binderholz and Homag are major industrial producers. Scandinavian brands like Kontio (Finland) and Husgruppen (Sweden) use CLT in premium timber home construction.