Furniture makers are getting more questions about timber sourcing than ever, and the questions are sharper than they were five years ago. Clients want to know where the timber came from, what the chain of custody looks like, and whether the piece they are commissioning is making things better or worse for Australian forests.

The good news is that there are real options in 2026. The bad news is that the certification landscape is messy, the pricing is uneven, and some of the marketing is borderline misleading.

The four main options

Plantation hardwood. Spotted gum, blackbutt, and silvertop ash from Australian plantations have matured to a point where they are viable for furniture-grade work. Pricing is competitive with imported European hardwoods, the chain of custody is short, and the carbon story is reasonable. The grain is more uniform than salvage timber, which is good for production work and less good for one-off pieces.

Salvage and recycled. Australian recycled hardwoods — old wharf timber, demolition timber, recycled jarrah — remain a beautiful option for one-off commissions. The price has risen meaningfully in the last three years as supply tightens, and the variability of the timber makes it hard to use for batch production. But the carbon story is the best of any category and clients respond to it.

FSC-certified imported hardwood. The mid-priced option. FSC certification is robust but not perfect, and Australian buyers should be aware that not all FSC labels carry the same chain-of-custody rigour. Worth checking the FSC code on the actual stock rather than trusting the supplier’s marketing.

Native hardwoods from native forest harvest. Still an option in some states. Politically contentious, ecologically complicated, and increasingly hard to justify to environmentally aware clients.

What clients are actually asking

The questions getting harder in 2026 are around carbon footprint and chain of custody. “Where did this come from” used to mean “what country.” It now often means “which mill, which forest coupe, which year was it harvested.” Suppliers who can answer that win the work.

The practical position

Small makers do not need to specialise in any one category to do this well. A studio with a default of plantation hardwood for production work, salvage for high-end one-off commissions, and FSC for clients who want imported European character is a reasonable 2026 setup. The carbon and ethics story is honest, the supply is reliable, and the cost mix works.

The makers struggling in 2026 are the ones who have not had this conversation with their suppliers and cannot answer the question when the client asks. Get the documentation. Take the photos at the timber yard. Tell the story.