manufactured · input

Pressure-Treated Wood Utility Poles (Electrical / Telecom Grid)

Wood utility poles (typically Southern yellow pine or western red cedar) pressure-treated with creosote or pentachlorophenol (penta) preservatives for 40-75 year service life. Primary uses: electrical distribution lines (low-to-medium voltage, Class 4-7 poles), transmission lines (larger Class 1-3), telephone, cable TV, and fiber optic cable support. The US has approximately 180 million utility poles; ~6 million replaced annually. Grid hardening programs, wildfire mitigation (replacing wood poles in fire zones with steel or concrete), and rural broadband buildout drive demand cycles. Key North American producers: Stella-Jones (~30% market share), Koppers Holdings, Bell Timber Products, Pacific Wood Preserving.

Source countries

Companies

Goods affected

Claims on record

Where it comes from

Source countries

Share of global supply, by country.

Country	Share of supply
USUnited States	82%
CACanada	12%
BRBrazil	3%

Who makes it

Supplier companies

3 companies produce pressure-treated wood utility poles (electrical / telecom grid).

Stella-Jones Inc.(SJ.TO)

HQ CA30% share

Second-largest North American railroad tie producer; major Canadian-listed wood products company. $3.5B total revenue in 2024 (5% growth); railway ties represented 27% of Q1 2025 sales ($208M). Supplies 12M+ pressure-treated railroad crossties per year to Class I, regional, and short-line railroads. Operates 44 wood treating plants total (9 US + 2 Canada for railway ties specifically); also operates a coal tar distillery for creosote production. Also a dominant utility pole producer (43% of revenue) — the same pressure-treating infrastructure serves both railroad ties and utility poles. Publicly listed on Toronto Stock Exchange.

Koppers Holdings(KOP)

HQ US15% share

Leading US producer of carbon compounds and wood preservation chemicals; supplies copper-based preservatives (ACQ, CA-B) to the pressure-treated lumber industry. Also major railroad tie treater.

Pacific Wood Preserving (LLC)

HQ US8% share

Major West Coast utility pole treating company; treats western red cedar and Douglas fir poles for Pacific Coast utilities. Multiple treating facilities in California, Oregon, and Washington. Dominant supplier to western utilities (PG&E, SCE, Portland General, Puget Sound Energy). Creosote and penta-treated poles. Critical supplier during California wildfire pole replacement programs.

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