9Wood: custom wood ceilings with live EPDs
Designers love 9Wood for the tailored look of real-wood ceilings that still install like systems. Spec writers love not getting stuck. Here is where 9Wood shines today, where its Environmental Product Declarations now cover the core lines, and where a few gaps can still trip up a LEED‑v5‑minded bid team.
What 9Wood makes, in plain English
9Wood focuses on custom wood ceilings and matching walls. The core families span panelized grilles, panelized linears, progressive linears, tiles, cubes, and acoustical planks, plus hybrids that blend grille and linear looks. These are configurable by species, veneer versus solid, spacing, thickness, and finishes, which is why they show up in airports, offices, and higher‑ed atriums so often. (9Wood product pages, 2025, 9Wood product pages, 2026). (9wood.com)
How broad is the range
9Wood is a pure play in architectural wood ceilings. They serve multiple application categories rather than a single product type. Counting common size and finish permutations, the SKU count lands easily in the hundreds, though day‑to‑day spec choices concentrate in a few dozen patterns that repeat across projects. A sustainability hub on their site outlines the company stance and roadmap, useful for submittals and early design queries. (9Wood Sustainability Action Plan, 2026). (9wood.com)
EPD coverage snapshot
As of January 7, 2026, 9Wood has two product‑specific Type III EPDs in market. Titles indicate broad umbrellas: one for Panelized Linears and Grilles, and one for Progressive Linears, Tiles, and Cubes. Both are verified under the ASTM International EPD program with a validity through 2030, signaling that the backbone systems most often specified on commercial interiors are now covered. This is the kind of umbrella structure that keeps submittals moving in busy bid seasons.
What that means for specs
Where an EPD exists for the exact product family, design teams can claim product‑specific credit inside LEED v5’s consolidated materials framework and avoid default, more pessimistic assumptions during carbon accounting. That reduces the risk of a last‑minute material swap to keep a project’s embodied‑carbon targets on track. 9Wood’s own guidance also frames its EPD and HPD approach in the LEED v5 context for easy bookmarking. (9Wood LEED v5 page, 2026). (9wood.com)
Are there gaps
Coverage looks strong across the big sellers. Specialty forms that sit outside “linears, grilles, tiles, cubes” may still require a check, for example deep beams or one‑off sculptural elements. If your scheme leans that way, confirm whether those configurations are inside one of the two declared scopes or need a separate declaration. That five‑minute alignment prevents scramble later in CA.
Who they run into on bids
Expect Armstrong Ceiling Solutions on many of the same interior scopes. Armstrong publishes EPDs for its WoodWorks solid wood portfolio under ASTM, which helps them meet owner and AE firm preferences on transparency. (ASTM EPD listings, 2025). (astm.org)
For vertical baffle looks in large volumes, Rockfon markets baffles with product EPDs across regions. Teams sometimes pivot to those when a wood baffle lacks a declaration or when moisture and cleaning drive the spec in healthcare and transit. (Rockfon baffle EPD downloads, 2025). (cee.rockfon.international)
Rulon International is another wood‑centric competitor frequently seen on education, corporate interiors, and civic work. Their catalog covers grilles, panels, curves and baffles and is often short‑listed beside 9Wood for warm, premium aesthetics. (Rulon baffles product page, 2026). (rulonco.com)
A quick reality check on wood data
Upstream EPD activity for core wood inputs is expanding, which lowers friction when completing product‑level declarations. The American Wood Council released regional softwood lumber EPDs for three U.S. regions in 2024, giving LCA practitioners fresher, more localized baselines to work from (American Wood Council, 2024). (AWC, 2024). (awc.org)
If a favorite SKU lacks an EPD today
Pick a close in‑family alternative that is covered by one of 9Wood’s two declarations. If the design truly requires an uncovered specialty, line up a plan to add it to the next EPD update, then document the interim rationale for owners tracking embodied carbon. That keeps the aesthetics intact without putting the spec at risk.
Where we would focus next
Two levers win more specs. First, close any edge‑case gaps for sculptural beams or bespoke assemblies by confirming inclusion in the existing EPD scopes or scheduling an addendum. Second, publish a crisp mapping table that ties common SKUs to the correct EPD and HPD, so project teams can check submittal boxes in minutes. It sounds simple, but it is definately the move that saves weeks across a busy pipeline.
Useful links for spec teams
9Wood maintains a clear sustainability section that product managers and estimators can cite in design meetings and submittals. Start with their Sustainability Action Plan and LEED guidance, then jump to the specific product pages for data sheets, HPDs, and the new EPD coverage. (Sustainability Action Plan, LEED and Green Building Systems, product pages). (9wood.com)
Frequently Asked Questions
Which 9Wood product categories are most commonly covered by their current EPDs?
Panelized linears and grilles, plus progressive linears, tiles, and cubes. Those umbrellas map to many day‑to‑day SKUs used in offices, higher‑ed, healthcare, and aviation interiors.
Roughly how many SKUs does 9Wood offer?
Given the mix of species, solid versus veneer, module widths, spacings, thicknesses, and finishes, the portfolio spans hundreds of variants, with a few dozen patterns accounting for most specs.
Who shows up most often as competitors on wood ceilings with EPDs?
Armstrong Ceiling Solutions for solid wood systems, and Rockfon for baffles where mineral wool or metal alternatives fit the use case. (ASTM EPD listings for Armstrong, 2025; Rockfon baffle EPD downloads, 2025).
What should a project team do if a desired 9Wood configuration falls outside the EPD scope?
First, check whether a near‑match inside the declared scopes meets the design intent. If not, plan an EPD addendum or a new declaration for that specialty and document the interim carbon rationale so the spec does not stall.
About the Author
John brings a clear, research-driven perspective on the EPD, LCA and HPD space and keeps a close pulse on environmental trends and standards in North America, helping clients understand where the industry is heading and how to get there.
