The timber construction market in France

Timber construction companies employ nearly 29,000 people in France in 2024, according to the national survey reported by Forêts de France in July 2025. Timber construction accounts for 43% of the added value of the wood sector. The sector remains made up mostly of regional SMEs: Girold Constructions Bois, in Alsace, grew from 53 to about 83 employees by taking over Charpentes Martin, according to Le Journal des entreprises in March 2025.

New-build provides 71% of timber construction companies’ turnover in France in 2024: 56% of it is housing and 44% non-residential, according to Forêts de France (July 2025). According to Zepros Métiers Négoce (February 2026), timber is gaining ground in multi-family housing, schools, sports halls and tall buildings, such as the Albizzia tower in Lyon, 53 metres high over 16 storeys.

Timber construction in Île-de-France delivered 718,000 m² of floor area in 2025, across 185 projects, against 766,000 m² and 227 projects in 2024, according to the Observatoire francilien de la construction bois (Fibois Île-de-France and Wavestone) cited by Le Moniteur in April 2026. After the Olympic Games peak, timber’s market share is nonetheless rising from 8% to 12%, and delivered floor area was multiplied by 1.8 between 2015 and 2025.

In Île-de-France, the average cost of timber construction works is about €2,800 per square metre, up 35% in four years, according to the Observatoire francilien de la construction bois presented by Fibois Île-de-France and Wavestone (Le Moniteur, April 2026). This regional benchmark is not a national average: in France, costs vary with the type of building, its height, the construction system and the degree of prefabrication.

Timber construction in France brings together regional carpenters and builders and subsidiaries of building groups. LCA Construction Bois, a subsidiary of the Bonnin Charbonneau group, is investing €5.9m to €6m to extend its Vendée plant by 4,220 m², according to Le Journal des entreprises (February 2026). The Legendre group is preparing a timber hub of nearly ten hectares at Étrelles, according to Le Bois international (April 2024), and Leroux is betting on timber-metal hybrid construction.

A PDF report in French, 2026 edition, organised in six chapters: definition and scope of timber construction, market size and dynamics, demand by building type, supply and players, regulation and constraints, market outlook.

The national timber construction survey, regional observatories such as that of Fibois Île-de-France, public construction statistics, regulatory texts and trade press articles from the IndexPresse database. Every figure comes with its source and period.

Yes. The study is updated before it is sent, within 48 hours at most: it includes the latest published data, and every figure comes with its source and period.

Timber carpenters and builders, general building contractors, timber and prefabrication manufacturers, developers, social landlords and public project owners, as well as consultants, bankers and investors who need to understand the timber construction market in France.

By email, as a PDF, within 48 hours of payment. Our analysts use that time to add the latest available data before sending. You then find it in your My studies area.

A Google search or a general-purpose AI returns isolated figures, often with no date or precise scope, and cannot reach the professional press, largely behind paywalls. The study starts from a defined market, crosses public statistics with more than 500 trade journals from the IndexPresse database and links every figure to its original source. You get an up-to-date file you can cite and present as it is, without spending time cross-checking.

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