What EWC code is used for untreated wood waste?

Untreated sawdust, shavings, cuttings, wood, particle board and veneer that do not contain hazardous substances are classified as 03 01 05 (non-hazardous). If the wood has been treated with preservatives, coatings or other chemicals that introduce a hazardous substance, the correct code is 03 01 04* (hazardous).

Is treated timber or CCA-treated wood hazardous waste?

Yes. Timber treated with CCA (copper chrome arsenate), creosote, PCP (pentachlorophenol) or other preservatives must be classified as 03 01 04* — the hazardous mirror pair to untreated wood (03 01 05). All six chapter 03 hazardous codes require a hazardous waste consignment note and an upper-tier registered carrier.

What EWC codes cover wood preservation wastes?

Subcategory 03 02 contains six codes for wastes arising from the wood preservation process itself — the spent treatment liquors and contaminated residues. Five are absolute hazardous entries (03 02 01* through 03 02 05*, covering non-halogenated organic, organochlorine, organometallic, inorganic and other hazardous preservatives). One catch-all code (03 02 99) is non-hazardous.

Is MDF or chipboard waste hazardous?

It depends on the source. Clean off-cuts from manufacturing standard MDF or chipboard panels are typically classified as 03 01 05 (non-hazardous). MDF or chipboard from demolition or refurbishment work — where the treatment history is unknown — should default to 03 01 04* (hazardous) unless the absence of hazardous substances can be demonstrated through a waste classification assessment.

EWC chapter 03: wood, timber and pulp waste codes explained

Last updated 2 October 2026

In short

EWC chapter 03 covers wastes from wood processing and panel manufacture (03 01), wood preservation (03 02), and pulp and paper production (03 03). It contains 19 codes across 3 subcategories, of which 6 are hazardous. The key distinction: untreated wood waste (03 01 05) is non-hazardous, while wood containing preservatives or treatment chemicals (03 01 04*) is hazardous, and all five wood preservation waste codes in subcategory 03 02 are absolute hazardous entries.

Wood waste is generated by sawmills, joinery shops, furniture factories, panel manufacturers and construction sites across the UK. Getting the EWC code right matters: untreated timber off-cuts and treated timber look the same but sit on opposite sides of the hazardous waste threshold, which determines the document required, who can carry the waste, and how long records must be kept.

What is EWC chapter 03?

EWC chapter 03 covers wastes from wood processing, panel and furniture manufacture, wood preservation, and pulp and paper production. It contains 19 codes across 3 subcategories, of which 6 are hazardous.

The chapter covers the waste streams arising from industries that process raw timber — sawmills, panel board and furniture factories, wood preservation treatment plants, and paper and pulp mills. It does not cover wood waste arising from construction or demolition work, which falls under EWC chapter 17 (17 02 01 for wood). Chapter 03 applies to the industrial manufacture side — the sawdust, off-cuts, shavings and treatment residues produced when timber is converted into products.

The three subcategories are: 03 01 (wastes from wood processing and the production of panels and furniture), 03 02 (wastes from wood preservation), and 03 03 (wastes from pulp, paper and cardboard production and processing).

What subcategories and codes does chapter 03 contain?

The table below covers all 19 codes across the three subcategories, showing which are hazardous (marked with *) and what each covers.

EWC chapter 03 — all codes

EWC code	Description	Hazardous?
03 01 01	Waste bark and cork	No
03 01 04*	Sawdust, shavings, cuttings, wood, particle board and veneer containing hazardous substances	Yes *
03 01 05	Sawdust, shavings, cuttings, wood, particle board and veneer other than those mentioned in 03 01 04	No
03 01 99	Wastes not otherwise specified	No
03 02 01*	Non-halogenated organic wood preservatives	Yes *
03 02 02*	Organochlorinated wood preservatives	Yes *
03 02 03*	Organometallic wood preservatives	Yes *
03 02 04*	Inorganic wood preservatives	Yes *
03 02 05*	Other wood preservatives containing hazardous substances	Yes *
03 02 99	Wood preservatives not otherwise specified	No
03 03 01	Waste bark and wood	No
03 03 02	Green liquor sludge (from recovery of cooking liquor)	No
03 03 05	De-inking sludges from paper recycling	No
03 03 07	Mechanically separated rejects from pulping of waste paper and cardboard	No
03 03 08	Wastes from sorting of paper and cardboard destined for recycling	No
03 03 09	Lime mud waste	No
03 03 10	Fibre rejects, fibre-, filler- and coating-sludges from mechanical separation	No
03 03 11	Sludges from on-site effluent treatment other than those mentioned in 03 03 10	No
03 03 99	Wastes not otherwise specified	No

EWC chapter 03 contains 19 codes across 3 subcategories. Six are hazardous: one mirror pair in 03 01 (03 01 04*) and five absolute hazardous entries in 03 02 (all wood preservation waste codes except 03 02 99). The entire 03 03 subcategory is non-hazardous.

What is the difference between 03 01 04* and 03 01 05?

These two codes form a mirror pair: 03 01 04* applies to wood containing hazardous substances (treated timber); 03 01 05 applies to the same physical waste types — sawdust, shavings, cuttings, wood, particle board and veneer — when they do not contain hazardous substances (untreated timber). The key question is whether the wood has been treated.

The producer of the waste must classify it. If timber has been treated with any substance that meets a hazardous waste threshold — such as CCA (copper chrome arsenate), creosote, pentachlorophenol (PCP), lindane, or boron-based preservatives — the waste is 03 01 04* and must be handled as hazardous. If no treatment has been applied and the raw or unfinished timber contains no hazardous substances above threshold concentrations, it is 03 01 05.

03 01 04* vs 03 01 05 — treated vs untreated wood waste

EWC code	Applies when	Examples
03 01 04*	Wood contains hazardous substances — treated timber	CCA-treated decking, fencing or poles; creosote railway sleepers; timber treated with PCP or lindane; painted/coated wood where the coating contains hazardous substances above threshold
03 01 05	Wood does not contain hazardous substances — untreated or standard timber	Clean sawdust and shavings from a sawmill; MDF/chipboard off-cuts from furniture manufacture using standard UF resins; untreated solid timber off-cuts

Is MDF, chipboard or plywood waste hazardous?

It depends on the source, not the material itself. Clean manufacturing off-cuts of standard MDF or chipboard are typically 03 01 05 (non-hazardous). The same panels from a demolition or refurbishment site default to 03 01 04* (hazardous) unless a classification assessment confirms the absence of hazardous substances.

Standard urea-formaldehyde (UF) and melamine-urea-formaldehyde (MUF) resins, used at normal concentrations in panel manufacture, do not typically push the finished panel waste above hazardous thresholds. However, panels that have been treated post-manufacture with preservatives, fire retardants containing halogenated compounds, or biocides will require assessment — and panels of unknown origin from demolition sites must be treated as hazardous until proven otherwise.

What are subcategory 03 02 wood preservation wastes?

Subcategory 03 02 covers the waste treatment liquors, sludges and contaminated residues arising at wood preservation plants — not the treated timber itself. Five of the six codes are absolute hazardous entries; every movement requires a hazardous waste consignment note.

These codes apply to the treatment facility, not to someone who merely uses treated timber. A decking contractor producing offcuts from CCA timber uses 03 01 04*, not 03 02. The 03 02 codes are for the operators of the preservation process — the tank residues and spent preservative solutions left after treating the timber.

Subcategory 03 02 — wood preservation waste codes

EWC code	Preservative type	Hazardous?
03 02 01*	Non-halogenated organic preservatives (e.g. IPBC, propiconazole, tebuconazole)	Yes — absolute *
03 02 02*	Organochlorinated preservatives (e.g. pentachlorophenol PCP, lindane)	Yes — absolute *
03 02 03*	Organometallic preservatives (e.g. tributyltin TBT residues)	Yes — absolute *
03 02 04*	Inorganic preservatives (e.g. CCA treatment liquors, boron solutions)	Yes — absolute *
03 02 05*	Other preservatives containing hazardous substances (catch-all)	Yes — absolute *
03 02 99	Wood preservatives not otherwise specified	No

What records do chapter 03 hazardous codes require?

The six hazardous codes in chapter 03 (03 01 04*, 03 02 01*–03 02 05*) all require a hazardous waste consignment note for each movement, an upper-tier registered waste carrier, and records kept for at least 3 years.

The non-hazardous codes (03 01 01, 03 01 05, 03 01 99, 03 02 99, and all 03 03 codes) require a standard waste transfer note (WTN) retained for at least 2 years.

Document and retention requirements — chapter 03 wood waste

Code type	Document required	Carrier tier	Retention
Hazardous (03 01 04, 03 02 01–05*)	Hazardous waste consignment note	Upper-tier only	3 years minimum
Non-hazardous (all other chapter 03 codes)	Standard waste transfer note (WTN)	Upper or lower tier	2 years minimum

Chapter 03 vs chapter 17 — which covers construction timber?

Wood waste from construction, demolition or excavation is classified under EWC chapter 17 (17 02 01 for wood). Chapter 03 applies to wood waste produced by industrial wood-processing operations — sawmills, furniture and panel factories, wood preservation plants, and paper mills.

Sawmill off-cuts and sawdust = chapter 03 (03 01 01, 03 01 05 or 03 01 04* depending on treatment)
Furniture factory panel waste = chapter 03 (03 01 05 for standard MDF/chipboard off-cuts)
Timber from a demolition site = chapter 17 (17 02 01, or 17 02 04* if containing hazardous substances)
Wood packaging and pallets = chapter 15 (15 01 03)

The same physical material — a length of timber — can carry different EWC codes depending on where it arises. A skip-hire operator collecting from a furniture factory uses 03 01 codes; collecting from a demolition site uses 17 02 codes. Both the producer and the carrier must use the code that correctly reflects the waste's origin and composition.

This guide is general information about EWC waste codes, not legal advice. Check your specific classification obligations against the primary sources below and, if in doubt, contact the Environment Agency, SEPA, NRW or NIEA for your nation.

Primary sources

Frequently asked questions

What is EWC chapter 03?: EWC chapter 03 covers wastes from wood processing and the production of panels and furniture (03 01), wood preservation (03 02), and pulp, paper and cardboard production and processing (03 03). It contains 19 codes across 3 subcategories, of which 6 are hazardous.
What EWC code is used for untreated wood waste?: Untreated sawdust, shavings, cuttings, wood, particle board and veneer that do not contain hazardous substances are classified as 03 01 05 (non-hazardous). If the wood has been treated with preservatives, coatings or other chemicals that introduce a hazardous substance, the correct code is 03 01 04* (hazardous).
Is treated timber or CCA-treated wood hazardous waste?: Yes. Timber treated with CCA (copper chrome arsenate), creosote, PCP (pentachlorophenol) or other preservatives must be classified as 03 01 04* — the hazardous mirror pair to untreated wood (03 01 05). All six chapter 03 hazardous codes require a hazardous waste consignment note and an upper-tier registered carrier.
What EWC codes cover wood preservation wastes?: Subcategory 03 02 contains six codes for wastes arising from the wood preservation process itself — the spent treatment liquors and contaminated residues. Five are absolute hazardous entries (03 02 01* through 03 02 05*, covering non-halogenated organic, organochlorine, organometallic, inorganic and other hazardous preservatives). One catch-all code (03 02 99) is non-hazardous.
Is MDF or chipboard waste hazardous?: It depends on the source. Clean off-cuts from manufacturing standard MDF or chipboard panels are typically classified as 03 01 05 (non-hazardous). MDF or chipboard from demolition or refurbishment work — where the treatment history is unknown — should default to 03 01 04* (hazardous) unless the absence of hazardous substances can be demonstrated through a waste classification assessment.

Related guides

This guide is general information from ComplyWaste, not legal advice. Always check the primary sources for your situation.