How we work
From your specification to your port or site
Five steps, one point of contact, and clear terms from the first enquiry to the day the container arrives.
Timber procurement gets complicated when supply crosses borders.
Species, grading, treatment, mill capacity, documents and shipping all have to come together. Our job is to bring them together for you.
The process
Five steps from enquiry to delivery
1. Understand your requirements
We start with what the timber has to do: the use, loads, exposure and standards. Then the quantities, budget, destination and timing. These answers decide everything that follows.
2. Assist with engineering, if required
For glulam, structures and other engineered work, our timber engineering partners can help with the engineering and shop drawings before the timber is ordered. Approvals stay with you and your designer. More on engineering and supervision.
3. Find the right timber
We match the species, grade and treatment to the job and the price, and suggest alternatives where they make sense. You receive a quote on FOB, CFR or CIF terms within two working days. We confirm the mill and the specification in writing.
4. Check the mill
Before an order is placed, we check the mill’s capacity, quality, grading and legality, and collect its certificates. Once the timber is produced, you receive photos of the packs before they are loaded.
5. Deliver to port or site
The timber ships direct from the mill to your nearest port or to site, without passing through Australia unless it needs to. It travels with its legality, treatment and shipping documents.
Lead time is typically 4 to 8 weeks from confirmed order to your port, depending on requirements. If you need support on the ground, we can supervise installation anywhere in the world.
Terms and commitments
What you can rely on
| Quote reply | Within two working days |
| Shipping terms | FOB, CFR or CIF under Incoterms 2020, to any port |
| Payment | 30% deposit on order confirmation, balance against shipping documents. See our terms of trade |
| Minimum order | One container, 20 or 40 foot, depending on the lengths required |
| Lead time | Typically 4 to 8 weeks from confirmed order to your port, depending on requirements |
| Before loading | Photos of the packs, so you see the timber before it ships |
| Documents | Legality due diligence file, certificate of origin, packing list, and phytosanitary, treatment or fumigation certificates where the destination requires them |
| Contact | One point of contact from enquiry to delivery |
Legality
Timber we can trace to its source
Australia’s illegal logging laws require importers to check that their timber was harvested legally. Many other markets have similar rules.
We buy only from mills that can show where their timber comes from. Every shipment comes with a legality due diligence file.
Where certified timber is required, we source from FSC or PEFC certified mills and pass the mill’s certificates on to you. Sterling does not hold these certifications itself.
Tell us what you need. We reply within two working days.
Common questions
What do you need from me to quote?
The product or species, sizes, grade, quantity and destination port. If you have drawings, a cutting list or a specification, send those too. The more we know about the use, the better we can match the timber.
Do you ship direct from the mill?
Yes. Timber ships direct from the mill to your nearest port or site. A Malaysian order for a project in the Maldives, for example, goes straight there without passing through Australia.
Can I see the timber before it ships?
Yes. You receive photos of the packs before loading, and the balance is not due until the shipping documents are issued.
Do you arrange building approvals?
No. Approvals stay with you and your designer. We can help with the timber engineering and shop drawings through our partners, and supervise installation on site if you need it.
Can I mix products in one container?
Sometimes. It depends on the species, sizes and quantity of each. We generally load no more than two species in one container, from the same origin and supplier, and African and Asian hardwoods cannot share a container.
Guides
Before you order
Set the specification and the shipping terms before you ask for a quote.
- FOB, CFR and CIF: who pays freight and insurance, and where the risk passes
- Glulam strength classes
- H1 to H6 hazard classes
Start with step one
Tell us what the timber is for, how much you need and where it is going. We reply within two working days.