Are you thinking of adding wooden lids in your catalogue? It is surely a good idea to gain a competitive edge. People love wood packaging and are willing to pay a premium price for a custom-made component that satisfies their requirements.
However, which type of wood should you choose? Let’s discuss in this article.
Wooden lid: some considerations to choose the ideal essence
Many wood essences are available today, each with its own characteristics and peculiarities. If you select a specialized supplier that operates exclusively in the timber sector, it should be able to offer a wide variety of options, giving advice depending on your needs.
Even if there is not an ideal type of wood for a wooden lid, some essences can be better than others for certain purposes or more suitable to receive a specific treatment or finish.
Lighter woods, e.g., pine, oak, cedar, and ash, are generally preferred for laser engravings, as they can guarantee clearer and more appealing drawings because the laser produces a dark burn that contrasts perfectly with the base. These woods are also easier to be varnished and painted because of their light colour and low density.
On the other hand, exotic hardwoods, e.g., teak, ebony, and bubinga, being very dense and oily, must be carefully prepared to receive the selected finish to ensure good adhesion and prevent it from breaking away.
Moreover, recycled or previously treated wood should be managed differently from new wood. If it was previously treated with wax preservatives, it is more likely to repel water-based finishes. It means that this type of wood must be machined properly to get the desired effect.
When choosing the best type of wood for caps, lids, and other components, you must consider the customization options you want to offer and the ability of your manufacturer to satisfy your needs.
Here are the wood types we generally use to create wooden lids.
Ash
Ash is one of the most popular types of wood, as it is strong and durable, ductile, and flexible at the same time. It can be distinguished by other wood types by its structure, colour, and grain: it is light with yellowish shades and a marbled pattern. For this reason, it is also appreciated in its natural state.
Ash can be easily processed by an expert manufacturer that will be able to enhance it with almost any kind of finish and also create original shapes.
You can see some examples in the picture below.
Maple
You can find hard or soft maple. The former is strong, heavy, hard, and has a greater density and firmer texture compared with soft maple, which is easier to machine. However, with the right technology, hard maple can also be easily managed.
Here you can see some maple wood caps:
Hornbeam
Hornbeam wood is also known as white beech, as it is light grey-white to yellowish-white in colour. It has a smooth texture, considerable density, and is the hardest of all the native trees. It is also elastic and resistant to breakage, but shrinkage can be a risk if not treated properly.
The surface can be stained and polished, as you can see below:
Beech
Beech is very hard, strong, and tough, but it can shrink considerably. For this reason, it is important to keep moisture constant before and during machining, avoiding fluctuation. The expertise of the manufacturer is important to obtain perfect products.
Despite its hardness, beech can be easily machined, and its surface can be stained, painted, and polished, as it is well suited for absorption. Here are some examples:
Bamboo
Bamboo is the fastest-growing plant on earth. Besides being extremely flexible and hard, it is the most sustainable type of wood.
It is approximately the same hardness as oak, so it can be compared to hardwood in terms of sturdiness and longevity. Here's an example of a bamboo lid:
Olive
The olive wood is hard and rich in color, and is very appreciated for its appearance, density, straight grain and fine texture. It is therefore ideal for decorative objects and indoor items.
Being very sensitive to outside elements and insect attacks, it must be treated carefully to protect it from outside elements. Moreover, it must be very slowly dried, as the lumber pieces can start to warp during the process.
Here you can see some perfume caps made of olive wood:
Wood combination
Different types of wood can be combined by a process of gluing and following CNC machining to create unique caps and lids.
Here’s an example of a spirit cap created with a mix of different essences.
Why our wooden components are unique
Our wooden caps are distinctive in that they are extremely resistant, durable, and 100% sustainable. Besides being FSC certified, the wooden cap is threaded, and it doesn’t need any internal plastic capsule to ensure perfect closing, resulting in a completely eco-friendly object.
We patented an innovative wooden thread that starts at its maximum section height right from the beginning, maintaining its functionality over time while protecting the product from contamination and leakage.
Old threads, on the contrary, start tangentially to the edge of the cap and then rise progressively until they reach their maximum section height. Such structure wears over time.
In the image below, you can understand what we mean:
We are very proud of this completely sustainable, elegant, and customizable solution. We can supply it in almost any dimension and shape, wood essence, and finish according to your clients’ requirements. Our R&D department is constantly working on developing new water-based lacquers that are eco-friendly and safe.
We must emphasize that in case a sealing gasket has to be present it can be completely removed, as we include in the internal cap design a specific undercut.
As you can understand, the expertise of the manufacturer as well as the machinery and tools available are essential to get a perfect result.
Since 1937, Minelli S.p.A. has designed, developed, and manufactured premium custom-made wooden components and products for many different brands and markets, and the quality of its objects is recognized all over the world.
If you are looking for a completely sustainable and top-quality wooden lid, do not hesitate to contact us!
