The Thünen Centre of Competence on the Origin of Timber, Hamburg, has published a new "Charcoal Atlas" as a scientific reference for the anatomical identification of charcoal and charcoal briquettes in January 2026. The atlas is intended to support due diligence assessments and the verification of legal origin within international supply chains.

The work presents high-resolution microphotographs of diagnostic anatomical features from 34 wood species representing diverse climatic regions. Structural modifications induced by carbonization are systematically characterized, and implications for sample preparation and microscopic analysis are discussed. The IAWA hardwood feature list has been adapted for application to charred material and complemented with illustrative examples. In addition, the atlas addresses carbonization-related dimensional changes affecting quantitative characters and identifies anatomical features with limited diagnostic value in charcoal. The atlas provides a methodological framework for reliable taxa identification of charred wood in regulatory and forensic contexts. 


Please cites as: Zemke V.TH., Koch G., Haag V. (2026). Atlas of Charcoal - Wood Identification of charcoal products traded on the European market. Thünen-Report 127, Johann Heinrich von Thünen-Institut, Braunschweig, https://doi.org/10.3220/253-2026-12.

For people who are interested, you may reach the link to download the report: https://www.thuenen.de/media/publikationen/thuenen-report/Th%C3%BCnen_Report_127.pdf. For more details, please contact Volker Haag (volker.haag@thuenen.de) of Thünen Centre of Competence on the Origin of Timber.