FSC® certified lumber: what to ask a supplier before you buy

To buy FSC® certified lumber, ask the supplier for three things before you place the order: its chain of custody (CoC) certificate code, the exact FSC claim that will appear on the invoice (FSC 100%, FSC Mix or FSC Recycled), and confirmation that your product type is in the certificate scope. Then check the code in the public FSC database. A logo on a website or catalogue proves nothing on its own. A certified company can sell wood with and without an FSC claim, and only the lot invoiced with the claim counts as certified.

What FSC certifies: forest management vs chain of custody

The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) runs two certificates that matter to a lumber buyer.

• Forest management (FM): covers the forest. It applies to the forest owner or manager, audited against the national forest stewardship standard. In Brazil, plantations are audited against FSC-STD-BRA-1.1-2025.
• Chain of custody (CoC): covers the company that buys, processes and sells the forest product. It proves that certified wood was kept separate from, or accounted for apart from, uncertified wood at every step. The standard is FSC-STD-40-004.

A sawmill selling lumber or veneer needs its own CoC certificate to make an FSC claim. The FM certificate of the forest the logs came from does not carry over to the product: every company in the chain that takes ownership of the material needs its own CoC.

There is also a combined FM/COC certificate, common in groups of forest owners who share one certificate. Its code carries both acronyms.

FSC claims explained: FSC 100%, FSC Mix and FSC Recycled

The FSC claim states where the material in that product came from. Three claims can carry an on-product label:

Claim	What it means	Typical case in lumber
FSC 100%	all material comes from FSC-certified forests	logs from certified own or partner forests, no mixing
FSC Mix (x% or Credit)	a mix of certified material, FSC Controlled Wood and/or recycled material	part of the log supply is only controlled
FSC Recycled (x% or Credit)	recycled material	paper, recycled panels; rare in sawn lumber

FSC Controlled Wood is uncertified wood that has been checked to exclude unacceptable sources, such as illegal harvesting or wood from conflict areas. Under FSC-STD-40-004, the “FSC Controlled Wood” claim on its own may only be used for raw or semi-finished products sold to a customer that is itself FSC certified.

“x%” and “Credit” come from the supplier’s control system: the percentage system (share of certified input in a period) or the credit system (an account balance of certified volume). Both are accepted. If your end customer requires FSC 100%, write that into the order.

What must be on the invoice

The FSC claim and the certificate code go on the sales document. Clause 5.1 of FSC-STD-40-004 V3-1 lists what a sales invoice (paper or electronic) for FSC-claimed products must include:

1. the supplier’s name and contact details;
2. customer identification (name and address);
3. the date of issue;
4. the product name or description;
5. the quantity sold;
6. the supplier’s FSC certificate code;
7. the FSC claim, for each line item or for the total.

If the invoice does not travel with the shipment, the delivery document or packing list must carry the same information plus a reference to the invoice (clause 5.3). Where the claim does not fit on the document, the standard allows a supplementary letter, but only with the certification body’s permission and with no doubt about which items are certified (clause 5.7).

The detail that catches new buyers: a PDF of the certificate sent by email does not prove that your lot is FSC. Certificates themselves usually say they are not proof that a particular product is certified. The proof is the claim on the invoice.

How to check an FSC certificate in the public database

FSC runs a public database, FSC Search (search.fsc.org, which replaced the older info.fsc.org). Anyone can use it, with no login. A check takes two minutes:

1. Enter the licence code (FSC-C plus six digits), the certificate code or the company name.
2. Check the certificate status. It has to be valid. Suspended or terminated means the supplier cannot sell with an FSC claim from that date.
3. Open the record and note the expiry date and the standards assessed.
4. Open the products tab. Your product type (sawn lumber, veneer, logs) must be listed.
5. If it is a group or multi-site certificate, check the members tab to see that the site invoicing you is listed as valid.

For buyers who are FSC certified themselves, this is a requirement. Clause 2.2 of FSC-STD-40-004 requires regular checks of the validity and product scope of active suppliers’ certificates in the FSC database, and clause 2.3 requires checking each delivery’s documents for the FSC claim and certificate code.

Licence code, certificate code and FSC® trademark use

These are two different codes, and both are searchable:

• Licence code (for example FSC-C215210): identifies who is licensed to use the FSC trademarks. It goes on the on-product label and on any promotional material that uses the marks.
• Certificate code (certification body prefix + COC + number): identifies the audited certificate. It goes on the invoice next to the claim.

The FSC trademarks are the initials FSC, the name Forest Stewardship Council, the “checkmark-and-tree” logo and the “Forests For All Forever” marks. The FSC Trademark Quick Guide (based on FSC-STD-50-001 V2-1) calls for the ® symbol on the first or most prominent use of the initials and the name in a text, and on every use of the logo, in countries where the mark is registered. An on-product label has compulsory elements: the logo, the label title (FSC 100%, FSC Mix or FSC Recycled) and the licence code.

Red flag: a supplier showing the FSC logo with no licence code, or a code that does not appear in the public database. FSC rules require a valid licence and certificate to use the marks.

FSC vs EUDR: certification does not replace due diligence

For wood going into the European Union, an FSC certificate is evidence, not an exemption. The EUDR (Regulation (EU) 2023/1115) requires the EU operator to carry out its own due diligence, including the geolocation of the harvest plots for each lot and a risk assessment. FSC itself says in its EUDR FAQ that certification schemes cannot automatically exempt businesses from due diligence.

In practice, ask for both: the FSC claim on the invoice and the origin dossier with geolocation. We cover what importers need in EUDR for timber: what importers need from a Brazilian supplier.

Checklist: what to ask an FSC lumber supplier

Before you confirm a certified order, ask for and check:

• the licence code (FSC-C…) and the CoC certificate code;
• the FSC Search record showing a valid status and an expiry date after shipment;
• your product type (sawn lumber, veneer, logs) listed in the scope;
• the exact claim that will be on the invoice: FSC 100%, FSC Mix x% or FSC Mix Credit;
• a sample invoice showing the claim and the code, for your accounts and your auditor;
• species and forest origin for each lot;
• for Europe, the origin dossier with geolocation for EUDR due diligence.

If a supplier cannot show the claim on a sample invoice, the order is not ready to be FSC.

How LG Madeiras handles FSC® orders

LG Madeiras has held FSC® certification since 2025, under licence FSC-C215210. In the public FSC database (checked on 4 November 2026), chain of custody certificate NEO-COC-215210 is listed as valid until 26 June 2030, with four product types in scope: roundwood (logs), wood chips, sawn timber and peeled veneer. LG Madeiras is also listed as a member of the group forest management certificate NEO-FM/COC-000004.

A product is certified when the order is certified. LG sells FSC 100% material: the claim goes on the invoice with the certificate code, together with the forest origin dossier and the container dispatch report. See our sawn pine lumber and eucalyptus and pine veneer, and the codes on our sustainability page.

To quote a certified order, send your specification through the contact page and tell us which FSC claim your customer requires.

Sources

• FSC Search, the public FSC certificate database. LG Madeiras record checked on 4 November 2026.
• FSC-STD-40-004 V3-1, Chain of Custody Certification, clauses 2.2, 2.3, 5.1, 5.3, 5.6 and 5.7. A revision (V4-0) is in development; current certificates are audited against V3-1.
• FSC labels and the Trademark Quick Guide V2-1, based on FSC-STD-50-001 V2-1.
• FSC FAQ on EUDR.

Checked in November 2026.