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Briquetting presses are specialist waste-management machines that compress wood waste—such as sawdust, shavings, chips, and offcuts—into dense, reusable fuel briquettes. For UK woodworking and manufacturing businesses, briquetting presses offer a powerful way to reduce waste disposal costs, improve sustainability, and create a valuable by-product from materials that would otherwise be discarded.
At Gable Business Finance, we specialise in briquetting press finance for UK woodworking businesses, arranging Hire Purchase, Finance Lease, Operating Lease, Refinance, and Debtor Finance for new and used briquetting presses. We frequently secure more competitive terms than dealer finance, particularly for used or high-capacity industrial machines.
This guide explains how briquetting presses work, where they add value in woodworking environments, and includes a machine-specific finance FAQ.
A briquetting press is a machine that compresses loose wood waste into compact briquettes using high mechanical pressure—typically without the need for binders or additives. The natural lignin in the wood acts as a binding agent when compressed.
Briquetting presses are commonly fed by:
Central dust extraction systems
Silos or hoppers
Conveyor-fed waste streams
They are increasingly used by joinery shops, furniture manufacturers, sawmills, and panel processors looking to improve waste handling efficiency.
Wood waste is:
Collected from extraction systems or waste bins
Fed into the press chamber
Compressed under high pressure
Formed into dense briquettes ready for storage or use
The resulting briquettes are:
Easy to handle and store
Consistent in size and density
Suitable for biomass boilers, stoves, or resale
Briquetting presses dramatically reduce the volume of wood waste, helping businesses:
Minimise skip collections
Reduce waste disposal costs
Keep workshops cleaner and safer
By converting waste into fuel, briquetting presses support:
Lower landfill usage
Reduced carbon footprint
Compliance with environmental and sustainability targets
This is increasingly important for businesses supplying large contracts or public-sector projects.
Briquettes can be:
Used to fuel on-site biomass heating systems
Sold to generate additional revenue
Used to offset heating and energy costs
Many businesses find briquetting presses pay for themselves through savings alone.
Loose dust and shavings are difficult to manage. Briquetting:
Improves housekeeping
Reduces fire risk
Simplifies material handling
These use mechanical ram systems to compress waste and are commonly used for:
Woodworking waste
Continuous production environments
They are robust and well suited to industrial workshops.
Hydraulic presses offer:
Controlled compression
Flexibility with different waste types
Lower noise levels
Often used where waste streams vary.
Some presses are integrated directly with:
Dust extraction systems
Silos and conveyors
Ideal for high-volume, automated waste handling.
Briquetting presses are widely used in:
Joinery and cabinet making
Furniture manufacturing
Sawmills and timber processing
Panel and door production
They are particularly effective where large volumes of fine dust and shavings are produced daily.
Costs depend on capacity, automation, and integration:
Small workshop briquetting presses: £10,000 – £25,000
Mid-range industrial presses: £25,000 – £60,000
High-capacity automated systems: £60,000 – £120,000+
Used briquetting presses: Significant savings available
Because these machines deliver long-term operational savings, finance is the most common funding route.
Hire Purchase is a flexible and cost-effective alternative to overdrafts or bank loans, particularly where the press is a long-term investment.
How HP works:
Fixed or variable monthly repayments
Repayments matched to operational cashflow
Immediate use of the briquetting press
Ownership transfers to your business at the end
Key benefits:
Capital allowances usually claimable
Interest payments are tax deductible
VAT typically recoverable upfront (subject to VAT status)
Simple, clear documentation
HP is ideal where briquetting presses form part of a permanent waste-management strategy.
Finance Lease is a tax-efficient option that keeps cash free for other uses.
Key features:
Rentals structured around cashflow
Fixed or variable rate funding
Payments broadly aligned with asset depreciation
VAT payable on rentals, not upfront
End-of-term options:
Retain the press for a nominal annual rental, or
Sell it and retain most of the proceeds
Operating Leases suit businesses focused on lower monthly costs and balance-sheet efficiency.
Advantages:
Residual value reduces monthly payments
Fixed costs for the agreement term
Off-balance-sheet treatment
VAT payable only on rentals
Often used where equipment may be upgraded as waste volumes increase.
If you already own a briquetting press outright, refinance allows you to unlock its current market value.
Why businesses refinance briquetting presses:
Release working capital
Fund extraction or heating upgrades
Support cashflow during expansion
Repayments are fixed and matched to cashflow, with no impact on bank facilities.
Debtor Finance releases cash tied up in unpaid invoices, supporting:
Investment in sustainability equipment
Workshop upgrades
Energy and heating improvements
It works particularly well alongside briquetting and extraction system finance.
Yes. Many agreements are structured so that monthly repayments are offset by reduced waste disposal and heating costs, making the machine effectively self-funding.
Absolutely. Used briquetting presses are commonly financed, and Gable often secures better terms than dealer finance, especially for industrial models.
Hire Purchase suits presses intended as long-term infrastructure.
Finance Lease suits higher-value or upgradeable systems where flexibility matters.
Yes. Briquetting presses are often financed alongside dust extraction, silos, and biomass boilers under a single structured facility.
No. Asset finance is typically separate from bank lending, helping preserve overdrafts for day-to-day operations.
Briquetting presses are specialist machines where value depends on capacity, waste type, integration level, and condition—details many lenders overlook.
Gable Business Finance provides:
Specialist expertise in woodworking and environmental machinery
Funding for new and used briquetting presses
Access to a wide panel of UK lenders
Flexible options: HP, Finance Lease, Operating Lease, Refinance, and Debtor Finance
Clear, simple documentation
The ability to beat dealer finance in many cases
Briquetting presses transform waste into value—reducing costs, improving sustainability, and strengthening operational efficiency. With the right finance structure, UK woodworking businesses can invest in briquetting technology without restricting cashflow.
By working with Gable Business Finance, you gain access to tailored, competitive funding solutions designed specifically for briquetting presses and woodworking waste-management equipment.