The paint used for marking logs must be of excellent quality and not be harmful to the environment.
Colour marking of the wood is one part of many in the harvesting process. It is important that the paint is of the right quality. Colour marking (CM) facilitates the handling of the processed wood and is often a prerequisite for the correct product being delivered to the sawmills. An important factor is the colour intensity. Where alcohol-based paints have a relatively low intensity and glycol-based paints have a medium intensity; both types have problems with the colour spreading easily over the cut surface. Komatsu CM is a water-based product and has a high intensity while not easily spreading over the cut surface. This leads to clearer and more visible markings that help the operator while reducing colour consumption.
It is also not normally desirable for the paint to penetrate the wood as it can reduce the price dur to waste of the log ends. Paint based on both alcohol and glycol have problems with the paint easily penetrating too deep into the wood, causing a lot of wastage for sawmills. Komatsu CM only adheres to the top layer of the wood, about 2-4 mm. Another advantage is that Komatsu CM does not cause any corrosion, which is usually a problem with alcohol and glycol-based paints.
For both the environment at large and the operator’s work environment it is very important what the paint consists of. Glycol is hazardous to health while methanol belongs to the group of chemicals that are toxic and can cause health damage. Komatsu CM uses water-based paints with additives used in the food industry. It lacks warning signs all together and is completely harmless to humans and to the environment. Source