Allen Taylor & Company
An Australian timber company founded in Sydney in 1893 and now operating as a subsidiary of the Pentarch Group.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Allen Taylor & Company is an Australian timber business founded by Allen Taylor in Rozelle, Sydney, in 1893. The company developed within Sydney’s timber trade and became associated with the supply of timber for building and construction. Its history is also connected with the public career of its founder, who was active in Sydney municipal government and New South Wales public life and was knighted in 1911. The company’s activities historically included timber supply and the ownership of ships used in its timber business. One of its documented associations with Australian construction is the supply of timber used in the Sydney Opera House during the 1970s. This connection places the business within the supply chain of one of Australia’s most prominent public building projects, although the available reference material does not identify the specific timber products, contract value, or precise scope of the company’s involvement. Allen Taylor & Company underwent several changes in ownership during the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. In April 1970, it was acquired by Blue Metal Industries. Blue Metal Industries was subsequently purchased by Boral in 1982. In 2021, the business was acquired by Allied Natural Timber Enterprises Pty Ltd, a subsidiary of the Pentarch Group. It therefore became part of a larger Australian group rather than remaining an independent publicly listed company. The company’s present-day identity is best understood as a long-established Australian timber enterprise within the Pentarch Group. Publicly available reference material confirms its founding, principal industry, Sydney origins, historic shipping activity, association with Sydney Opera House construction, and successive ownership changes. It does not provide enough information to describe current revenue, employee numbers, detailed product specifications, branch locations, or a complete account of its operations after the 2021 acquisition.
History
Allen Taylor & Company was established by Allen Taylor in 1893 at Rozelle in Sydney, New South Wales. It was formed as a timber business and became part of the commercial infrastructure serving Sydney’s building and construction activity. The available historical reference does not specify the company’s initial capital, workforce, facilities, or detailed early trading territory, but it identifies the business as an Australian timber company with a long connection to Sydney. The company’s history is linked to the public prominence of its founder. By the time Allen Taylor was knighted in 1911, he was serving on the boards of numerous companies. He had also held municipal and political offices, including alderman and mayor of the Annandale Borough, alderman and lord mayor of Sydney Municipal Council, and membership of the New South Wales Legislative Council. These positions provide context for the company’s place in the commercial and civic life of early twentieth-century Sydney, although the available source does not detail how Taylor’s public responsibilities affected the company’s management. Shipping was an important element of the historical timber business. Allen Taylor & Company owned a number of ships, which formed part of its timber operations. The available material does not list the vessels, explain whether they were used for coastal or international transport, or provide a complete account of the company’s supply network. It nevertheless indicates that the business was more than a purely local retail operation and had logistical assets associated with the movement of timber. A documented later connection with Sydney’s construction history came in the 1970s, when the company supplied timber used in the Sydney Opera House. The reference material does not identify the precise timber types, quantities, contractors, or commercial terms. The association is significant because the Opera House was one of Australia’s major public construction projects and because it illustrates the company’s role in supplying materials for large-scale building work. Ownership changed in the second half of the twentieth century. In April 1970, Allen Taylor & Company was taken over by Blue Metal Industries. Blue Metal Industries was later purchased by Boral in 1982, placing the timber business within a larger Australian industrial group. The reference material does not describe operational restructuring, changes to the company name, or the duration of its ownership under Boral. In 2021, Allen Taylor & Company was purchased by Allied Natural Timber Enterprises Pty Ltd, a subsidiary of the Pentarch Group. This transaction brought the business into the Pentarch corporate group, where it is identified as a subsidiary. The available material supports describing the company as an active timber business within that group, but does not provide detailed current information about its facilities, product catalogue, management, financial performance, or geographic reach. Its documented trajectory is therefore that of a Sydney-founded timber company that moved through successive corporate owners while retaining its historical identity.
- 2021
Acquired by a Pentarch Group subsidiary
[1]Allied Natural Timber Enterprises Pty Ltd, a subsidiary of the Pentarch Group, acquired the company.
- 1982
Boral acquired the parent business
[1]Boral purchased Blue Metal Industries, which owned Allen Taylor & Company at the time.
- 1970
Acquired by Blue Metal Industries
[1]Blue Metal Industries took over Allen Taylor & Company in April 1970.
- 1970
Timber supplied for the Sydney Opera House
[1]During the 1970s, the company supplied timber used in the construction of the Sydney Opera House.
- 1911
Founder Allen Taylor was knighted
[1]Allen Taylor was knighted by this time and was serving on the boards of numerous companies while holding prominent municipal and political roles.
- 1893
Company founded in Rozelle, Sydney
[1]Allen Taylor founded the timber company in Rozelle, Sydney, establishing its long-term connection with the city’s building and construction trade.
Products and positioning
A long-established Australian timber supplier with historical roots in Sydney’s building industry.
Wood products · 1893
Timber
Timber is the company’s defining business category. Allen Taylor & Company was established as a timber enterprise serving the Australian market and became associated with the supply of materials for building and construction. Historical reference material does not specify the company’s full range of species, grades, dimensions, treatment options, or distribution channels.
Construction materials
Construction timber supplies
The company supplied timber for construction-related uses and is documented as having provided timber used in the Sydney Opera House project during the 1970s. The available source does not establish whether current operations focus on structural timber, architectural timber, merchant supply, project contracts, or other specific segments.
Brand decisions
2021
Acquisition by Allied Natural Timber EnterprisesM&ABackground
The company remained a historical Australian timber business after earlier ownership by Blue Metal Industries and Boral.
Action taken
Allied Natural Timber Enterprises Pty Ltd, a subsidiary of the Pentarch Group, purchased Allen Taylor & Company.
Aftermath
The company became a subsidiary of the Pentarch Group. Public reference material does not provide details of integration, branding, facilities, or management changes.
1982
Boral acquisition of Blue Metal IndustriesM&ABackground
Blue Metal Industries owned Allen Taylor & Company following its 1970 takeover.
Action taken
Boral purchased Blue Metal Industries, thereby acquiring the associated Allen Taylor & Company business.
Aftermath
Allen Taylor & Company became part of the Boral ownership structure; the available source does not detail subsequent operational changes.
1970
Transfer of ownership to Blue Metal IndustriesM&ABackground
Allen Taylor & Company had operated as a long-established Sydney timber business before being taken over in April 1970.
Action taken
Blue Metal Industries acquired the company.
Aftermath
The company continued under the ownership chain that later led to Boral’s acquisition of Blue Metal Industries in 1982.
Recent events
- 2021
Pentarch Group acquired Allen Taylor & Company[1]
M&A
Allied Natural Timber Enterprises Pty Ltd, a Pentarch Group subsidiary, acquired Allen Taylor & Company in 2021.
- 1982
Boral acquired Blue Metal Industries[1]
M&A
Blue Metal Industries, then the owner of Allen Taylor & Company, was purchased by Boral in 1982.
- 1970
Allen Taylor & Company supplied timber associated with the Sydney Opera House[1]
Other
Reference material states that the company supplied timber used in the construction of the Sydney Opera House during the 1970s.
- 1970
Blue Metal Industries acquired Allen Taylor & Company[1]
M&A
Allen Taylor & Company was taken over by Blue Metal Industries in April 1970.
Sources1 sources
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