Abstract: A wood preservative composition including a mixture of two or more metallic soaps of long chain unsaturated fatty acids, which soaps have a metallic component selected from the group consisting of copper, zinc, chromium, iron, antimony, tin, cobalt, nickel, arsenic, boron, lead, magnesium, potassium and sodium, and a fatty acid component selected from two or more of the group consisting of oleic acid, linoleic acid, and linolenic acid, the composition being such that the ratio by mass of metallic soap of oleic acid:metallic soap of linoleic acid:metallic soap of linolenic acid is about 20-29:15-70:0-47.