Resumo. In this study, penetration and retention of the preservative chromated copper borate (CCB) in round pieces of algaroba (Prosopis juliflora (Sw.) DC) were evaluated when subjected to the sap substitution method. Sixteen trunks were randomly selected and divided into four groups. The first group underwent preservative solution 2 hours after felling (called “normal”); the second group underwent preservative solution 24 hours after the cutting down (called “posterior”); the third group was kept immersed in water for 15 days before being subjected to the preservative solution (called “immersed”); the fourth group was not subjected to preservation. After the end of the preservation process, disks were obtained at three different positions of each trunk (base, middle and top) for the evaluation of the parameters of penetration and retention. For analysis of the penetration, colorimetric reactions were used as well as the reviews of the boron and copper elements. Analyses for retaining the elements chromium, copper, and boron were carried out by spectrophotometry. It used a completely randomized factorial design with four replications (round wood) considering two design factors: Situation and Position. The situation factor consisted of three levels (immediate, posterior, immersed), and the position factor (base, middle, top). The effect of the main factors and their interactions, along with the comparison of means, were analyzed considering 5% of probability. The results indicated that pieces that were kept submerged before being submitted to the preservative treatment showed significant improvement in their treatability, maintaining an even distribution of the chemical elements along its length.