Commonly referred to as OSB
Engineered wood product consisting of strips of wood arranged in
crisscrossing layers, pressed and bound with an adhesive and made
into panels
Invented in 1949 by Armin Elmendorf
Introduced as an alternative to traditional
wood products because of wood shortages
during World War II.
Patented by Elmendorf in 1965
Waferboard appeared in markets in the early 1970’s
The OSB industry evolved from the waferboard industry in the late
1970's as technology and investors embraced the concept.
Waferboard consisted of randomly placed wood flakes
OSB consists of specifically oriented wood strands
In 1980 North America produced
751 million square feet of OSB panel
By 1990 the number had risen to
7.6 billion square feet
Mid 1990’s OSB Began to rival traditional
plywood in production and sales in the panel market
In 2001 OSB surpassed plywood in production and sales
By 2005 OSB accounted for more then 60% of the panel market with
25 billion square feet produced
The timber used in OSB production comes primarily from young
growth forests. This gives OSB manufacturers an advantage of using
smaller timber that can be grown in a shorter period of time; making
OSB more sustainable than other building products.
After harvest, whole logs
are hauled to the mill's
wood yard, then sorted.
Logs are soaked to loosen bark
and remove frost (where
applicable) to prepare wood for
debarking and stranding.
Soderhamn Eriksson Debarking Machine
Logs are run through the
debarker to remove bark.
Bark is later used as fuel
in the mill's energy
supply.
The strands are cut from
whole logs into precise
dimensions of up to six
inches long.
Strands are deposited into
wet bins and allowed to soak.
They are then removed and
placed in dryers until the
appropriate moisture content
is reached.
Strands go through the
forming line where crossdirectional layers are
formed.
Strands are blended with resin
binders and a small amount of
wax, which improves the efficiency
of the resin binder and enhances
the panel's resistance to moisture
and water absorption.
Layers of cross-directional
strands are pressed under
intense heat and pressure
to form a rigid, dense
structural panels.
Panels are cooled, grade stamped, stacked in bundles and edge
coated. All graded panels bear a mandatory certification agency
stamp.
Walls - excellent strength and
rigidity under all types of siding.
Roof Panels - uniformly sound
and extra rigid to handle snow
and wind loads.
Underlayment - uniformly thin,
yet strong and finely sanded,
OSB provides a smooth base for
vinyl or tile.
Single-Layer Floors - great for use
directly under carpet, lightweight concrete or hardwood
flooring.
Subfloors - strong, rigid and
impact-resistant for underlayment,
carpet or tile.
Structural Insulated Panels - OSB
foam-core panels offer high
strength, R-value, and easy
installation.
Floor Joists - OSB I-joists provide
a high-quality support system.
Rimboards - OSB rimboards add
strength and rigidity to the floor
system.
Price
OSB can be $3 to $5 a panel less expensive than plywood. For a
typical 2400 square foot home, OSB will save about $700 if used as
the subfloor, sheathing, and roof decking instead of plywood.
Engineered for Applications and Strength
The strands can be cut to different lengths, oriented in different
directions and assembled with various amounts of adhesives for
customized purposes.
Recognized as a Structural Panel in the Model Codes
OSB is recognized as an equivalent to plywood in all North American
model codes for structural sheathing applications in dry service
conditions.
Wide Availability and Size-Variety
OSB provides wood products in dimensions that other structural
panels do not offer, including panels from 4 feet by 8 feet to 8 feet by
24 feet in many thicknesses for multiple span ratings.
High Consistency
Because its quality is not dependent on the size of harvested trees,
but on a manufacturing method , each OSB panel can be
manufactured with the same uniformity and consistency.
Environmentally Advantageous
OSB is processed mainly from fast-growing small diameter trees,
avoiding the need to log old-growth timber. OSB is a resourceefficient product, maximizing yields from a fast-growing renewable
resource.