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| ENGINEERED
WOOD PRODUCTS - At a Glance |
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History -
The past fifty years have seen unprecedented changes in technology and
environmental stewardship impacting on construction. In response to these
evolving issues, the homebuilding industry has modified its practices and use
of
materials. Correspondingly, environmental limitations and consumer demand have
spurred a transition to engineered lightweight wood construction.
The wood products industry has also had to adapt, as fewer large trees are
available for manufacturing. By developing ways to use smaller diameter trees
to
manufacture new, lighter weight structural products, the industry uses fewer
resources — more efficiently, with less waste. In addition, these new
products
meet builder demand for deep, long, and straight structural building materials.
Definition - Engineered wood products can be defined as products consisting
of a
combination of smaller components to make a structural product, designed
using
engineering methods. They are an alternative to traditional sawn lumber.
Products in the Market -
Some examples of engineered wood products are: I-joists, trusses, and Structural
Composite Lumber (SCL) that includes laminated
veneer lumber (LVL), parallel strand lumber (PSL), and laminated strand lumber
(LSL).
To use as much fiber as possible from available logs, the logs are “stranded” (sliced
into 1-inch to 12-inch strands), peeled (sliced off of a log like paper
towels from a roll), or sawn. Then, the resulting pieces are combined with
adhesives into a new engineered wood product.
Rigorous Code Acceptance - New products must meet strict standards set
by the
model building codes and evaluation services. Accredited certification
agencies
closely monitor the manufacturing process for quality control. Both the
manufacturer and certification agencies test the product. I-joists, for
example, are regularly and rigorously tested for strength and serviceability.
For more information on engineered wood products,
click here to download
the
seven page PDF file.
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