Timber & Other Products - Sheet Materials - Oriented Strand Board OSB

Oriented Strand Board (OSB), also known as waferboard and sterling board, is a type of engineered product similar to particle board.

It is formed by adding adhesives and then compressing layers of wood strands (flakes) in specific orientations. It is a manufactured large chip based panel designed for construction and manufacturing purposes. OSB consists of chips of wood instead of a continuous veneer.

It is markedly different from chipboard due to its specialised construction which gives it structural qualities more akin to plywood. OSB is a widely used and credited structural panel with the same performance characteristics as softwood plywood; it has good dimensional stability with no core voids or knots making it easy to work with. The panels are easy to saw, drill, nail, plane, file

OSB Sheet Material - Angus Maciver Building Supplies

or sand. Nails can be driven as close as 8mm from the panel edge without splitting.

OSB is a material with high mechanical properties that make it particularly suitable for load-bearing applications in construction. The most common uses are in timber frame housing, flat and pitched roofs, wall sheathing, flooring, portable buildings, caravans, agricultural buildings, and in decorative panelling. There is also some use in furniture production.

Four grades of OSB are defined in EN 300 in terms of their mechanical performance and relative resistance to moisture:-

OSB/1 – General purpose boards and boards for interior fitments (including furniture) for use in dry conditions;
OSB/2 – Load-bearing boards for use in dry conditions;
OSB/3 – Load bearing boards for use in humid conditions; and,
OSB/4 – Heavy-duty load-bearing boards for use in humid conditions.