Building Blocks

Broadcasting the Benefits of OSB | March 2007

FROM: Editorial Feature Building News March 2007 Issue

“With OSB, it’s what’s on the inside that counts”
Super strong, durable and suitable or a multitude of pplications – Oriented Strand Board (OSB) is a material growing steadily in popularity, changing the way in which the trade specify timber and is just the job for off-site timber frame construction and site-based building.

Consumption of OSB on a worldwide scale has more than doubled in the past 10 years, and the reasons for this market growth are largely due to its proven structural advantages and increasing recognition by the trade of its consistent quality and ready availability here in the UK.

Today, timber frame accounts for over 20 per cent of all new houses built, and OSB is a key component in the production process. Industry experts predict timber frame housing will continue to rise to 25 per cent within the next three years which places OSB in a strong position to become the material of choice over plywood for merchants, builders and home buyers alike.

What is Oriented Strand Board?
Oriented Strand Board, commonly known as OSB, is an engineered wood strand panel that is designed to be super strong and hardwearing, with a smooth surface and no defects or voids, which make it of superior quality to most plywood’s available on the market (particularly those which do not carry the correct certified credentials).

There are several steps to the manufacturing process, starting with the raw timber and ending with the finished OSB board. Firstly, logs are sourced from sustainable forests within the UK and Ireland that are independently certified to Forest Stewardship Council criteria by accredited independent auditors, in a process that selects the smaller trees for production, leaving the bigger trees plenty of space in the forest to develop and grow.

Secondly, these logs are cut into smaller lengths, the bark removed and then the timber is chopped into credit card sized strands of wood which are blended with resin and wax as part of a carefully controlled mixing process. Next, these strands are laid down evenly, layer upon layer, onto a conveyor belt to form a ‘mat’. The final board is created by pressing three layers of this cross-oriented mat together under heat, creating a sheet of OSB that has the following inherent qualities:

• Extra strong
• Highly durable
• Consistent quality
• Defective free
• Easy to work with
• Environmentally sustainable

Say Bye to Ply – the Potential of OSB
Adaptable and incredibly durable, OSB is a modern material which will satisfy a design life of 60 years under normal conditions and in accordance with manufacturers’ recommendations. OSB is also engineered to provide an affordable alternative to plywood for a wide range of structural and non-structural building projects:

ROOFING
Ideal for sarking on pitched tiles on slated roofs, or as structural decking for flat roofs. OSB is easy to saw, rout, drill and glue and is reliable - withstanding the elements come rain, shine, snow or wind.

WALL SHEATHING
OSB offers good strength and racking performance under any exterior cladding whilst also being easy to stain and paint.

SINGLE-LAYER AND SUB-FLOORS
OSB can be used directly under hardwood or carpet for single-layer flooring whilst offering a rigid and impact-resistant finish for sub-floor situations.

SHOP FITTINGS AND HOARDINGS
Perfect for both structural and decorative functions, OSB can be used in the construction of shop interiors whilst also lending itself as a simple, great value material for barriers, shutters and fencing.

Specification is easy as there are two types of OSB that are readily available from stockists to suit the majority of situations, depending on your requirements.

OSB2 is suitable for load bearing applications for use in dry conditions, whilst OSB3 is ideal where moisture may be present or in high humidity situations, without the risk of structural change to the strength and durability of the panel. In addition, all OSB manufactured in the UK and Ireland conforms to European standards and boards have BBA certification as well as satisfying the requirements of the Construction Product Regulations as denoted by the CE mark. And, unlike plywood, OSB is simple to specify with grades found in the one standard – BS EN 300.

Breaking Habits – the JOSB Done 2007 Campaign
Despite the clear advantages OSB has to offer not only in terms of its properties and price point but also its environmental sustainability, consor-tium research conducted by leading manufacturers SmartPly and Norbord discovered that there still remains a fundamental lack of understanding within the industry.

It seemed a common misconception was that OSB is similar to chipboard, whereas in fact the manufacturing process, appearance and structure are all significantly different. Panel for panel, or based on like-for-like criteria, OSB is a cost-effective option compared with plywood and because the research uncovered a gap in knowledge when it comes to the suitability of OSB for construction applications, SmartPly and Norbord joined forces with the Wood Panel Industries Federation and resin supplier Huntsman to set the record straight.

Alastair Kerr, Director General of the WPIF, comments:
“It was to begin tackling these myths and misunderstandings about OSB that we first launched the ‘JOSB Done’ campaign as an industry initiative in 2006. As well as wanting to tell merchants and the trade about what they are missing out on, another of our specific aims was to increase market penetration for OSB in the UK and Ireland.

“With OSB, it’s what’s on the inside that counts,” continues Alastair, “therefore its imperative for us to encourage the trade to take another look at what OSB can offer in terms of being a precision engineered panel of consistent quality, suitable for getting a range of jobs done.

“Looking back at the original research survey we carried amongst the merchants and the trade last year, we found that merchants and builders continue to sell and purchase plywood ahead of OSB more out of habit than any other reason.

“This year’s campaign has been developed to make builders and merchants alike sit up and take notice of OSB by adopting a creative advertising approach that injects some humour into the programme whilst also conveying the serious messages about this versatile product. We would like merchants to be comfortable with recommending OSB in the knowledge that it will do the job to the right building regulations, plus it’s an environmentally sound product. The grass can be greener on the other side!”

To find out more about OSB and the JOSB Done 2007 campaign, visit www.josbdone.com or call the helpline on 0845 053 3277.