USING OSB

You know what you're getting with OSB. You're getting a board that's an all rounder.

OSB is precision engineered to remove defects and give it a uniform structure with excellent strength and moisture tolerance properties. It competes on cost and performance with the best plywoods and out performs the plywood’s that carry no credentials. Because of its lay-up and composition, OSB is primarily a panel for construction and is widely used for flooring, flat roof decking and wall sheathing but many other applications are possible.

By law, construction products must comply with the 6 essential requirements of the Construction Products Directive (CPD). OSB achieves this through compliance with the Harmonised Standard for wood-based panels (EN 13986). Watch out though because the same cannot be said for all plywoods used in construction today.

There are four different types of OSB but the two types most widely available are:

• OSB2
  Load bearing dry: this is what you’re after if you need a board for general purpose applications such as hoardings, packaging, shelving, displays or as decorative interior panels.
  
  
• OSB3
  Load bearing Humid: this is ideal for those structural applications where moisture may be present. This is the grade to use for flooring, roof decking and sheathing applications where there is a chance of moisture being present.

For the more detailed specs and advice on fitting OSB just click the links.