Setting the OSB record straight

1!| FTER l5 years of overcoming .frl. misperceitions about quatit! and performance, oriented strandboard (OSB) is rapidly approaching 507o of the structural panel market.

"One of the things that had to be overcome in the early 1980s was OSB's non-traditional rlisual characteristics," recalls Stewart Lavigne, former Weyerhaeuser OSB sales manager now overseeing OSB exports. "In the builder's mind, veneer was king and anything made of reconstituted wood was inferior. But after we convinced them to trv it. they found OSB a great product."

Although OSB evolved from waferboard, it differs with rectangular strands strategically oriented" at right angles for enhanced strength. It is equivalent to plywood in the DOC PS2 Performance Standard for Wood-based Structural-use Panels. It also exceeds exterior grades of plywood in some strength properties and

Story at a Glance

Why OSB is closing in on 50% of the structural panel market 35% capacity increase expected by end of 1996.

usually costs less. Panel sizes range from 3x6 to 8y24,114" to 1-1/8" thick and beyond.

As an engineered product, OSB is used for residential sheathing and subflooring, floor joists, insulated panels, mobile and modular housing and as a component in multi-core hardwood plywood overlay and siding. All major U.S. model building codes accept it.

"Go back a number of years and there would have been far ioo many difficulties inherent in the prod(Please turn to page 37 )