Overview of Common Engineered Wood Types in Canada
This table provides an overview of various types of engineered wood products commonly used in Canada. Each type is listed along with a brief description, common applications, and typical thicknesses:
Engineered Wood Type
Description
Common Applications
Typical Thicknesses
Plywood
Made by gluing together thin layers of wood veneer.
Flooring, roofing, wall sheathing, furniture
surfaces: siding, flooring
1/8” to 1” (3mm to 25mm)
( 6, 8, 11, 14, 19mm)
Oriented Strand Board (OSB)
Composed of wood strands arranged in layers and bonded with adhesives.
Sheathing in walls, roofs, and floors
1/4” to 3/4” (6mm to 19mm)
Laminated Veneer Lumber (LVL)
Made from thin wood veneers glued together in a parallel pattern.
Beams, headers, structural applications
1-3/4” to 3-1/2” (45mm to 89mm)
Glued Laminated Timber (Glulam)
Multiple layers of lumber bonded with durable adhesives.
Beams, columns, large-scale construction
3-1/8” to 7-1/8” (80mm to 180mm)
Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT)
Layers of lumber stacked at right angles and bonded with adhesive.
Floors, walls, roofs, high-strength structural components
3” to 12” (75mm to 300mm)
Particleboard
Made from wood chips, sawmill shavings, or sawdust bonded with synthetic resin.
Furniture, cabinetry, underlayment
1/4” to 1-1/2” (6mm to 38mm)
Medium-Density Fiberboard (MDF)
Hardwood or softwood residuals broken down into fibers and combined with wax and resin.
Furniture, cabinetry, and moldings
1/4” to 1-1/4” (6mm to 32mm)
Hardboard
A dense type of fiberboard, stronger than MDF.
Paneling, furniture components, and construction applications
1/8” to 1/4” (3mm to 6mm)
Overview of Common Structural Composite Lumber (SCL) Types in Canada
This table provides an overview of various types of Structural Composite Lumber (SCL) products commonly used in Canada. Each type is listed along with a brief description, common applications, and typical thicknesses:
Structural Composite Lumber Type
Description
Common Applications
Typical Thicknesses
Laminated Veneer Lumber (LVL)
Made from thin wood veneers glued together in a parallel pattern.
Beams, headers, rim boards, structural framing
1-3/4” to 3-1/2” (45mm to 89mm)
Parallel Strand Lumber (PSL)
Composed of long, thin wood strands glued together in a parallel orientation.
Beams, columns, headers, long-span applications
2-7/16” to 11-7/8” (62mm to 302mm)
Laminated Strand Lumber (LSL)
Made from thin wood strands oriented parallel to the length of the member and bonded with adhesive.
Studs, beams, headers, rim boards, millwork
1-1/4” to 3-1/2” (32mm to 89mm)
Oriented Strand Lumber (OSL)
Composed of wood strands arranged in layers and bonded with adhesives, similar to OSB but used structurally.
Studs, beams, headers, rim boards
1-1/4” to 7” (32mm to 178mm)
Wood grading mainly concerns the surface quality, appearance, and precision of the wood’s dimensions, rather than its strength.
Machine stress rating (MSR) is a measure used to assess the strength and stiffness of lumber.
SPF stands for Spruce-Pine-Fir, which is a grouping of several softwood species commonly used in the lumber industry.
KD-HT stands for Kiln-Dried Heat Treated. It’s a designation used for wood products, particularly lumber, to indicate that the wood has been both kiln-dried and heat treated.