Product Descriptions and Glossary

Bolts that tie the sill plate and thus the frame of a structure to its foundation.

A prefabricated solid engineered wood panel made from at least three layers of solid-sawn lumber or structural composite lumber (SCL) that are stacked crosswise and bonded together with structural adhesives to form a solid, rectangular-shaped panel that is intended for construction applications, including roofs, floors and walls in residential and nonresidential buildings. Orthogonally bonding the layers increases the structural and dimensional stability of the product as a slab or wall.

A plywood panel grade with rough-sawn, brushed, grooved or striated faces. May have bond classification of Exterior or Exposure 1. Common uses include paneling, built-ins, accent walls, counter facings and displays. Exterior uses include siding, gable ends and fences. Check with manufacturer for specific Exterior application recommendations, which vary with particular products.

Bending of a wood structural panel or framing member between supports under an applied load.

Structural wood products manufactured by bonding together wood strands, veneers, lumber or other forms of wood fiber to produce a larger and integral composite unit with superior performance characteristics. These high performance building components achieve predictable and reliable performance characteristics with the efficient use of natural resources.

Short for structural glued-laminated timber – large beams fabricated by bonding layers of specially selected lumber with strong, durable adhesives. End and edge jointing permit production of longer and wider structural wood members than are normally available. Glulam timbers are used for many types of residential and commercial construction.

A piece of wood structural panel connecting lumber members of a truss or other frame structure. Gussets may be applied to one or both sides of the joint. Plywood or OSB are used because of their great strength and split-resistance. Commonly used for repairs of metal-plate-connected wood trusses.

Wood of the deciduous or broadleaved trees – oak, maple, ash, walnut – as distinct from the softwood of the coniferous or needleleaved trees – pine, fir, spruce, hemlock. The term has only a general reference to actual wood hardness. Construction and industrial plywood may use either variety.

The nonactive core of a tree distinguishable from the growing sapwood by its usually darker color and greater resistance to rot and decay.

Living wood of pale color near the outside of a log. Under most conditions, sapwood is more susceptible to decay than heartwood.

Removal of moisture from wood to improve its serviceability, sometimes by air drying – drying by air exposure without artificial heat – or kiln drying – drying in a heated chamber with artificial heat. Plywood veneers and OSB furnish are seasoned before lay-up and gluing into panels.