OSB

Description

1. What is OSB?

OSB (Oriented Strand Board) is a wood based composite product made of shaving and adhesive.

2. History and development

In 1963, OSB was created by Armin Elmendorf in California.
In late 1970s, OSB appeared in woodworking market.
In 1980, total quantity of OSB in North America was 751 million ft2. The figure then reached 7,6 billion ft2 in 1990 and 25 billion ft2 in 2005.
In 2000, the total quantity of OSB exceeded that of Plywood for the first time.

3. Components of OSB

OSB is made up of 95% wood and 5% adhesive.
Oriented Strand Board is mainly made of shaving (or big wood chips) arranged into certain orientation.
Phenol Formaldehyde (PF) and Melamine Urea Formaldehyde (MUF) are usually used to produce OSB.

4. Manufacturing process of OSB

Shaving are ranged in a certain orientation and pressed under high-temperature and pressure with adhesive.

5. Advantages of OSB

OSB’s price is usually lower than Plywood’s.
OSB has good linkage, hardness and mechanical durability.
OSB owns good ability of screw holding and elasticity; It is durable in moisture environment.
The board is lightweight and therefore be suitable for many application

6. Disadvantages of OSB

It’s hard to paint on OSB surface.
Compare to Plywood, OSB is hard to dry when moisture go inside the board.

7. Application

Industrial application: floor padding, wall cladding, display shelves and frames for other furniture…
OSB is also used in constructing skeleton thanks to its hardness and good mechanical durability