DESIGN RATED ORIENTED STRANDBOARD IN CSA STANDARDS

The 1994 edition of CSA (Canadian Standards Association) Standard O86. 1 ''Engineering design in wood'' includes, for the first time, specifi ed strength and stiffness for design rated oriented strandboard (OSB). Design rated OSB panels are manufactured in accordance with the new C SA Standard O452. In this paper, the results of the short-term (1-10 m in) test data which led to the establishment of the three rating grade s of Type 1 (standard) design rated OSB are presented. In addition, fa ctors that may affect the classification such as panel thickness and o rientation are discussed.