Oriented Strand Board (OSB) is a product that has been manufactured and used successfully in North America for decades, but has only been available through Australian suppliers in the past decade.
OSB is a structural panel product produced by bonding together thin wood strands with adhesive. A wax may be added to the resin to increase the moisture resistant properties. The strands are generally oriented with the grain direction in the major longitudinal direction in the outer layers and in the cross direction in the inner layers of the sheet to provide panel dimensional stability. Once in place, the strands will form a large continuous mat. The mat is then heat and pressure cured, which helps to create a uniform finish.
It has similar properties to plywood, yet is generally more cost-effective to produce and is also stronger than particleboard. OSB can be used for internal and external applications.
Design properties for OSB are proprietary so manufacturers of OSB can provide the relevant specifications. OSB is not currently produced in Australia.
