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OSB Plywood

OSB, is a fairly recent addition to the plywood family, and is rapidly gaining ground in home construction. OSB, or Oriented Striated Board, looks like a series of wood chips that have been glued together into a panel. Because of the amount of glue, and the fact that the wood fibers are artificially aligned, OSB is considered to be as strong, if not stronger than the regular plywoods in some applications.

OSB as begun to be very popular as a lower cost option for sheathing on walls and roofs. Because the wood used does not need to be ground directly from a timber, the process allows more of the lumber to be used, leaving less waste and more product. There are still differences between OSB and plywoods, and which you choose is up to you.

It is worth noting that OSB is often referred to as waferboard, but that in reality waferboard is a different sort of product. Waferboard is not rated as a structural material, but OSB is tested and rated by the American Plywood Association. The difference between the two lies in the size of the pieces of wood and in the process of orienting the fibers in OSB. Waferboard tends to use wood chips that are approximately 2" square, while OSB uses 4" pieces. OSB is also made by compressing layers of board, so that each layer has its grain perpendicular to its neighbors.

For more about OSB versus Plywood, click here.

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