What is OSB?

You will find that more and more garden buildings include an element of OSB boarding.
OSB boarding is relatively cheap and can now be found in many sheds and summerhouses.

But what is it?

A man made product, OSB or Oriented Strand Board to give its full name was invented in the 1970’s.

Manufactured from Wooden chips and strips and coated with a wax resin, they are then compressed to produce boards that can then be cut into various sizes. A lot of the material used is from left over chippings from the timber mills.
The boards are 95% wood and 5% resin and because it meets the building regs for which it uses demand OSB is heavily used in the housing industry.

There are many key characteristics of OSB including

• Durable
• Consistant in quality
• High rigidity
• Water resistant
• Easy to work with
• No voids or gaps or weak spots,
• OSB is a strong material and is used heavily in the housing industry.
• Can nail or screw near the edge without splitting
• Ecologically approved by the FSC
• Recyclable

OSB is quite often confused with chipboard. It is not chipboard. When wet chipboard will swell and break up whereas OSB is water resistant. OSB has its own unique process of manufacturing and can be used for many applications for which chipboard is not appropriate. OSB is actually closer to plywood in its characteristics and is considered superior to plywood.

Used for floors and roofing boards in sheds and summerhouses OSB is a very good product which will last. Some traditionalists still prefer tongue and groove boarding for roofs and floors in their garden sheds and summerhouses. If OSB can be used in houses and meet the building regs then it can certainly be used in components in garden sheds and summerhouses

Elbec can offer both to our customers but will find that the sheds and summerhouses with OSB components are that bit cheaper when compared like with like with tongue and groove boarding.

OSB (Oriented Strand Board)