LVL - come to be known

In the field of veneers and plywood products the plywood panel is still a dominant product, but the public attention has increasingly been drawn to LVL, primarily because of its excellent mechanical properties and suitability for use. This paper presents a comparison between specific properties of LVL and those of solid sawn lumber, and discusses the development and future of LVL production globally, as well as its use. The values of typical mechanical properties (modulus of elasticity, bending strength, tensile strength parallel to the grain, compression strength parallel to the grain, compression strength perpendicular to the grain, and horizontal shear strength) are compared between LVL and solid sawn lumber. It is clearly shown that all values for LVL are higher in the range of 10 to 180%. Other advantages of LVL include: production in unlimited length, uniformity of good properties, dimensional stability, better efficiency of wood fiber, simplicity of end use, etc. All these properties make LVL a very attractive product. The paper also discusses the production growth of LVL, from its beginning to a short analysis of its future. The growth trend shows a noticeable, dramatic production of the product in the 1990s, with a prediction of its steady rise up to year 2005. The dramatic growth indicates that the public recognises the quality of LVL, and one can reasonably expect that LVL will be widely used in the near future.