Introduction to wood-based panel products
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Wood-based panel products are sheet materials that contain a significant amount of wood in the form of strips, veneers, chips, strands or fibres. The categories described in this Wood Information Sheet (WIS) are:
Plywoods
Particleboards
Oriented strand board (OSB)
Fibre building boards
Within each of the above categories are a number of specific panel types and grades. Some of these are defined in BS EN product standards while others are made to commercial specifications.
This WIS is an overview of wood-based panels with signposts to more detailed information sources that are listed at the end. It outlines the manufacture and characteristics of the basic types and also indicates some of the speciality products derived from them.
CE marked wood-based panels for use in construction must comply with the harmonised standard BS EN 13986. From January 2021, UKCA marking will become an alternative to CE marking for construction products placed on the UK market.
Of the fibre building boards, the most common is medium density fibreboard (MDF) with standard products available for dry and humid exposures, as well as non-loadbearing and loadbearing applications. A specialist MDF variant is also now available for exterior applications.
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