Laminated veneer lumber (LVL) bulletin

Laminated veneer lumber LVL
Laminated veneer lumber LVL

Laminated veneer lumber (LVL) bulletin

Date Published

10 January 2023

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Laminated veneer lumber LVL
Summary

Federation of the Finnish Woodworking Industries and the German Studiengemeinschaft Holzleimbau published on behalf of the LVL producers a joint technical bulletin that specifies the strength classes, tolerances and additional design provisions for LVL. The calculations in the LVL Handbook are based on this bulletin.

The European LVL industry (Metsä Wood, Pollmeier Massivholz GmbH & Co. KG, STEICO SE and Stora Enso) has decided to launch LVL strength classes. This bulletin introduces the classes along with other product and design provisions not yet covered in the respective standards.

 

Key Information

Both products, primary LVL and glued laminated LVL shall have symmetrical layup and may either only comprise parallel veneers (LVL-P) or at least two crossband veneers (LVL-C).

LVL may be designed as beams, plates, studs or panels. LVL may also be used as components for elements or other engineered wood products.

 

 

Case studies

Two radical timber buildings at the National Arboretum in Gloucestershire demonstrate how timber from trees felled in the routine maintenance of the estate were processed on site into structure and cladding, and constructed by volunteers and trainee carpenters.

There is nothing in the building regulations that prohibits high-rise timber buildings, although the practical limit (and current
code limitation) for stud wall timber frame is seven storeys. The Stadthaus (German for townhouse) is – with eight floors of timber structure – the tallest habitable timber building in the world.