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As the news of Qiannianzhou's smart factory introducing China's first complete Siempelkamp OSB production line has spread, more and more customers are eagerly anticipating solid wood sliced OSB. However, every time we communicate with customers, we find that the public's understanding of OSB is very limited. Most people don't even know that OSB has four grades.
So, here comes the question! What exactly is OSB board? What are the functions of the four grades? What should you pay attention to when purchasing OSB board? Let me give you a detailed explanation below!
Don't know OSB board?
Maybe you have heard of OSB
The Chinese name of OSB board is "Oriented Strand Board", and its English name is "Oriented Strand Board", abbreviated as "OSB". It is also called "European Pine Board" on the market. It is a new type of board from Europe that developed rapidly internationally in the 1970s and 1980s. It is an upgraded product of particleboard.
It uses fresh wood with larger diameter and straight trunk as raw material, and is processed into flat, narrow chips along the direction of the wood grain through special planing equipment (generally 40-120mm long, 5-20mm wide, 0.3-0.7mm thick, and 50-80mm long, 5-20mm wide, 0.45-0.6mm thick), which are then deoiled, dried, glued, directionally laid, and hot-pressed.
Due to the high technical complexity of OSB production and the significant investment in equipment, which is primarily imported, often costing hundreds of millions of yuan, my country's current OSB manufacturing technology and equipment capacity lag behind those of North America and Europe, and the majority of OSB panels on the market are imported. However, the investment of nearly 500 million yuan to introduce the first complete Siempelkamp OSB production line in China has undoubtedly marked a breakthrough in the country's comprehensive OSB manufacturing.
Vertical and horizontal directional paving
Make OSB board more stable
Many people mistakenly believe that OSB's name, "particleboard," leads to a fundamental misunderstanding. In reality, OSB's internal structure is highly regular, with surface flakes arranged longitudinally and core flakes arranged transversely. This crisscross arrangement restructures the wood's grain structure, eliminating the effects of internal stress on processing and making it exceptionally easy to work with and moisture-resistant. Precisely because of this directional structure, OSB has no joints, gaps, or cracks, resulting in excellent overall uniformity and exceptional internal bond strength. Both the center and edges of OSB offer exceptional nail-holding properties unmatched by ordinary boards.
Compared to plywood, medium-density fiberboard, and blockboard, OSB has a lower coefficient of linear expansion, greater stability, and a more uniform texture. Because the flakes are oriented, their longitudinal bending strength is much greater than their transverse strength, making them suitable for structural applications and load-bearing components. Furthermore, OSB can be processed like wood, such as sawing, sanding, planing, drilling, nailing, and filing, making it an excellent material for building structures, interior decoration, and furniture manufacturing.
Healthy and environmentally friendly, no formaldehyde added
OSB has long been widely acclaimed in the international market, with a market share exceeding 50% in Europe, North America, and other regions. However, its market share in China is less than 10%. This is partly due to misunderstandings about the product's scientific name, and partly due to the scarcity of domestic production lines. With the recent launch of solid wood sliced OSB, an increasing number of furniture companies are eager to place orders and look forward to using OSB in their furniture. The main reasons are its health, environmental friendliness, durability, and its lighter weight and improved flatness compared to furniture made from medium-density fiberboard.
Solid wood sliced OSB boards are primarily made from high-quality Australian radiata pine wood, using environmentally friendly MDI glue that is formaldehyde-free. No formaldehyde is added during the manufacturing process, resulting in the finished product's formaldehyde-free emissions meeting corporate standards. While wood itself contains trace amounts of formaldehyde, just as some foods do, the levels are negligible.
In addition to being environmentally friendly, the MDI glue used is also not easily soluble in water. During the hot pressing process, the MDI glue reacts chemically with the water molecules in the wood, effectively preventing moisture from entering the core material, making the solid wood slice OSB board have excellent moisture-proof properties, which is very suitable for use in indoor spaces such as kitchens and bathrooms that have special requirements for waterproofing and moisture-proofing.
The most promising future
Four levels of application
OSB board's health and environmental protection advantages make it the most promising man-made board type in the future, which also wins a wide range of use and development space for OSB board. Here, the editor has to talk about the classification of OSB board!
my country divides OSB boards into four grades according to the EN300 standard implemented in Europe:
OSB1 is a general-purpose non-load-bearing board suitable for interior decoration materials and furniture in dry conditions;
OSB2 is a load-bearing board suitable for dry conditions;
OSB3 is a load-bearing board suitable for wet conditions;
OSB4 is a load-bearing board suitable for wet conditions.
Different grades of OSB boards have different applications in different fields:
Decoration industry: OSB2 is mainly used in buildings and homes, and is an upgraded product of blockboard and multi-layer board;
Furniture industry: OSB2 is suitable for furniture making due to its load-bearing and dimensional stability due to its reconstructed wood structure and excellent processing properties;
Construction projects: OSB3 is used for indoor and outdoor structural materials, decorative materials, concrete formwork, etc.
Flooring industry: OSB3 is the base material of solid wood composite flooring, which replaces density board, blockboard and multi-layer board, and has the characteristics of moisture resistance, stable performance and no deformation.
Interestingly, while we typically think of boards as interior partitions, supports, or decorative, many people abroad use OSB directly in their homes. This is especially true in steel-framed buildings, the so-called "Canadian-style" construction, where OSB is irreplaceable.
Customer concerns
Based on the questions and comments from fans, we've compiled a few questions related to OSB boards and provided them here with a unified answer. Don't miss out if you're interested!
1. When purchasing OSB boards, is it better to choose the higher grade the better?
If you read the above carefully, you'll know the answer is no. The four grades of OSB board are based on different environmental and load-bearing characteristics. Choosing the grade that meets your needs is crucial. Currently, OSB2 and OSB3 are the most widely used in the market.
2. What are the advantages of the OSB boards produced?
Relying on the first complete Siempelkamp OSB production line in China, our solid wood sliced OSB boards are made from long shavings processed from high-quality Australian radiata pine logs and MDI glue as an adhesive. The boards are evenly mixed and applied, then laid in a directional manner and continuously pressed flat. Formaldehyde is not added throughout the production process, resulting in healthy, environmentally friendly, and high-performance finished products. Furthermore, we can customize products with varying specifications and performance characteristics based on customer needs, such as flame-retardant OSB boards, to make your home safer.
3. Are European pine boards and Australian pine boards the same board?
While the pronunciations of European pine board and Australian pine board are somewhat similar, they are actually completely different types of board material. European pine board is a type of OSB board, while Australian pine board is a type of man-made board made from peeled radiata pine imported from Australia. Using different glues, Australian pine board can be produced to achieve environmentally friendly grades such as formaldehyde-free and E0, or with moisture-resistant properties. Formaldehyde-free Australian pine board is the most popular among consumers.
4. Can OSB boards be used directly for surface decoration?
Yes. The unique pattern on OSB's surface not only reveals the natural color of the wood, but painted OSB also creates a unique decorative effect. Through the designer's clever arrangement, it can present a unique decorative style, making it an excellent material choice for creating a personalized and natural space.