LOAD BEARING LVL BEAM SPAN TABLES SERIES

LVL structural wood products are produced in thicknesses from 3 1/2' to 24', and up to 60 feet in length. GluLam produces laminated wood beams, timbers, I-joists, and other engineered wood products. Unlike plywood or OSB, LVL lumber uses wood fragments that are all oriented in the same direction to produce very stiff beams that generally have greater span capacity than sawn lumber. Layers of wood are glued (laminated) together with heat, resin binder, and pressure to form a very strong structural member that can be produced in regular sizes and lengths. Laminated beams such as GluLam ™ (photo at above left) or microlam structural wood beams (see LVL or laminated veneer lumber earlier in this article and illustrated further below). LVL beams are typically used where long spans or extra strength are desired of beams, such as over garage doors, ridge and hip beams for suspended roof designs (cathedral ceilings below), and for window and door headers.

LVL lumber, including trim and structural beams (see our photo at left) is provided by several wood products companies including Georgia Pacific (GP-LAM). Typically an individual LVL ply or layer of veneer is 45mm to 65mm in thickness, and may be up to 1.2 meters wide and as much as 25 meters in length, depending on the size of the original tree. The example photograph of LVL boards used to form board-and-batten trim on a building exterior is from the above document. It canīe used for fascia, casings, corner boards, and most otherĮxterior trim, and is available in lengths from 8 to 24 feet.Īccording to Laminated Veneer Lumber, Overview (Finland)īeing a homogenous and dimensionally stable building material, LVL can be used in both bearing and non-bearing walls, as planks, as beams, as headers, in door and window frames, sliding door rails, steps, as well as in the roof trusses of single-family houses and engineered building constructions such as swimming halls, sport halls, etc. Weight falls in between solid wood and hardboard. To cut, nail, and install, similar to a piece of plywood. Like LVL beams, LVL trim is dimensionally stable and is easy Of cross-laminated layers to minimize cupping. Such as water-resistant edge sealing and adding a couple To good use as a trim material (photo at left) with some minor modifications Widely used in beams and headers, LVL has also been put This approach also permits construction of large structural beams from smaller-diameter and lower-lumber-grades of trees.Īs we illustrate in our LVL beam photographs (above) and as we also discuss at TRIM, EXTERIOR CHOICES, INSTALLATION: īecause individual wood ingredient defects in a laminated wood product will not extend beyond a single layer or 'veneer' of wood, the overall laminated product is stronger than a piece of lumber of the same dimensions sawn from an individual tree.

Our LVL composition closeup photo shows how the ends of individual plies within a single LVL beam may overlap within the product. In our LVL beam photo (below left) you will see that a higher-capacity LVL beam may be constructed as a built-up beam using multiple individual members nailed or nailed and glued together. Multiple laminated veneer lumber beams can be assembled to provide greater strength to carry greater loads. Illustraged in our photographs of LVL beams in use at a Poughkeepsie NY Project, our example LVL beams are made of fifteen laminated wood plies. Laminated veneer lumber is an 'engineered wood product', developed in the 1960's, is produced by gluing together layers of wood veneers with the wood grains in parallel. Definition & Characteristics of 'LVL' - Laminated Veneer Lumber, Beams, Headers We also provide an ARTICLE INDEX for this topic, or you can try the page top or bottom SEARCH BOX as a quick way to find information you need.

LOAD BEARING LVL BEAM SPAN TABLES SERIES

This article series describes wood products used in construction including engineered lumber, OSB, and Plywood products. We also illustrate LVL trim boards used on building exteriors. This article defines and illustrates Laminated Veneer Lumber LVL used for beams and headers used in floor, wall, and roof construction. We have no relationship with advertisers, products, or services discussed at this website. InspectAPedia tolerates no conflicts of interest.

Load bearing lvl beam span tables