Quality Control Inspection and Assurance

European panel standards & CE marking There are many different country specific and indeed international standardisation systems in operation. In Europe, the dominant standard is the Construction Products Directive (CPD). One of the easiest ways of complying with the Directive is through CE marking. A CE mark will also satisfy the material requirements of Building Regulations, there are however other …

Marine plywood to BS 1088 2003 is manufactured using timbers having a durability rating of Class 3 (moderately durable) or better in accordance with EN 350-2. Exceptionally, low density species such as gaboon, with a durability rating of Class 4 (slightly durable) or better may also be used. In both cases, high quality veneers are used and must be bonded …

As necessary with all structural wood based panels, plywood like any other has to be fit for the intended end use in terms of the testing that has been carried out and / or claims made for that end use. This applies to both the specification and the purchasing of plywood. A structural plywood is denoted by an ‘S’ after …

Composition & manufacture Veneer plywood Standard plywood veneer is still produced using a lathe, which peels a log in a similar manner to a blade pencil sharpener. Most decorative veneer is sliced from flitches after the log is cut into quarters. Small strips of veneer may be jointed into full-size sheets by edge gluing, stitching or using perforated paper adhesive …

Composition & manufacturing process Flax shives from the stalk of the flax plant comprise the bulk of flaxboard and are prepared in a mechanical chipper and can also contain other raw materials such as particles of wood (wood, flakes, chips, shavings, saw dust and similar materials). These chips are compressed and are generally bound together with synthetic resin systems such …

Composition & manufacturing Following storage for at least 3 months, the debarked softwood logs of selected species are reduced to flakes some 10 to 30 mm in length and 0.2 to 0.3 mm in thickness using drumknife flaking machines. After passing through a hammermill, the flakes are separated into surface and core material by screening, and are then mixed with …

Density Hardboards > 900kg/m3Mediumboards* > 400kg/m3 to <900kg/m3Softboards > 230kg/m3 to <400kg/m3*Mediumboards (which should not be confused with Medium Density Fibreboard – MDF) can be sub-divided into:Low density mediumboards 400kg/m3 to <560kg/m3High density mediumboards 560kg/m3 to <900kg/m3 Composition & Manufacturing process Wet process fibreboards can be made using either softwood or temperate hardwood species (or both) (some low density mediumboards are made from recycled …

Composition MDF can be manufactured with either softwood or hardwood species. The majority of MDF manufactured is composed mainly of softwood although some individual brands may contain a higher percentage of temperate hardwood depending on the location of the factory to the local forest resource.The constituents of a typical standard MDF manufactured in the United Kingdom or Ireland are 82% …

Composition and manufacturing process The timbers used in OSB manufacture include both softwoods (spruce, pine) and hardwood (aspen). Wood strands are cut tangentially from debarked logs which are held longitudinally against rotating knives. The ribbon of flakes produced is usually about 75mm wide and this breaks up on handling to produce individual flakes which are 75mm along the grain and …

Particleboard (‘Chipboard’) Composition Wood chips comprise the bulk of particleboard and are prepared in a mechanical chipper generally from coniferous softwoods principally spruce, though pine and fir and hardwoods, such as birch, are sometimes used. Particleboards may also incorporate a large proportion from recycled sources (up to 95% plus but generally around 40%). These chips are generally bound together with …