LVL Handbook EUROPE

1.4 HISTORY, VOLUMES AND RAW

MATERIALS OF LVL

1.4.1 History of the globally used

engineered wood product LVL

Parallel oriented plywood products have been used in the fur-

niture industry since the beginning of the 20th century. The

history of LVL in its present form dates back to 1970s North

America and the research and development of veneer-based

wooden beams by Peter Koch and the USDA Forest Products

Laboratory. The first commercial solution for manufacturing

LVL was created by Al Troutner of the company Trus-Joist

(Weyerhaeuser). In 1975, Finnish company Metsäliiton Teol-

lisuus Oy (Metsä Wood) developed the first commercial LVL

1. LVL AS A CONSTRUCTIONMATERIAL

production line in Europe. Metsäliitto went on to develop its

own manufacturing concept, which was further developed by

another Finnish company, Raute Oyj, which is today the lead-

ing LVL machinery supplier worldwide. LVL production has

since grown continuously and today LVL is manufactured in

ten countries on four continents with a total production capac-

ity of around 4 million cubic metres per year across 30 loca-

tions. In addition, a number of small plants produce LVL that

does not meet the requirements of structural LVL

Figure 1.13

LVL-P beam and LVL-C panels.

LVL Handbook Europe