LVL Handbook EUROPE

1. LVL AS A CONSTRUCTIONMATERIAL

1.4.3 Wood species used in LVL

LVL is commonly produced from softwood and, in Europe,

spruce and pine are typically used. Spruce has the best strength

to weight ratio, and its low resin content is also advantageous

with respect to the production process. Pine veneer, on the oth-

er hand, has higher density, which gives the product slight-

ly higher mechanical properties. Some LVL manufacturers in

Europe also use the hardwood species beech and birch. The

mechanical properties of hardwood LVL are higher due to the

higher density. However, higher density introduces additional

machining requirements, such as possible predrilling for screw

connections. The surface of hardwood LVL is also more sensi-

tive to mould growth in humid conditions.

North American LVL manufacturers use different pine

species, Douglas fir, western hemlock, yellow poplar and red

maple. In Australia LVL is produced fromdifferent pine species

and karri (eucalyptus). In Japan, LVL is produced from larch

and Japanese cedar (sugi). Other species that have the required

mechanical and gluability properties may also be used.

1.4.4 Durable and inert gluing of LVL

In structural LVL the veneers are bonded together with weath-

er- and boil-resistant phenol formaldehyde (PF) adhesive,

which is cured in the hot pressing process. Curing converts

the adhesive to a high temperature resistant inert polymer that

does not dissolve or react with other materials in the surround-

ing environment. LVL also fulfils the most stringent formal-

dehyde emission requirements, with emissions 3 times lower

than the limit value of the E1 classification tested according to

standard EN 717-1. The dry solids content of adhesive in LVL

is approximately 30 kg/m

, i.e. about 6% by weight.

1.5 SUSTAINABLE BUILDINGWITH LVL

1.5.1 Traceable rawmaterial

and sustainable sources

Sustainable forest management and use of forest products play

a key role in the mitigation of global warming and contribute

to achieving climate policy objectives. Forest climate mitiga-

tion options include reducing greenhouse gas emissions from

deforestation and forest degradation, enhancing the carbon se-

questration rate in existing and new forests, providing wood

residues as a substitute for fossil fuels, and replacing non-re-

newable and energy-intensive materials with wood products,

particularly in the building sector.

Due diligence on the origin of wood

Due diligence systems differentiate wood and wood products

from many other building materials by verifying the origin of

the wood raw material. The European Union Timber Regula-

tion (No 995/2010) was enacted to ensure that all wood placed

on the European market from internal or external sources is

covered by a due diligence system for verifying the legal origin

of wood 6. The objective is to prohibit any product that con-

tains wood raw material harvested in violation of national or

international laws from entering the EUmarket.The regulation

covers all wood and wood products, such as round wood, solid

wood, engineered wood, pulp, paper and board.

The EU Timber Regulation covers the entire wood val-

ue chain. An ‘operator’ who first places a wood product on

the European market is obliged to prove the legality of the

wood to a national EU Timber Regulation authority. A Due

Diligence system is applied for this purpose, including access

to information on wood sources, risk assessment, and mit-

igation of risks. Chain of Custody systems (e.g. PEFC™ and

FSC®) can be third-party certified according to Due Diligence

requirements.

Promoting sustainable,

certified forest management

European LVL producers are well positioned in forest certifi-

cation as European forests owners have been active in apply-

ing forest certification schemes (most commonly PEFC™ and

FSC®). Forest certification schemes provide third-party ver-

ification of sustainable forest management practices and the

chain of custody from forest to product. They include require-

ments for sustained harvesting and forest regeneration prac-

tices, biodiversity protection, multiple and recreational uses of

forests, social sustainability, training of employees, and occu-

pational safety.

In order for a wood product to PEFC™ or FSC® labelled,

it must contain at least 70% wood raw material from certified

forests. When non-certified wood is used in the production of

certified goods, the wood must originate from forests covered

by an appropriate due diligence system.

LVL Handbook Europe