Engineered wood, also called composite wood, includes a range of derivative wood products which are manufactured by binding together the strands, particles, fibers, or veneers of wood, together with adhesives, to form composite materials. These products are engineered to precise design specifications which are tested to meet national or international standards. For other uses, see Wood (disambiguation). ... Wood fibres are usually cellulosic elements that are extracted from trees, straw, bamboo, cotton seed, hemp, sugar cane and other sources. ... Veneer, in woodworking, refers to thin slices of wood, usually thinner than 3 millimetres (1/8 inch). ... For the band, see Adhesive (band). ... A cloth of woven carbon fiber filaments, a common element in composite materials Composite materials (or composites for short) are engineered materials made from two or more constituent materials with significantly different physical or chemical properties and which remain separate and distinct on a macroscopic level within the finished structure. ... Engineering is the applied science of acquiring and applying knowledge to design, analysis, and/or construction of works for practical purposes. ...

1966 photo shows that wood waste was routinely burned for fuel in Oregon.

Typically, engineered wood products are made from the same hardwoods and softwoods used to manufacture lumber. Sawmill scraps and other wood waste can be used for engineered wood composed of wood particles or fibers, but whole logs are usually used for veneers, such as plywood. Alternatively, it is also possible to manufacture similar engineered cellulosic products from other lignin-containing materials such as rye straw, wheat straw, rice straw, hemp stalks, or sugar cane residue, in which case they contain no actual wood but rather vegetable fibers. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1024x598, 560 KB) Summary 1966 slide by R. W. Rynerson shows Portland General Electric Companys Lincoln Station, generating electricity and steam for Downtown Portland by burning woodchips. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1024x598, 560 KB) Summary 1966 slide by R. W. Rynerson shows Portland General Electric Companys Lincoln Station, generating electricity and steam for Downtown Portland by burning woodchips. ... Beech is a typical temperate zone hardwood For the record label, see Hardwood Records. ... Despite being fairly hard, cedar is a softwood Softwood is the wood from conifers. ... Timber in storage for later processing at a sawmill Lumber or Timber is a term used to describe wood, either standing or that has been processed for use—from the time trees are felled, to its end product as a material suitable for industrial use—as structural material for construction... For the 1922 film starring Oliver Hardy, see The Sawmill. ... Toy constructed from plywood. ... Cellulose as polymer of β-D-glucose Cellulose in 3D Cellulose (C6H10O5)n is a polysaccharide of beta-glucose. ... Lignin (sometimes lignen) is a chemical compound (complex, highly cross-linked aromatic polymer) that is most commonly derived from wood and is an integral part of the cell walls of plants, especially in tracheids, xylem fibres and sclereids. ... Binomial name Secale cereale M.Bieb. ... Species T. aestivum T. boeoticum T. dicoccoides T. dicoccon T. durum T. monococcum T. spelta T. sphaerococcum T. timopheevii References:   ITIS 42236 2002-09-22 Wheat Wheat For the indie rock group, see Wheat (band). ... For other uses, see Rice (disambiguation). ... U.S. Marihuana production permit. ... Species Ref: ITIS 42058 as of 2004-05-05 Sugarcane is one of six species of a tall tropical southeast Asian grass (Family Poaceae) having stout fibrous jointed stalks whose sap at one time was the primary source of sugar. ... A plate of vegetables Vegetable is a culinary term which generally refers to an edible part of a plant. ...

Characteristics

Engineered wood products are used in a variety of ways, often in applications similar to solid wood products. Engineered wood products may be preferred over solid wood in some applications due to certain comparative advantages: Solid wood is a term most commonly used to distinguish between ordinary lumber and engineered wood, but it also refers to structures that do not have hollow spaces. ...

• Because engineered wood is man-made, it can be designed to meet application-specific performance requirements.
• Large panels of engineered wood may be manufactured from fibres from small diameter trees.
• Small pieces of wood, and wood that has defects, can be used in many engineered wood products, especially particle and fiber-based boards.
• Engineered wood products are often stronger and less prone to humidity-induced warping than equivalent solid woods, although most particle and fiber-based boards readily soak up water unless they are treated with sealant or paint.

Engineered wood products also have some disadvantages: The coniferous Coast Redwood, the tallest tree species on earth. ... Humidity is the amount of water vapor in air. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

• They are more expensive to produce than solid lumber in terms of time and money.
• They require more primary energy for their manufacture than solid lumber.
• The required adhesives may be toxic. A concern with some resins is the release of formaldehyde in the finished product, often seen with urea-formaldehyde bonded products.
• Cutting and otherwise working with engineered wood products can expose workers to toxic constituents.

The types of adhesives used in engineered wood include: For the band, see Adhesive (band). ...

• Urea-formaldehyde resins, (UF), most common and cheapest, not waterproof.
• Phenol-formaldehyde resins, (PF), a yellow-brown adhesive commonly used for exterior exposure products.
• Melamine-formaldehyde resin, (MF) a white, heat and water resistant resin, often used in exposed surfaces in more costly designs.
• Methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI) or polyurethane resins which are expensive and generally waterproof do not contain formaldehyde.

A more inclusive term is "structural composites". For example, fiber cement siding is made of cement and wood fiber, while cement board is a low density cement panel, often with added resin, faced with fiberglass mesh. Plastic extrusion mixes of wood fiber and thermoplastic, such as polyproplyene, has given rise to decking and railing material resistant to weather and is steadily replacing rot resistant wood. Urea-formaldehyde is a transparent thermosetting resin or plastic, made from urea and formaldehyde heated in the presence of a mild base such as ammonia or pyridine. ... Phenol, also known under an older name of carbolic acid, is a colourless crystalline solid with a typical sweet tarry odor. ... This article is about the chemical substance called melamine. ... Methylene diphenyl diisocyanate, most often abbreviated as MDI, is an aromatic diisocyanate. ... A polyurethane is any polymer consisting of a chain of organic units joined by urethane links. ...

Types

• I-joist
• Glued laminated timber
• Multilaminar Veneer
• Veneer-based
  • Plywood
  • Laminated veneer lumber (LVL)
  • Stamina wood
• Parallam
• Parallel strand lumber
• Particle-based
  • Oriented strand board (OSB)
  • Waferboard
  • Particleboard (chipboard)
• Fiberboard
  • Insulation board
  • Homasote
  • Masonite
  • Medium-density fiberboard (MDF)
  • Hardboard
• Mineral-bonded particleboard and fiberboard
  • Cement board
  • Fiber cement siding
  • Gypsum board
  • Papercrete
• Strawboard
• Wood-plastic composite