Laminated veneer lumber

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Laminated veneer lumber (LVL) is an engineered wood product that uses multiple layers of thin wood assembled with adhesives. It offers several advantages over typical milled lumber: it is stronger, straighter, and more uniform. It is much less likely than conventional lumber to warp, twist, bow, or shrink due to its composite nature. Made in a factory under controlled specifications, LVL products allow users to reduce the onsite labor. They are typically used for headers, beams, rimboard, and edge-forming material.

It is similar in appearance to plywood without crossbands^[1], and is typically rated by the manufacturer for elastic modulus and allowable bending stress. Common elastic modulii are 1.8, 1.9, and 2.0 million psi, and common allowable bending stress values are 2800 and 3000 psi.

A comparable material is PSL, or Parallel Strand Lumber, which is used in the same applications but is manufactured from large flakes of wood, and so is markedly different in appearance.

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