MS 544 : PART 4 : SECTION 4 : 2001 (CONFIRMED:2020)
CODE OF PRACTICE FOR STRUCTURAL USE OF TIMBER : PART 4 : TIMBER PANEL PRODUCTS : SECTION 4 : ORIENTED STRAND BOARD (OSB)
This Section gives recommendations for the use of Oriented Strand Board (OSB) in
construction. The panels in conformance to this Section are intended for use as floor and wall
sheathings in light framing construction. However, uses are not limited to these applications.
Other possible uses may include temporary formworks for concrete and furniture frames.
The strength values listed in Tables 5, 6 and 7 in this Section relate to product strength
properties but they are not design values to be used directly in engineering calculations
without proper reduction factors. These reduction factors take into account the variability of
strength of manufactured panels and also load duration. Since the production of OSB in this
country is still new, the reduction factor that relates to the manufacturing variation cannot be
determined. However, laboratory scale experiment had been conducted to make the
derivation of the allowable spans for OSB panels possible. Therefore, for the purpose of floor
design, the allowable span values given herein should be used
