Engineered Lumber

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Building Materials

This study analyzes US demand for engineered lumber by product type, market (new residential, residential repair and remodeling, commercial, and nonbuilding), and application.

Historical data (2010, 2015, and 2020) and forecasts for 2025 and 2030 are presented for engineered lumber demand in board feet and current US dollars (including inflation). Demand in value terms is measured at the manufacturers’ level and excludes distributor and retailer markups.

The major product segments are:

  • I-joists
  • laminated veneer lumber (LVL)
  • glulam (or glued laminated timber)
  • other engineered lumber products such as:
    • cross-laminated timbers (CLTs)
    • rim board
    • structural composite lumber (SCL), which comprises parallel strand lumber (PSL), laminated strand lumber (LSL), and oriented strand lumber (OSL)

Applications include structural and framing and outdoor and nonbuilding. Structural and framing consists of:

  • structural floors and foundations
  • structural roofing
  • structural walls

Outdoor and nonbuilding includes:

  • decking
  • fencing
  • porches
  • structures such as gazebos and sheds
  • bridges

Excluded from the scope of the study are engineered wood products such as particleboard, plywood, medium-density fiberboard (MDF), high-density fiberboard (HDF), hardboard, and oriented strand board (OSB) (plywood and OSB are included when they are used as part of I-joists). These wood products differ from engineered lumber in that engineered wood products consist of reformulated wood materials – sawdust, wood shavings, shells, and other materials – where engineered lumber is only made with solid wood lumber.

Also analyzed are engineered lumber shipments, imports, and exports, and demand by major US region.

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