From Lumber to Laminate – Mass Timber Products

Mass timber products are deliberately designed for longer spans and heavier loads. This chapter introduces the different types of mass timber products and their respective design characteristics. It focuses on wood laminations and adhesives to highlight the fundamental similarities of all mass timber products. Mass timber products are part of a broad category of engineering materials called structural laminates. Numerous researchers have explored the use of underutilized softwoods and hardwoods as laminating stock. Adhesives play a critical role in optimizing mass timber strength. Glulam and structural composite lumber, for example, substitute well for steel I-beams, while cross-laminated, nail-laminated, and dowel-laminated timber panels make good replacements for concrete slabs in mid- to large-scale construction projects. Similar to glulam, cross-Laminated timber (CLT) layups are engineered to optimize performance with higher-grade laminations located in parallel layers. CLT is available in a variety of panel sizes.