OSB and Furniture (TB120) - OSBGuide - TECO

TECHNICAL BULLETIN 

STRUCTURAL BOARD ASSOCIATION 

Representing the OSB Industry 

25 Valleywood Drive, Unit 27, Markham, Ontario, Canada L3R 5L9 

Tel: 905-475-1100 • Fax: 905-475-1101 • E-mail: info@osbguide.com • website: http://www.osbguide.com 

ORIENTED STRAND BOARD 

AND FURNITURE 

Oriented Strand Board (OSB) is an engineered structural 

panel product composed of longitudinal strands or flakes 

sliced from whole aspen poplar, various types of pine or 

other mixed hardwood logs. The strands are sliced from 

the logs in the direction of the grain so that the inherent 

tree strength is maintained in the resulting panel. After 

slicing they are dried, blended with wax and waterproof 

exterior type binders (phenolic resin and/or polyurethane 

binder or other mixed resin formulations), formed into a 

loose mat containing three to five layers and pressed 

under high heat and pressure into a rigid, dense structural 

panel. The strands on the panel surface generally lie in the 

direction of the panel’s length. The inner layers may be 

randomly oriented and/or aligned across. The longitudinal 

(OSB Furniture Frame) 

arrangement of the strands in the surface layers increases 

the strength and stiffness of the panel in the direction of the alignment. 

This structure, which is so much appreciated in the residential construction industry, has also been 

seen as an advantage for other industrial applications such as in furniture. The panels come in 

various thicknesses and sizes and can therefore be used in multiple furniture applications such as 

upholstered furniture frames, frames for chair backs, core stock for industrial grade tables, and 

many more, where high strength is a prerequisite without specific appearance or surface properties. 

OSB plants have the built-in versatility to produce various grades of products, and in particular 

panels that are specifically engineered for furniture components having the following characteristics 

suitable for frames: thickness, thickness tolerance, panel density, and panel flatness. OSB producers 

can easily deliver these proprietary products based on their customers’ specific needs. 

Use of panels instead of conventional hardwood lumber components is also made possible by 

knowing that typical fasteners, such as wood screws or staples can be used in OSB frames. The 

racking strength of OSB and its lower density can also be cited as advantages. OSB can be used 

alone or in combination with other engineered wood products. Careful attention to joint details and 

connections will result in stronger assemblies. Use of interlocking connections, notches, adhesives 

combined with staples and screws, tenon-and-mortise joints are all part of the solution. 

TB120 - July 2007

Properties that are thought to be relevant to furniture frame use are density, internal bond, surface 

soundness, impact strength, screw and staple holding, and grit content. One of the key considerations 

for a furniture manufacturer is the fastener holding capabilities of the material. Several studies 

have shown equivalent performance in that respect when compared to plywood or MDF, and 

generally better performance than for particleboard. Table 1 lists some minimum requirements in 

US or Canadian specifications for wood panels and Table 2 summarizes past studies conducted on 

some fastener properties. 

When compared to particleboard and MDF during a project at the Université Laval and Forintek, 

the average unit screw and staple head-pull through of OSB was found to be very similar for equal 

panel thicknesses. The report also pointed to reducing panel density variability in the plane of the 

panel and across the thickness to improve fastener-holding capacity in OSB panels produced for the 

furniture industry (1). 

Research at the University of Illinois (2) concluded, “In both the nail and staple direct withdrawal 

tests, OSB performed equal to or better than CD-grade plywood sheathing in all exposures tested. 

The nail-head pull-through and staple-crown pull-through tests yielded similar average values in all 

wood-based panels in all exposures. The average values for nail and staple withdrawal and pullthrough 

resistance of most of the nine wood-based materials tested met the minimum requirements 

of various specifications or standards.” 

Another Forintek report (3) stated “Structural panels (OSB and plywood) offer potential cost savings 

to furniture manufacturers in terms of material costs and manufacturing efficiency. Panel recovery 

factors for operations using a computer numeric control (CNC) router with optimised cutting 

pattern can range from 85% to 90% compared with 70% and lower for hardwood lumber. Additional 

cost savings from using panels can come from increased automation, reduced handling, fewer 

processing operations and standardization of parts or components. Although edge staple holding 

was initially a problem for OSB when compared with hardwood, minor design changes resulted in 

increased strength and stiffness for the OSB arm assembly.” 

Findings from another Forintek study (4) pointed out the “possibility to combine the material cost 

of OSB panels with the structural performance and manufacturing efficiency advantages of metal 

plate connectors to achieve substantial 

cost savings in the manufacture of upholstered 

furniture frames. The study found 

that the bending capacity of OSB assemblies 

connected with metal connector 

plates was affected by joint configuration, 

type of loading and plate area. Assemblies 

with two pairs of plates were approximately 

50% stronger and stiffer than 

assemblies made with one pair of plates 

of the same area. Results also showed 

that static-to-fatigue ratios of moment 

capacity of test assemblies averaged 

2.5, meaning that it is advised to design 

metal-plated joints so that they will not 

be loaded to more than 40% of their static 

moment capacity. “ 

(Test assembly for OSB frame joints.) 

2 TB120

(1) Xiaodong Wang et al., Université Laval, Forest Products Journal 57(1/2):103-109, Localized 

density effects on fastener holding capacities in wood-based panels. 

(2) Poo Chow et al., University of Illinois-Urbana, Forest Products Journal 38(6):19-25, Direct 

withdrawal and head pull-through performance of nails and staples in structural woodbased 

panel materials. 

(3) Robert M Knudson, Forintek Canada Corp (2005), Project # 4535, OSB use in furniture 

manufacturing. 

(4) Mohammad Mohammad et al, Forintek Canada Corp, for Alberta Forestry Research 

Institute (Report # 851G-07), Fastening Systems to Improve Performance of Furniture 

Frames Built from OSB. 

 

Table 1 – Minimum Requirements – Pounds (Newtons) 

Specification 

or Standard 

Fastener 

Type 

Lateral Resistance 

Withdrawal 

Dry Wet/Dry Face Edge 

NIST PS 2 

(OSB/ PLY) 

Nail 

Varies by 

grade from 

120 to 210 

(534 to 934) 

Varies by 

grade from 

90 to 160 

(434 to 712) 

CSA O437 

(OSB) 

Nail 

400t (70t), 

t = thickness 

ANSI A208.2 

(MDF) 

Screw 

Varies by 

grade from 

175 to 350 

(778 to 1557) 

Varies by 

grade from 

150 to 300 

(670 to 1335) 

ANSI A208.1 

(PB) 

Screw 

Varies by 

grade from 

202 to 450 

(900 to 2000) 

Varied by 

grade from 

180 to 348 

(800 to 1550) 

(Note: Details about these requirements can be obtained from the SBA.) 

3

Table 2 – Various Fastener Test Results in OSB 

Property Evaluated By Whom How OSB Thickness, 

in. (mm) 

Average Results 

Dry, lbs (N) 

Average Results 

Cyclic, lbs (N) 

Nail - Withdrawal 

Nail - Head Pull-through 

Nail - Lateral Resistance 

TECO (USA) ASTM D1037 

(10d nail) 

5/8” and 3/4” 

(15 mm and 

18 mm) 

96 (427) 

576 (2562) 

646 (2873) 448 (1993) 

Screw Withdrawal - Face 

Screw Withdrawal - Edge 

TECO (USA) ASTM D1037– 

Type 10 sheet 

metal screw 



18mm) 

304 (1352) 

267 (1188) 

N/A 

Screw holding – Face 

Screw holding – Edge 

Staple holding – Edge 

Staple - Head pull-through 

Furniture 

Industries 

Research 

Association (UK) 

Custom test 7/16” (11 mm) 200 (890) 

172 (765) 

188 (836) 

140 (623) 

N/A 

Staple - Withdrawal – Edge 

Staple - Withdrawal – Face 

Staple - Lateral Resistance 

Mississippi State 

University (USA) 

Custom test – 

1 ½” long, 16 ga 

(38 mm) 



22 mm) 

66 (293) 

160 (712) 

164 (729) 

N/A 

Nail - Withdrawal 

Staple - Withdrawal 

Nail - Head pull-through 


University of 

Illinois (USA) 

ASTM D1037 

6d nails and 2” 

(50 mm) staples 



13 mm) 

67 (298) 

132 (587) 

325 (1446) 

325 (1446) 

72 (320) 

18 (80) 

251 (1116) 

202 (898) 

Screw - Head pull-through 

Screw -Lateral Resistance 

Screw - Withdrawal – Face 

Screw - Withdrawal – Edge 


Staple - Withdrawal – Face 

Staple - Withdrawal - Edge 

Université Laval – 

Forintek (Canada) 

2” long, 10 ga 

(50 mm) 

1” long, 10 ga 

(25 mm) 

1 ½” long, 16 ga 

(38 mm) 



18 mm) 

577 (2567) 

480 (2135) 

310 (1379) 

215 (956) 

294 (1308) 

192 (854) 

120 (534) 

N/A 

(Note: These numbers are average test results only, not to be used for design purposes. Factors of safety of minimum 

five are typically recommended in allowable design standards for fasteners into wood products.)

OSB and Furniture (TB120) - OSBGuide - TECO

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?