Engineered sheet lumber materials are products such as medium density fiberboard (MDF) and oriented strand board (OSB) that are produced from recycled-content or reconstituted materials. Engineered sheet lumber materials replace dimensional lumber and plywood used for sheathing, subflooring, cabinetry, and other applications. This reduces the need to cut larger trees.

Recycled content sheet goods include any percentage of recycled material. Products that use recycled newsprint, agricultural byproducts, or wood waste are considered recycled-content materials.

Reconstituted materials use chipped or stranded small-diameter trees as their wood source. This material is then bound together into forms suitable for use in construction.

Engineered sheet materials are those made of reconstituted wood or other cellulose fibers, recycled content metals, or other raw materials such as vinyl, silica or concrete. These products provide a more resource efficient alternative to using solid wood siding.

Fiber-cement materials are made from cement, silica and sawdust.

Engineered sheet materials can contain recycled post-consumer paper, by-product gypsum and recovered gypsum, wood waste, wood chips from "non-commercial" trees, and annually renewable agricultural fibers.

Products include:

• hardboard made from waste wood,
• recycled post-consumer newsprint,
• 100 percent recycled newsprint fiberboard, and
• fiberboard made from straw.

All of these materials need to be kept dry during the construction process. It is best to avoid materials made with binders that contain urea formaldehyde because it may outgas. Phenol formaldehyde is predominantly used in materials for exterior applications. Its lower outgassing qualities are not considered as health threatening.

Most of these materials are installed/applied in the same manner as the traditional products (plywood and OSB); therefore, labor estimates are comparable. At least one U.S. manufacturer produces MDF (medium density fiberboard) that contains neither phenol nor urea formaldehyde. This product may be a good option for interior use for people sensitive to formaldehyde emissions from standard wood products.

Most of these materials come in standard dimensions (4'x8'), are applied with standard fasteners, and can be worked with regular carpentry tools.

Some products might require specific structural spacing and support. This information is supplied by the manufacturer.

Look for the recycled symbol on these products and ask for post-consumer recycled content.

100 percent recycled content is available in some foil-backed materials.

See Resources for comments regarding specific products.

See "Engineers - Structural" in Yellow Pages

Center for Resourceful Building Technology
P. O. Box 100
Missoula, MT 59806
(406) 549-7678
www.montana.com/crbt

See also: " Engineered Structural Products" and "Engineered Siding and Trim" sections of Sourcebook

OSB is readily available from all local suppliers. Much of it originates in Texas.

Advanced Wood Resource
34363 Lake Creek Dr.
Brownsville, OR 97327
(541) 466-5177
COMPLYÆ composite plywood (currently not available in this area)
Three veneers of Douglas Fir and two thick inner layers of reconstituted wood fiber Applications: Walls, floors, roofs. Also available as siding; more expensive than OSB, sold as a top value, solid core product.

Affordable Building Systems LLC
2750 State Highway 160
Whitewright, TX 75491
(866) 364-1198
www.affordablebuildingsystems.com
Compressed straw panels for interior walls, ceilings and partitions

Agriboard Industries
1000 Industrial Park
Electra, TX 76360
(940) 495-3590
www.agriboard.com
Structural insulated panels with compressed wheat straw sandwiched between oriented strand board

The Collins Companies
PO Box 16
Klamath Falls, OR 97601
(800) 417-3674
www.collinswood.com
TruWoodÆ FSC-certified hardboard siding and trim

Dow Bioproducts
11 Woodstalk Way
Elie, Manitoba, Canada R0H 0H0
800-441-4DOW
www.dow-bioproducts.com
"WoodStalk tm Gold MR Fiberboard" medium density strawboard, formaldehyde-free (4x8 sheets, .25 -1.5" thicknesses)

Evanite Fiber Corporation
P.O. Box E
Corvallis, OR 97333
(541) 753-1211
www.evanite.com
This product is currently not available in this area; consult manufacturer for further distribution information.
Hardboard made from waste wood; Applications: Furniture, cabinets, interior wall panels, and underlayment; available base coat printed to simulate wood finishes.

Goldboard
4990 42nd Ave., Ste. 103
Edmonton, Alberta, T6B 2V4 Canada
(780) 440-3320
www.goldboard.com
Medium and high-density strawboard, formaldehyde-free

Homasote Company
Box 7240
W. Trenton, NJ 08628-0240
(609) 883-3300
Regional distributors:
William Cameron & Co.
San Antonio, TX
(512) 226-4050
Wholesale is only available locally at BMC Building Materials, (only 440 HomasoteÆ, will special order others).
Sheathing, carpet underlayment, and decking products made from 100% recycled newsprint. Homasote FP is a fireproof product. All products have sound-deadening and insulative properties.

James Hardie Building Products, Inc.
26300 La Alameda, Ste. 250
Mission Viejo, CA 92691
(888) 542-7343
www.hardie.com
(Most lumber retailers in the area supply this)
Fiber-cement exterior panel materials for siding, roofing, trim and soffits in various textures.

Louisiana Pacific
P.O. Box 10266
Portland, OR 97296-9936
(800) 648-6893
www.lpcorp.com
SmartSystem borate treated engineered wood siding and exterior products.

Louisiana-Pacific Corp.
10115 Kincey Ave., Ste. 150
Huntersville, NC 28078-6479
(800) 580-4296
www.smartguard.lpcorp.com

SmartGuard line of borate-treated sheathing, flooring, siding and framing lumber

Meadowood Industries, Inc.
33242 Red Bridge Rd. S.E.
Albany, OR 97321
(541) 259-1303
www.meadowoodindustries.com
Meadowood wall and ceiling board; can be ordered factory-direct.
1/4" sheet made from ryegrass straw used for wall or ceiling board. Employs a resin that does not outgas during use.

Pacific Northwest Fiber
610-10 th St.
P.O. Box 610
Plummer, ID 83851
(208) 686-6800
www.pacificfiber.com
PacificBoard® wheat straw medium density fiberboard

PanTERRE America, Inc.
2700 Wilson Blvd.
Arlington, VA 22201
(703) 247-3160
PanTERRE panel (This product is currently not available in this area; consult manufacturer for further distribution information.)
Made from equal amounts of mixed waste paper and agricultural fibers such as straw, rice hulls, or peanut shells; finish coated with recycled kraftboard (or sent raw to manufacture cabinets and flooring). Applications: Many, including exterior sidewall sheathing, roof sheathing, false ceilings, cabinetry; easy to handle, saw, glue, and nail; can be finished with a variety of materials such as wood veneers, paperboard, or plastic laminates; can be manufactured using indigenous waste material. Class C flame spread

Phenix Biocomposites, LLC
P.O. Box 609
Mankato, MN 56002-0609
(800) 324-8187
www.phenixbiocomposites.com
Environ (recycled paper/soy), Biofiber (wheat straw, & Dakota Burl (wheat straw/sunflower seed hull) biocomposite panels

Pierce International, Inc.
6746 S. Revere Pkwy., Ste. 130
Englewood, CO 80112
(303) 792-0719
Stramit/Easiboard interior, non-load-bearing compressed straw wall panels
Made from wheat straw - an agricultural by-product. Applications: Is used as an interior wall panel (2.5" thick) finished with typical drywall paper on both sides. It accepts electrical outlet boxes and has channels to route wiring.

Primeboard Inc.
2111 N. 3M Dr.
Wahpeton, ND 58075
(701) 642-1152
www.primeboard.com
Primeboard "Wheatboard" medium density strawboard, formaldehyde-free

Sierra Pine Ltd., Medite Division
P.O. Box 4040
Medford, OR 97501

(541) 773-2522
Medex and Medite II formaldehyde-free, medium-density fiberboard
Local supplier:
Fine Lumber and Plywood
9407 Brown Ln.
Austin, TX 78754
(512) 836-8990
www.finelumber.citysearch.com
Made from pre-consumer wood waste and using formaldehyde-free resins in their binder. Applications: Medex is used for exterior applications while Medite II is used for interior applications. For interiors it is commonly used in cabinetry and molding. The panels generally come in 1/4", 1/2", 3/4" thick and 4'x8' sheets, but larger sizes are available up to 5'x18'.

Simplex Products Division
P. O. Box 10
Adrian, MI 49221-0010
(517) 263-8881

www.simplex-products.com
Thermo-ply insulated sheathing (This product is available locally.)
Made from several continuous plies of wood fiber, rated for water resistance; white polyethylene coating on one side, aluminum radiant barrier on other, used as a thin roof and wall sheathing; also for structural applications; cheaper to install than plywood; stronger than foam or fiberboard sheathings.

Sonoco Products
1 N. 2 nd St.
Hartsville, SC 29550
(800) 377-2692
(843) 339-6622
www.sonoco.com
SONOBoard 100 recycled board (similar to old Gridcore)

Temple-Inland Inc.
www.temple.com
Produces SCS-certified recycled-content gypsum wallboard

The CanFibreGroup Ltd.
300 Commerce Dr.
Lackawanna, NY 14218
(888) 355-4733
www.canfibre.com
ALLGREEN 100% recycled medium density fiberboard

USG Corporation
125 S. Franklin St.
Chicago, IL 60606
(800) 874-7968
www.usg.com
FIBERROCK® fiber-reinforced gypsum panels. Made from gypsum, perlite, and cellulose from recycled newsprint and telephone directories; Applications: Interior use on ceilings and walls.

Weyerhaeuser Co.
Box 2999
Tacoma, WA 98477-2999

(253) 924-2345
StructurwoodÆ oriented strand board (OSB). Applications: Walls, floors, I-joist webs, and roofs.

American Wood Council
1111 19th St. NW, Ste. 800
Washington, DC 20036
(202) 463-2769
www.awc.org

APA-The Engineered Wood Association
P.O. Box 11700
7011 S. 19th St.
Tacoma, WA 98466
(253) 565-6600 (ask for publications desk)
www.apawood.org

Composite Panel Association USA
18928 Premiere Ct.
Gaithersburg, MD 20879-1569
(301) 670-0604
www.pbmdf.com

National Association of Home Builders
Research Center
400 Prince George's Blvd.
Upper Marlboro, MD 20774-8731
(301) 249-4000
www.nahbrc.org

Southern Forest Products Association
P. O. Box 641700
Kenner, LA 70064-1700
(504) 443-4464
www.sfpa.org

Western Wood Products Association
522 SW Fifth Ave., Ste. 500
Yeon Building
Portland, OR 97204-2122
(503) 224-3930
www.wwpa.org