Oriented strand board

For exterior wall applications, panels are available with a radiant-barrier layer laminated to one side; this eases installation and increases energy performance of the building envelope.

Oriented strand board is manufactured in wide mats from cross-oriented layers of thin, rectangular wooden strips compressed and bonded together with wax and synthetic resin adhesives.

[4] The layers are created by shredding the wood into strips, which are sifted and then oriented on a belt or wire-mesh caul (a heated, ventilated support) and coated with the resin.

[6] The number of layers placed is determined partly by the thickness of the panel, but is limited by the equipment installed at the manufacturing site.

OSB panels have no internal gaps or voids, and can be water-resistant, although they do require additional membranes to achieve impermeability to water and are not recommended for exterior use.

[13] Industry trade groups assert that formaldehyde emissions from North American OSB are "negligible or nonexistent".

[14] Some manufacturers treat the wood chips with various borate compounds that are toxic to termites, wood-boring beetles, molds, and fungi, but not mammals in applied doses.