Laminated Veneer Lumber (LVL) is a popular material in the construction and furniture. It is favored by its strength, beauty and durability. This fact sheet will give you an overview of Laminated Veneer Lumber so you can know the basic difference between LVL and other engineered wood-based products.
LVL is widely use in construction and furniture manufacturing
What is LVL?
LVL is a type of plywood in the family of engineered wood. It is made of dried and thin wood veneers that are layered upon one another and bonded together with glue under heat and pressure. All the veneers are arranged in the same direction.
How is LVL made?
First, manufacturers will use a veneer lathe to peel the logs. Veneers then are dried by natural sunlight or drier. Next, they will go through a glue spreading machine so a specific kind glue can be covered all over the veneers’ surface. For LVL, manufacturers usually use formaldehyde which is a moisture resistant adhesive. Upon specific customers’ request, they can use E0, E1 or E2 glue.
Veneer storage in Weego factory
Veneers now are laid up on a conveyors in the same direction to form the required thickness of plywood pressed later on. They will be pressed to shape the bond in the layers of the board by cold press machine. Workers now will check the sheet to see if veneers are properly glued and surface is perfectly flat. They will handle the defects before putting the core into the hot press machine.
Workers now let out the LVL board for cooling down, check the surface and handle the defects. To form the finished LVL, the board will be cut into the right size as required. Finally, the finished goods are stored in warehouse and packed before delivery.
LVL warehouse in Weego factory
What is LVL used for?
LVL is widely used in construction and furniture manufacturing. It is suitable for planks, beams and rafters. When cross-bonded for increased stiffness it can be used to form wall and floor panels with load-bearing capacity. For furniture, LVL is an ideal choice to produce bed slats, sofa frame, door core and other furniture frame. LVL is also widely used to make pallet for packing.
LVL is favored in construction
How does LVL compare to other building materials?
In the family of plywood, LVL is the most uniform type. It is a solid, highly bending wood product and can be made from fast-growing trees which are not suitable for conventional solid-sawn lumber. Its consistency in quality streamlines construction and save costs on the jobsite. Many species can be used interchangeably without impacting LVL quality. As an engineered product, LVL is less prone to warping or shrinking and is able to last longer and support heavier loads than conventional lumber.
LVL has high bending strength
