Quality is a major concern for us. That’s why we want to help you make sure that every part of your storage shed is as good as it can be. Some customers have questions when they see oriented strand board (OSB) being used to sheathe their storage shed. These customers feel they are getting a lower-quality shed or that their shed builder is trying to pull a fast one on them. There’s no need to worry; for most shed construction applications, OSB has a comparable quality to plywood.
OSB Has These Advantages Over Plywood:
- OSB has excellent moisture tolerance and is much less susceptible to the stress related problems of plywood, such as warping and ply separation.
- OSB is generally more square and has smaller dimensional tolerances.
- There are no soft spots such as those that can occur in plywood.
- OSB has greater shear strength than plywood; the span rating, nail pull and screw hold are all roughly the same.
OSB & Plywood: What’s The Difference?
- Let’s start with the similarities. Building codes use the phrase “wood structural panel” to describe the use of plywood and OSB. Codes recognize these two materials as the same. They are both made by compressing and gluing small pieces of wood together.
- Plywood is made from thin sheets of veneer that are peeled off a log. Picture a giant pencil sharpener. These sheets are laminated together in a hot press to make plywood.
- OSB is made from wood ground into thin wood strands. These strands are mixed with wax and adhesive and then hot pressed. Approximately 50 layers of strands make one sheet of OSB.
