A P A E W S S T A N D A R D

PRL-501
Performance Standard for
APA EWS Lami nated Veneer Lumber
Published by Engineered Wood Systems March 2000
ENGINEERED WOOD SYSTEMS
PS,B310,PRL-501.3 5/22/01 3:52 PM Page 1
2
CONTENTS
1. Scope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
2. Referenced Documents . . . . . . . . . . .3
3. Terminology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
4. Performance Criteria
and Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
5. Qualification Requirements . . . . . . . .5
6. Quality Assurance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
7. Typical Information Shown on
Trademarks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
LICENSE FOR USE OF APA PUBLICATIONS
READ THE FOLLOWING TERMS AND CONDITIONS CAREFULLY
BEFORE CONTINUING. OPENING THIS FILE INDICATES YOUR
ACCEPTANCE OF THESE TERMS AND CONDITIONS.
The performance standards and design recommendations contained herein are
based on the continuing programs of laboratory testing, product research, and
field experience of APA The Engineered Wood Association, a nonprofit trade
association dedicated to serving the wood product industry and Engineered
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an important role in developing and improving engineered wood products and
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and apply the products. APA grants you a nonexclusive, nontransferable
license to use the performance standard, and design information contained in
this document for your internal use only. (The documentation, performance
standards, and design guides will be referred to collectively as the Licensed
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This License is effective until terminated. You may terminate this License by
returning the Licensed Product to APA. APA may terminate this License if you
breach any of the terms and conditions. Upon termination of this License for
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tions hereunder is void and shall cause termination of this License.
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2001 Engineered Wood Systems
3
PRL-501
PERFORMANCE
STANDARD FOR
APA EWS LAMINATED
VENEER LUMBER
March, 2000
1. Scope
1.1 The APA EWS Performance Rated
Laminated Veneer Lumber (LVL) is a
glued engineered wood composite lum-
ber product manufactured by laminating
wood veneers using exterior adhesives.
This standard applies to laminated veneer
lumber products engineered for use in
structural applications in which the
primary loading is in either the X or L
direction (see Figure 1) such as rafters,
headers, beams, joists, studs, and
columns. Secondary face gluing shall be
permitted for edgewise bending applica-
tions. Use of scaffold planks or secondary
end-jointing is beyond the scope of this
standard.
1.2 To be classified as an APA EWS
Performance Rated LVL, the LVL product
shall meet all requirements of this
standard.
1.3 APA EWS Performance Rated LVL is a
product intended for use in dry-service
conditions where the average moisture
content is less than 16%.
1.4 This standard provides a rating sys-
tem for a series of APA EWS Performance
Rated LVL. To qualify for trademarking as
an APA EWS Performance Rated LVL, the
LVL products shall demonstrate confor-
mance to the performance requirements
for the rating system as well as the design
properties set forth in this standard.
2. Referenced Documents
2.1 ASTM Standards:
D 9 Terminology Relating to Wood
D 143 Methods of Testing Small Clear
Specimens of Timber
D 198 Methods of Static Tests of Lumber
in Structural Sizes
D 1761 Standard Test Methods for
Mechanical Fasteners in Wood
D 2915 Standard Practice for Evaluating
Allowable Properties for Grades of
Structural Lumber
D 2559 Specification for Adhesives for
Structural Laminated Wood Products
for Use Under Exterior (Wet-Use)
Exposure Conditions
D 4761 Standard Test Methods for
Mechanical Properties of Lumber and
Wood-Base Structural Material
D 5055 Specification for Establishing and
Monitoring Structural Capacities of
Prefabricated Wood I-Joists
D 5456 Specification for Evaluation of
Structural Composite Lumber
Products
D 5764 Standard Test Methods for
Evaluating Dowel-Bearing Strength of
Wood and Wood-Based Structural
Products
2.2 Other Standard:
Voluntary Product Standard PS 1-95
Construction and Industrial Plywood
2.3 APA Publication:
Quality Assurance Policy for APA EWS
Performance Rated Laminated Veneer
Lumber
3. Terminology
3.1 Definitions See the referenced
documents for definitions of terms used
in this standard.
3.2 Description of Terms Specific to this
Standard:
Characteristic value: A value determined
from test data for derivation of a design
property. For the mechanical properties
referenced in this standard, the character-
istic values represent the 5th percentile
estimates with 75% confidence, except
for the modulus of elasticity (E) and
compression perpendicular to grain (F
c
).
The modulus of elasticity is based on the
mean value, while the compression per-
pendicular to grain is based on the mean
stress value at 0.04-in. deformation.
Laminated Veneer Lumber (LVL): A struc-
tural member manufactured using wood
veneers, with the grain directions of all
plies oriented parallel to the length of
the member. Plies of wood are bonded
together with exterior exposure adhesives.
Joist/Beam: Laminated veneer lumber is
loaded in the edgewise direction, as used
in headers, joists, rafters, and beams. The
load is applied parallel to the L-X plane
and the depth of the member is in the
X-direction. Refer to Figure 1 for the
orientations.
FIGURE 1
EDGEWISE LOADING
ORIENTATION
X
Load
Direction
Y
L
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2001 Engineered Wood Systems
4
Stress class: Laminated veneer lumber
products are graded according to their
designated design stresses. Stress classes
indicate the allowable designated modu-
lus of elasticity, E, and design bending
stress, F
b
. A stress class consists of two
parts separated by a hyphen (-). The
part left of the hyphen (-) represents the
designated E value (in an order of 10
6
)
while the part right of it represents the
design bending stress (F
b
), both of which
are in the units of pounds per square inch
(psi). For instance, a grade of 1.5E-2250F
signifies LVL with an allowable E of 1.5 x
10
6
psi and F
b
of 2,250 psi.
Stud/Column: Laminated veneer lumber is
loaded in lengthwise compression, as
used in studs and columns.
4. Performance Criteria and
Requirements
This section provides performance crite-
ria and requirements for APA EWS
Performance Rated LVL. APA EWS
Performance Rated LVL shall be qualified
in accordance with Section 5 by demon-
strating conformance to the performance
requirements given in this section.
4.1 Sizes and Tolerances
4.1.1 Material Veneer APA EWS
Performance Rated LVL is manufactured
from wood veneers with a nominal
thickness not exceeding 0.25 in.
4.1.2 Sizes APA EWS Performance
Rated LVL is available in a nominal thick-
ness ranging from 3/4 inch to 7 inches,
and in a range of depths and lengths to
meet different end-use needs.
4.1.3 Tolerances The tolerances permit-
ted at the time of manufacture prior to
secondary gluing, if applicable, shall be
as follows:
Thickness: Plus or minus 1/32 inch
maximum for 1 inch thick
or less
Plus or minus 1/16 inch
maximum for 1-1/2 inches
thick
Plus 0.08 inch or minus
0.10 inch maximum for
1-3/4 inches thick
Plus 0.10 inch or minus
0.15 inch maximum for
3-1/2 inches thick
Plus 0.15 inch or minus
0.20 inch maximum for
5-1/4 inches thick
Plus 0.15 inch or minus
0.25 inch maximum for
7 inches thick
Interpolation to nearest 1/32 inch for
intermediate thicknesses shall be
permitted.
Depth: Plus 0 inch or minus 1.0% for
all depths
4.2 Stress Class Rating
4.2.1 All APA EWS Performance Rated
LVL shall be identified by a stress class
rating. The stress class ratings are shown
in the tables of this standard.
TABLE 1
DESIGN PROPERTIES FOR APA EWS PERFORMANCE RATED LVL
(a)
APA EWS F
v
(f)
F
c
(g)
LVL Stress E
(b)
F
b
(c)
F
t
(d)
F
c//
(e)
Edgewise Edgewise
Classes 10
6
psi psi psi psi psi psi
1.5E-2250F 1.5 2,250 1,500 1,950 220 575
1.8E-2600F 1.8 2,600 1,700 2,400 285 700
1.9E-2600F 1.9 2,600 1,700 2,550 285 700
2.0E-2900F 2.0 2,900 1,900 2,750 285 750
2.1E-3100F 2.1 3,100 2,200 3,000 285 850
(a) The tabulated values are design values for normal duration of load. All values, except E and F
c
,
are permitted to be adjusted for other load durations as permitted by the code. The design stresses are
limited to conditions in which the maximum moisture content is less than 16 percent.
(b) Bending modulus of elasticity (E), which is applicable in either edgewise or flatwise applications,
includes shear deflections. For calculating uniform load and center-point load deflections of the LVL in
a simple-span application, use Eqs. 1 and 2.
Uniform Load: =
5
4
[1]
_____
384EI
Center-Point Load: =
P
3
[2]
____
48EI
Where: = calculated deflection (in.),
P = concentrated load (lbf),
= uniform load (lbf/in.),
= design span (in.), and
I = moment of inertia of the LVL (in.
4
)
(c) Allowable bending stress (F
b
) is applicable in either edgewise or flatwise applications. For depths of
3-1/2 inches or deeper when loaded edgewise, the tabulated F
b
value shall be modified by (12/d)
1/8
,
where d is the actual depth in inches. For depths less than 3-1/2 inches when loaded edgewise, use
the adjusted F
b
for 3-1/2 inches. No adjustment on F
b
is required for flatwise applications.
(d) Axial tension (F
t
) of the LVL is based on a gage length of 4 feet. For specimens longer than 4 feet,
the tabulated F
t
value shall be adjusted by (4/L)
1/8
, where L is the actual length in feet.
(e) Compression parallel to grain (F
c//
) of the LVL.
(f) Allowable shear stress (F
v
) of the LVL when loaded edgewise.
(g) Allowable compressive stress perpendicular to grain (F
c
) of the LVL when loaded edgewise.
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2001 Engineered Wood Systems
5
4.3 Design Properties
4.3.1 APA EWS Performance Rated LVL
shall be designed based on the tabulated
values provided in Tables 1 and 1a.
4.4 Characteristic Test Values
4.4.1 APA EWS Performance Rated LVL
shall have characteristic test values that
are equal to or greater than the values
given in Table 2.
5. Qualification Requirements
5.1 General
5.1.1 All APA EWS Performance Rated LVL
shall be qualified based on the requirements
specified in this section. Qualification tests
shall be conducted in accordance with the
principles set forth in ASTM D 5456.
5.2 Materials
5.2.1 Wood species used shall meet the
performance requirements given in this
standard and the daily quality assurance
test requirements given in the Quality
Assurance Policy for APA EWS Performance
Rated Laminated Veneer Lumber.
5.3 Adhesives
5.3.1 Adhesives for bonding wood
veneers to form LVL shall conform to
the requirements of ASTM D 2559 for
wet-use adhesives.
5.4 LVL Products
5.4.1 Sampling procedures, number of
samples, test methods, and data analyses
for the LVL qualification shall conform to
the principles set forth in ASTM D 5456
and the Quality Assurance Policy for
APA EWS Performance Rated Laminated
Veneer Lumber.
5.4.2 Manufacturing parameters, such as
wood species, veneer thicknesses and
grades, grading methods, veneer end
joint type, numbers of plies and layups,
and adhesive shall be identified as part of
the qualification procedures. Changes in
these parameters require an engineering
evaluation or re-qualification by APA.
6. Quality Assurance
6.1 Qualification Tests
6.1.1 Required qualification tests shall
form the basis for the control values to be
used in the quality assurance testing. The
required qualification tests and criteria
are detailed in Sections 4 and 5 of this
standard. When required, retests shall be
conducted using a new independent
sample set.
6.1.2 Upon satisfactory completion of
the requirements in Sections 4 and 5, all
manufacturing variables shall be docu-
mented in the in-plant quality manual in
accordance with the Quality Assurance
Policy for APA EWS Performance Rated
Laminated Veneer Lumber.
6.1.3 Periodic reevaluation of structural
capacities shall be conducted in accor-
dance with the requirements given in
ASTM D 5456 and the Quality Assurance
Policy for APA EWS Performance Rated
Laminated Veneer Lumber. This reevaluation
shall be performed at the end of the first
6 months for any new plant or any new
production line and shall not be longer
than every 12 months for any existing
plant or any existing production line.
TABLE 1a
FASTENER DESIGN PROPERTIES FOR APA EWS PERFORMANCE RATED LVL
Minimum Equivalent Specific Gravity for Fasteners
(a)
APA EWS
Nails and Wood Screws Bolts and Lag Screws
LVL Stress
Withdrawal
Lateral Lateral
Class Face
(b)
Edge
(c)
Face
(b)
Edge
(c)
1.5E-2250F 0.42 0.42 0.39 0.42 NA
1.8E-2600F 0.50 0.50 0.46 0.50 NA
1.9E-2600F 0.50 0.50 0.46 0.50 NA
2.0E-2900F 0.50 0.50 0.46 0.50 NA
2.1E-3100F 0.50 0.50 0.46 0.50 NA
(a) Established by qualification tests in accordance with Annex A2 of ASTM D 5456.
(b) When the fastener is installed in the Y direction and loaded in either L or X direction (see Figure 1).
(c) When the fastener is installed in the X direction and loaded in either L or Y direction (see Figure 1).
TABLE 2
CHARACTERISTIC TEST VALUES FOR APA EWS PERFORMANCE RATED LVL
(a)
APA EWS f
v
(f)
f
c
(g)
LVL Stress E
(b)
f
b
(c)
f
t
(d)
f
c//
(e)
Edgewise Edgewise
Classes 10
6
psi psi psi psi psi psi
1.5E-2250F 1.5 4,725 3,150 3,705 695 960
1.8E-2600F 1.8 5,460 3,570 4,560 900 1,170
1.9E-2600F 1.9 5,460 3,570 4,845 900 1,170
2.0E-2900F 2.0 6,090 3,990 5,225 900 1,255
2.1E-3100F 2.1 6,510 4,620 5,700 900 1,420
(a) The tabulated values are test values. Use the values given in Table 1 for design.
(b) Bending strength (f
b
) is applicable in either edgewise or flatwise applications. For depths of
3-1/2 inches or deeper when loaded edgewise, the tabulated f
b
value shall be modified by (12/d)
1/8
,
where d is the actual depth in inches. For depths less than 3-1/2 inches when loaded edgewise, use
the adjusted f
b
for 3-1/2 inches. No adjustment on f
b
is required for flatwise applications.
(c) Axial tensile strength (f
t
) of the LVL is based on a gage length of 4 feet. For specimens longer than
4 feet, the tabulated f
t
value shall be adjusted by (4/L)
1/8
, where L is the actual length in feet.
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2001 Engineered Wood Systems
6
6.2 Trademarking
6.2.1 All APA EWS Performance Rated
LVL shall be identified with an APA EWS
trademark, as shown in Section 7, bearing
the LVL stress class and manufacturing
plant number.
7. Typical Information Shown on
Trademarks
7.1 APA EWS LVL 1.5E-2250F
1.5E-2250F LVL
PLANT 0000
PRL-501
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2001 Engineered Wood Systems
APA RESEARCH AND TESTING
APA The Engineered Wood Associations 37,000-square-foot Research
Center in Tacoma, Washington is the most sophisticated facility for basic
panel research and testing in the world. The center is staffed with an
experienced corps of engineers, wood scientists, and wood product techni-
cians. Their research and development assignments directly or indirectly
benefit all specifiers and users of engineered wood products.
PS,B310,PRL-501.3 5/22/01 3:53 PM Page 7
2001 Engineered Wood Systems
ENGINEERED WOOD SYSTEMS
We have field representatives in
most major U.S. cities and in Canada who
can help answer questions involving APA
and APA EWS trademarked products. For
additional assistance in specifying engineered
wood products or systems, contact us:
APA THE ENGINEERED
WOOD ASSOCIATION
HEADQUARTERS
7011 So. 19th St.
I
P.O. Box 11700
Tacoma, Washington 98411-0700
(253) 565-6600
I
Fax: (253) 565-7265
(International Offices: Bournemouth,
United Kingdom; Hamburg, Germany;
Mexico City, Mexico; Tokyo, Japan.)
PRODUCT SUPPORT HELP DESK
(253) 620-7400
E-mail Address: help@apawood.org
The product use recommendations in this
publication are based on the continuing pro-
grams of l aboratory testi ng, product
research, and comprehensive field experi-
ence of Engineered Wood Systems. However,
because EWS has no control over quality of
workmanship or the conditions under which
engineered wood products are used, it can-
not accept responsibility for product perfor-
mance or designs as actually constructed.
Because engineered wood product perfor-
mance requirements vary geographically,
consult your local architect, engineer or
design professional to assure compliance
with code, construction, and performance
requirements.
Form No. EWS B310
Issued May 2001/0200
www.apawood.org
@
W
e
b
Addre
s
s
:
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2001 Engineered Wood Systems