Use of Particleboard for Housing Manufacture in Sweden and Finland

Particleboard is a major building material in Sweden and Finland with some housing manufacturers using as much as 2,800 sq. ft. of particleboard (3/4 inch equivalent) in a single unit. Particleboard has been used in Scandinavian structures for over 10 years and its use is growing rapidly; this experience with the structural use of particleboard should provide some basis for judgement on these questions which are debated in the United States. The major uses for particleboards in house manufacture are as floor decking and interior wall and ceiling surfaces. It is not widely used for roof or wall sheathing or in siding products. All boards produced in Sweden and Finland are made with urea resins and are quite similar in density and physical properties to many of the particleboards produced in the United States. Rather Comprehensive standards covering requirements for floor decking and roof sheathing have been developed by the Nordic community; these include impact and concentrated load requirements as two major criteria. Work is also progressing on a standardized procedure for developing working stresses for particleboard and hardboard.

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