Product FAQ's

Wesbeam LVL is manufactured from 4.8mm veneers of sustainably sourced timber that is rotary peeled, dried and glued under heat and pressure to form a solid member. The veneers are randomly distributed throughout the beams during manufacture thereby reducing the effect of natural features like knots and gum veins.

The properties of LVL show much less variation than those of sawn timber. LVL beams are on average 50% stiffer, 2 to 3 times stronger and have more density than the sawn timber from which they’re manufactured.

Steel - being a manufactured product - has higher strength and stiffness properties compared to LVL but it is also almost 12 times heavier. This means that much of its higher strength properties are used to support the steel beam itself.

All beams, regardless of product material (e.g. LVL, steel), deflect upon installation. This is caused by the self-weight of the beam as well as the loads it supports. But when using the relevant Australian Standards and the Wesbeam span tables, the beams will perform as specified and achieve the same deflection performance as steel over time.

The coefficient of variation (CoV) is a measure of the average variability of stiffness in a load-bearing element such as LVL, timber and steel. Structural products with a low CoV behave more closely to the design with predicted behaviour whereas products with higher CoVs tend to vary to a higher degree to their predicted behaviour. 

Universal steel beams have similar CoVs to LVL, whilst the CoV of MGP pine is at least twice that of LVL. Choosing products with a low CoV, such as LVL, will give you a more reliable job.

LVL has reliable and consistent structural properties; and has strength and stiffness capabilities greater than the individual veneers from which it is manufactured.

The maximum effect of a single natural feature (e.g. a knot) in an LVL laminate is very small as the laminates are thin compared with the thickness of the whole beam. The structural performance of LVL is reliable and consistent to its specified properties. In fact, LVL has a coefficient of variation that is similar to Australian produced hot rolled steel sections.

Wesbeam LVL products are manufactured in accordance with the requirements of AS/NZS 4357 Structural Laminated Veneer Lumber. Preservative-treated Wesbeam LVL is manufactured in accordance with the requirements of Codemark for e2S and AS/NZS 1604.4 (specification for preservative treatment) for Wesbeam H2 and H3.

Wesbeam’s products are commonly used in residential construction and the supporting technical literature produced is in line with the requirements of AS1684 Residential Timber Framed Construction. Wesbeam’s products are also used in commercial construction and can be readily designed and specified by building professionals.

Span tables and technical literature produced by Wesbeam for the residential market use the design assumptions contained in AS1720.3: 2016 – Timber structures Part 3: Design criteria for timber-framed residential buildings.

If there are any other design assumptions used or required to comply with building practices, these will be clearly stated.

Wesbeam LVL products are manufactured in accordance with the requirements of AS/NZS4357 Structural Laminated Veneer Lumber with the quality of manufacture externally checked via audits undertaken by the Engineered Wood Products Association of Australasia.