An engineered lumber product made from laminated veneer lumber consisting of thin wood veneers bonded together to create strong, dimensionally stable structural beams.

A Microlam beam is an engineered lumber product made from laminated veneer lumber (LVL) consisting of thin wood veneers bonded together with adhesive to create strong, dimensionally stable structural beams for residential and commercial construction. This advanced engineered wood product offers superior strength-to-weight ratios, consistent material properties, and longer spans than traditional solid lumber beams. Microlam beams are essential components of modern construction, providing reliable structural performance while utilizing wood resources efficiently.

The primary purposes include providing high-strength structural support for floors, roofs, and other building elements, enabling longer spans with reduced beam depths, offering consistent material properties without natural wood defects, supporting heavy loads in residential and commercial construction, providing dimensional stability that resists warping and shrinking, enabling efficient use of wood resources through engineered manufacturing, and meeting structural requirements with predictable performance characteristics.

Manufacturing process involve veneer preparation, adhesive application, layup assembly, and pressing operations for consistent product quality.

Veneer preparation includes peeling logs into thin, continuous sheets and drying to appropriate moisture content.

Fun Fact: Microlam beams were first developed in the 1970s and revolutionized residential construction by enabling open floor plans with fewer support posts! The veneers in a Microlam beam are typically only 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick but create incredibly strong beams when bonded together. A single Microlam beam can span over 60 feet without intermediate support. Interestingly, the manufacturing process uses nearly 100% of the log, making it more efficient than traditional lumber production!