Glulam

Glulam (glued laminated timber) is an industrially manufactured product for load-bearing timber components. Glulam consists of at least three dried boards or board lamellas made of coniferous wood glued together parallel to the fibres. It is tempered as a result of the strength grading of the starting material and homogenisation through layer-by-layer construction. In addition to simple, straight components, shapes with variable height and/or simple curvature are common. Double-curved and twisted components are also possible. In older publications, glulam is also referred to as glued laminated timber, glued beams or Hetzer beams.

Glulam production

Boards with thicknesses up to 45 mm are first technically dried to a wood moisture content of about 12% and then pre-planed. The dried boards are sorted by machine according to strength and visual criteria.

By means of a finger-shaped adhesive joint (finger-jointing) that transmits all forces, the individual boards are joined lengthwise to form “endless lamellas” of basically any length and cut to length depending on the subsequent beam length.

The lamellas are planed, glued and layered on top of each other. The resulting glulam component then hardens under pressure. Drying, homogenisation and strength grading result in a product that is dimensionally stable and has few cracks compared to solid wood. It can be subjected to up to 80% higher stress than standard sawn timber. Since the individual lamellas can be easily shaped before bonding, curved components can be produced with relatively little effort.

Standards and regulations for glulam in Germany

The European product standard for laminated beam timber and glued laminated timber EN 14080:2013 was published in the German version DIN EN 14080:2013 in September 2013. DIN EN 14080:2013 contains specifications for production and monitoring as well as specifications for strength classes and other properties essential for construction and design.

EN 14080:2013 was published in the Official Journal of the EU (OJEU) on 08.08.2014. The associated application standard DIN 20000-3:2015 to be observed in Germany was published in February 2015 and included in the model list of technical building regulations in October 2015. The application standard DIN 20000-3:2015 contains specifications for the technical classes applicable in Germany (e.g. the adhesive classes permitted in Germany) and other information necessary for the design according to DIN EN 1995-1-1 (Eurocode 5-1-1). The application standard DIN 20000-3:2015 does not lead to a supplementary Ü-mark.

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Individual glulam

With our glued laminated timber (glulam), individual constructions can be built, because we produce the components in almost any shape and size – entirely according to your wishes. The kiln-dried wooden boards are joined together by finger-jointing to form long lamellas. Discover our wide range of glulam products.

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