building material composed of rectangular-shaped wood strands arranged in layers at right angles to one another, laid up into mats that form a panel and bonded with waterproof adhesives. Cross orientation makes the panels strong and stiff in both directions, and they contain no laps, gaps, or voids. Applications include subflooring, single-layer flooring, wall and roof sheathing, structural insulated panels, and webs for wood I-joists. Not to be to confused with "particleboard," "flakeboard," or "chipboard."
Example: When the Smiths' house was being built, neighbors wondered about the "particleboard" that was being used on the roof instead of plywood. They were assured that this was actually oriented strand board and was considered by many to be superior to plywood of the same thickness.
