Glulam is short for “glued laminated timber.” It’s an engineered wood product made by bonding together individual pieces of lumber with durable, moisture-resistant adhesives.

Glulam offers high strength, design flexibility, sustainability, and aesthetic appeal. It is also resistant to fire, moisture, and insects when treated properly.

Glulam beams are made by stacking and gluing together multiple layers of dimension lumber, typically using wood species such as Radiata Pine. The layers are then pressed and bonded under high pressure to form a solid beam.

Glulam beams have a wide range of applications. They are commonly used in residential and commercial construction for beams, columns, and headers. Glulam can also be found in bridges, stadiums, exhibition halls, maraes, and other structures where long spans and structural strength are required. Depending on the timber used, they can be used for internal or exposed applications.

With proper design, installation, and maintenance, glulam beams can last for many decades, similar to or even longer than traditional solid wood.

Yes, glulam is considered environmentally friendly. It uses smaller trees and less material than solid timber, and it stores carbon, making it a sustainable building choice.

Absolutely! Glulam can be custom-fabricated to meet the specific dimensions and design requirements of your project. Contact us to discuss your ideas.

Regular inspections and maintenance, such as keeping it clean and protected from prolonged exposure to moisture, help ensure the longevity of glulam products.

Glulam is lighter, easier to work with, and often more aesthetically pleasing than steel and concrete, while still offering comparable strength for many structural applications.

PC (Pre-Camber) refers to a slight upward curve built into a glulam beam during manufacturing. This compensates for deflection under load, ensuring that the beam flattens out when weight is applied, maintaining a level surface. Pre-cambering helps improve the structural performance and aesthetic appearance of the beam in its final application.

Glulam and LVL (laminated veneer lumber) are both engineered wood products, but they differ in their construction. LVL is made by bonding thin layers of wood veneers together whereas Glulam is made by bonding thicker sections of timber together. Glulam can be used in service class 1, 2 & 3 environments (internal and external) whereas LVL is limited in exposed scenarios.

These terms refer to the hazard class ratings for timber treatment in New Zealand, indicating the level of treatment and its suitability for different environmental conditions:

• UT (Untreated): Timber that has not been treated with any preservatives.

• H1.2: Suitable for interior framing and similar uses, protected from weather but exposed to moisture.

• H3.2: Used for exterior applications above ground, such as decking and cladding, where timber is exposed to weather.

• H4: Designed for outdoor use in contact with the ground, such as fence posts and garden edging.

• H5: Suitable for timber in contact with the ground or fresh water, used in more severe conditions like retaining walls.

• H6: Used for marine environments and timber exposed to saltwater, such as wharf piles.

These treatment levels ensure the timber's durability and resistance to decay, insects, and moisture, depending on its intended use.

We only manufacture glulam out of UT, H1.2, H3.2 or H5 treated timber.

• SG8 refers to Structural Grade 8, a grading system for solid timber that indicates its strength and stiffness properties. It is commonly used for sawn timber in New Zealand.

• G8 is a term often used interchangeably with SG8 in some contexts but typically refers to the same strength grade for solid timber.

• GL8 stands for Glulam Grade 8, a grading for laminated timber products like glulam beams. It indicates that the glulam has similar strength and stiffness properties to SG8 solid timber but is specifically for engineered wood products.

This code is from another NZ manufacturer who uses rough sawn timber sizes in their code rather than finished sizes. The actual finished beam size for this code is:

240×88 H3.2 GL12