Glued laminated timber, also called "gluelam" or "glulam", is a type of structural timber product composed of several layers of dimensioned lumber glued together. By laminating several smaller pieces of wood, a single large, strong, structural member can be manufactured from smaller lumber. These structural members are used as vertical columns or horizontal beams, often in curved, arching shapes.

Glued laminated timber, like other engineered wood products, represent an efficient use of available timber. With an increased demand for lumber worldwide, the amount of solid timber available has steadily declined. Gluelam structural members thus make use of smaller and less desirable dimensions of timber, yet are engineered to be stronger than similarly sized members comprised of solid wood.

The first use of glued laminated timber was in Germany in 1890 by Otto Hetzer. The technology arrived in North America in 1934 when Max Hanisch, Sr., who had worked with Hetzer at the turn of the century, formed a firm in Peshtigo, Wisconsin to manufacture structural glued laminated timber.

See also

• Engineered wood
• Fiberboard
• Hardboard
• Masonite
• Medium-density fiberboard
• Oriented strand board
• Particle board
• Plywood
• Pressed wood
• Laminated veneer lumber

External links

• American Institute of Timber Construction
• Glued Laminated Timber Association (UK)
• Glulam 'the naturally engineered solution' from BKTS (UK)
• Glulam Beam Repair/Reinforcement - An article (Printed in STRUCTURE magazine, Sep. 2006) by Gary W. Gray P.E. and Paul C. Gilham P.E.