PRODUCT Spotlight By Robin West
The APA panel trademark explained APA provides a lot of useful information for builders and specifiers. APA trademarked panels are suitable for a variety of end uses including subflooring, single-layer flooring, wall and roof sheathing, ceiling deck sheathing and more. Panels can be manufactured in a variety of finishes, thicknesses and bond classifications—depending on the intended application. APA Performance Rated Panels are easy to use and specify since the recommended end use and other helpful information is clearly indicated in the trademark located on the panel. APA The Engineered Wood Association provides guidance on interpreting the APA trademark to help you select and specify the right panel for the job.
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1. Panel Grade
Structural panel grades are generally identified in terms of the plywood veneer grades used on the face and back of the panel (e.g., A-B, B-C), or by a name suggesting the panel’s intended end use (e.g., APA Rated Sheathing, APA Rated Sturd-I-Floor—also known as single floor). eneer grades define veneer attributes in terms of natural unrepaired growth characteristics and allowable number and
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size of repairs that may be made during manufacture. The highest quality veneer grade commonly available is A. The minimum grade of veneer permitted in Exterior plywood is C-grade. -grade veneer is only permitted to be used in panels intended for applications protected from long-term exposure to weather.
2. Span Rating
The span rating for APA Rated Sheathing is presented as two numbers separated by a slash. The left-hand number is the maximum recommended center-to-center spacing for supports in inches when the panel is used for roof sheathing with long dimensions across supports. The right-hand number is the maximum center-to-center spacing of supports in inches when the panel is used for subflooring with the long dimension across supports. The span rating on APA Rated Sturd-I-Floor underlayment and APA Rated Siding panels appears as a single number. Span ratings for APA Rated Sturdi-I-Floor and underlayment panels, like those for APA Rated Sheathing, are based on application of the panel with the long dimension or strength axis across three or more supports.
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