Engineered Wood Products

General Design Information

• National Design Specification for Wood Construction (NDS) 2015 Wood Design Package brings together all required elements for design of wood structures in one comprehensive set, including NDS for Wood Construction, 2015 Edition; NDS Supplement: Design Values for Wood Construction, 2015 Edition; and 2015 Special Design Provisions for Wind and Seismic (SDPWS) Standard.

• Wood Frame Construction Manual (WFCM) for One- and Two-Family Dwellings, 2015 Edition is an ANSI-approved document that provides engineered and prescriptive requirements for wood frame construction based on dead, live, snow, seismic and wind loads and is referenced in the 2015 International Building Code and 2015 International Residential Code. 

• ANSI / AWC SDPWS-2015 - Special Design Provisions for Wind and Seismic Standard covers materials, design and construction of wood members, fasteners, and assemblies to resist wind and seismic forces.

Research Information

• USDA Forest Products Laboratory Research Programs

• World Conference on Timber Engineering (WCTE) proceedings

Information Sources

Associations and Resources for Engineered Wood Products Manufacturers:

• American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) - forest products resources

• American Institute of Timber Construction (AITC) - represents the glued laminated timber industry

• American Wood Council (AWC) - developers of standards for design and construction using engineered and traditional wood products

• APA - The Engineered Wood Association - third party evaluation and certification agency for the wood-related construction industry

• Building Component Manufactuers Conference (BCMC) - the largest venue in the world for structural building component manufacturers to learn about the latest industry ideas, products and trends throughout their entire supply chain

• Canadian Wood Council (CWC) - information to design, build, inspect and specify wood structures

• Carbeck Structural Components Institute (CSCI) - a non-profit 501(c)3 organization dedicated to research, education and training focused on the structural component framing of residential and commercial buildings

• Forest Economic Advisors (FEA) - forest products industry forecasting

• Forest Products Laboratory (FPL) - the nation's leading wood research institute. Check out the free download of the Wood Handbook.

• Layman's Guide - lumber and panel trading information

• MSR Lumber Producers Council (MSRLPC) - represents producers of machine stress rated lumber

• National Lumber & Building Material Dealers Association (NLBMDA) - serving lumber and building material dealers

• National Lumber Grades Authority (NLGA) - writes and maintains Canadian lumber grading rules and standards

• Random Lengths Newsletter - softwood lumber and structural panel prices and market activity for the U.S. and Canada

• RISI - represents the global forest products industry

• Southeastern Lumber Manufacturers Association (SLMA) - represents lumber producers in 17 states

• Southern Forest Products Association (SFPA) - represents southern pine lumber producers

• Southern Pine Council (SPC) - promotional body of SLMA and SFPA

• Structural Building Components Association (SBCA) -  represents manufacturers of structural building components

• SBC Magazine -  covers products and issues of importance to the structural building components manufacturing and distribution industry

• TimberWeb - European-based global timber and lumber e-market

• Truss Plate Institute (TPI) - maintains the wood truss industry on a sound engineering basis

• Western Wood Products Association (WWPA) - represents western lumber producers

• Wood I-Joist Manufacturers Association (WIJMA) - represents producers of prefabricated wood I-joists

• Wood Solutions Fairs (WSF) - one-day educational events on wood products and construction, held in the U.S. and Canada

Building Codes and Code Compliance:

• APA - The Engineered Wood Association - third party evaluation and certification agency for the wood-related construction industry

• Gypsum Association - publishes the Fire Resistance Design Manual containing fire rated truss assemblies

• International Code Council (ICC) - developers of the I-Codes series including the IBC and IRC

• ICC Evaluation Service (ICC-ES) - technical evaluations of building products, components, methods, and materials

• Intertek - see their WH Mark Directory for fire rated truss assemblies

• Municode - publishes codes of ordinances for local governments

• National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) - developers of consensus codes and standards, research, and education

• PFS Corporation - a third party evaluation and certification agency for the wood-related construction industry

• Southern Pine Inspection Bureau (SPIB) - third party QC inspection agency

• Timber Products Inspection - third party QC inspection agency

• TECO - third party evaluation and certification agency for the wood-related construction industry

• Truss Plate Institute (TPI) - third party QC inspection agency

• Underwriters Laboratories (UL) - see their Online Certifications Directory for fire rated truss assemblies

Building Materials and Specifications:

• 4specs - a search engine for specified construction products

• ARCAT - building product information for specifiers

• Builder's Estimating & Exam School - provides exam prep and estimating seminars for the Florida construction industry

• Construction Institute - links to industry organizations, topics and resources

• Contractor Guide - find contractors, suppliers and manufacturers

• Sweets Product Marketplace - building product information for specifiers

Engineering and Construction Periodicals:

• Building Green - home of Environmental Building News

• civil + structural ENGINEER magazine - serves the information needs of civil and structural engineering firms, as well as state, city, and county engineers; managers; surveyors; and other professionals related to the industry

• Engineering News Record - reports on the global construction market for owners, contractors and engineers

• Fine Homebuilding - information on residential construction techniques and products

• Forest Products Journal - information for those interested in today's forest products industry

• Frame Building News - publication of the National Frame Builders Association

• Housing Zone - publishers of Professional Builder and Luxury Home Builder

• Journal of Light Construction - information for builders and remodelers

• Rural Builder - information on wood and post-frame construction

• SBC Magazine -  covers products and issues of importance to the structural building components manufacturing and distribution industry

• Structure Magazine - includes detailed discussions on unique structural solutions, project overviews, technical updates and in-depth code reviews to keep structural engineers informed and up to date.

• Wood Design & Building Magazine - focused on wood use in architecture and construction

• Wood Design Focus - technical articles related to contemporary engineered wood construction

Industry Related Associations:

• Housing Inspection Foundation (HIF) - association of home inspectors

• National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) - resources for builders, local building associations and homeowners

• National Frame Builders Association (NFBA) - represents the post-frame construction industry

• Structural Engineers Association International (SEAINT) - contains an active list serve on structural engineering topics