How Urethane Structural Adhesive Systems Enable You to Compete with - and Exceed – Traditional Building Materials 

How Urethane Structural Adhesive Systems Help Mass Timber and Engineered Wood Products Meet Industry Standards 

In the building and construction market, it’s required to use materials that meet or exceed building codes to help ensure occupant safety. Because the codes are stringent and ever evolving, especially for fire ratings, it can be challenging to always use products that meet them. Certain urethane structural adhesive systems are certified to pass PRG-320 standards for strength, durability, fire and creep testing. This helps mass timber and engineered wood product manufacturers offer excellent thermal stability to withstand high temperatures, such as those during a fire, and maintain structural integrity.  

Also, urethane structural adhesives form strong chemical bonds that enable mass timber and engineered wood products to extend application longevity. Their high strength stems from key formulation elements, such as flexibility, wet out and chemical crosslinking, yielding optimal performance properties. Because urethane structural adhesives possess a high level of flexibility once cured, they’re able to absorb and distribute stress loads effectively. This, coupled with the ability to bond substrates with imperfect surfaces, enhances strength and reduces the likelihood of product failure over time. With fast strength build and curing formulations, urethane structural adhesives can also be used for finger joining applications. Finger jointing allows the joining of smaller wood pieces to make larger, usable elements. Further, their resistance to environmental extremes, such as temperature and moisture changes, help to maintain bond integrity and prevent swelling, warping and delamination even when exposed to harsh environments. 

How Urethane Structural Adhesive Systems Help Mass Timber and Engineered Wood Products Reduce Manufacturing Costs Overall 

While sustainable materials are often considered expensive due to the additional processing needed to create them, this is not the case when comparing mass timber and engineered wood to traditional building materials. They require less energy to produce, which decreases overall manufacturing costs.  

Further, urethane structural adhesives offer excellent processing and coverage rates, which helps minimize adhesive waste and material usage. Additionally, these adhesives have fast curing times. This reduces the need for clamping and can allow for labor to be used more effectively. Their strength and durability can also contribute to decreased maintenance and repair needs in the future.  

Urethane structural adhesives also can be custom formulated to maximize productivity and associated costs. For example, their open time can be altered to be specific for a given application, allowing manufacturers to get the quickest reactivity for processing needs. 

By: Tom Stewart – Bostik's Durable Goods – Building Components Regional Business Director 

Tom Stewart, Bostik’s Durable Goods - Building Components Regional Business Director, has over 20 years of adhesive industry experience with a focus on structural adhesives and engineered wood products for the Building and Construction market. Since joining Bostik, the adhesive solutions segment of Arkema, he has used this expertise to drive strategic growth within mass timber areas, identifying how the company’s products can address customers’ production and end-use performance goals while reducing the overall environmental impact. Tom is also active in the industry, serving on the APA-EWTA Advisory Committee and advocating for inherently sustainable products. Contact Tom today to learn more about his efforts and how Bostik's structural adhesives can meet your engineered wood and mass timber product needs.