EN 789 Wooden Structures - Test Method for Determining Mechanical Properties of Wood Based Panels

EUROLAB laboratory provides testing and compliance services within the scope of EN 789 standard. The EN 789 standard covers test methods for the determination of some mechanical properties of commercial wood-based panel products used in load-bearing wooden structures. These properties are intended for the calculation of characteristic values ​​to be used in obtaining material design values.

As defined in the Harmonized Standard (EN 13986) for wood-based panels, it is necessary to determine the characteristic values ​​of mechanical properties for each type and grade of carrier panel product to enable it to be used for structural purposes.

This document details the tests required to determine characteristic values. Tests should only be performed once for each product, unless there is reason to suspect that a significant change in product characteristics has occurred. Characteristic values ​​for certain panel types and classes are given in EN 12369 and can be used for suitable panels without additional testing to this document.

This document is not intended to be used for quality control testing where test pieces smaller than those specified here are sufficient. Due to limited experience in use, the test method for compression perpendicular to the plane of the panel (bearing) is included in the informative.

All panels in a sample will be of the same type, quality, thickness range, and composition or layout. Samples for each type of test in each direction should not be from the same location on different panels of the same sample and should not be numbered more than once from each panel. The location of the samples within the panels should be chosen to ensure an unbiased sample.

There is a cut plan based on a sample consisting of four panels, each with a minimum area of ​​1 200 mm x 2 400 mm. For quality control purposes, it may be necessary to establish correlations between results from the test methods listed here and those used in the factory. In this case, consideration should be given to modifying the cutting plan to allow the inclusion of additional test pieces on a "side-fit" basis.

All test pieces shall be conditioned to constant mass in an atmosphere of relative humidity (65 ± 5) % and temperature (20 ± 2) ºC. Constant mass is considered to have been reached when the results of two consecutive weighing operations performed at 24-hour intervals do not differ by more than 0,1% of the mass of the test piece.

If the ambient conditions of the experiment are not the same as in the conditioning chamber, the tests should be carried out immediately after the test pieces are removed from the conditioning chamber. The test methods outlined in this document can also be used in other test environments.

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