Ecological Building Systems are delighted to introduce an innovative new wood particle board, elka strong board, to Ireland and the UK.

elka strong board (esb), is a high performance diffusion open, structural, wood particle board. esb is suitable for external or internal use. The boards are intended for use in load-bearing structural elements in humid conditions and categorised as a P5 racking board in accordance with EN 312. elka strong boards are produced by Elka-Holzwerke, a wood particle board manufacture based in Germany.

elka strong boards were successfully introduced to the German timber and building materials trade in 2009.

The boards have considerably less risk of swelling compared to OSB3, a critical property in our humid climate. They also feature superior transverse tensile strength compared to OSB3 (approx. 40% more). This ensures superior screw and nail extraction properties. The bending strength and modulus of elasticity of esb boards are the same in both directions, unlike OSB boards, where the value is halved across the width. This in turn greatly simplifies the installation process and minimises the risk of errors on site.

The boards may be applied internally or externally and are compatible with diffusion open breathable wall and roof structures. With a µ value of only 24, elka strong boards are over 6 times more diffusion open in comparison to many OSB3 boards. This significantly increases the ability for walls and roofs to dry out in the event of unforeseen moisture entry. Due to the board’s exceptional low vapour resistance, they may be used as an internal racking board in conjunction with Intelligent Vapour Checks, such as INTELLO PLUS, without inhibiting the performance of the Intelligent membrane from a vapour diffusion perspective.

In recognition of its unique hygrothermal characteristics, elka strong boards material properties are also now included in the material database of the advanced hygrothermal software programme, WUFI (www.WUFI.de).

As the boards utilise exclusively virgin green wood chips from a neighbouring sawmill minimal processing is required. This ensures the boards are practically odourless due to their low VOC emissions, which in turn contribute to a healthy indoor climate.

The board may also be applied internally as a surface finish. Thanks to the board’s sanded and virtually sealed surface, this enables water-vapour-permeable varnishes, paints and adhesives to be directly applied.

The wood required to manufacture elka strong board is sourced from sustainably managed forests and the boards are PEFC, and CE certified.

More information or product samples may be requested on info@ecologicalbuildingsystems.com