When building a shed I asked myself the question, can I use chipboard for my shed roof? It seems like a more cost-effective option rather than plywood. So that led me to research that as well as other options and this is what I found.
It’s not recommended to use chipboard for a shed roof. Even water proofed chipboard covered by metal or tile roofing is susceptible to retaining moisture and warping making it a poor choice for roof structural support, decreasing the roofs longevity. OSB or plywood are much better options.
Moisture is everywhere. Given enough time, it will cause damage to standard chipboard. Water gets trapped inside the individual wood particles inside the wood. Even high density chipboard usually lasts a few years at best before it needs to be replaced. With all that said, lets look into what is good about chipboard and why it may not be the best choice for what we want to accomplish.
Can You Use Chipboard For A Shed Roof? Tips and Tricks
If you already have your mind set on using chipboard whether it is for its insulating properties or price there are distinct options available. Price is not everything if your shed roof turns out very weak. You need a certain amount of strength in your shed roof, but your shed roof does not necessarily have to be strong enough to hold you like we talk about here.
- Standard chipboard is made by compressing wood-waste, chips, shavings, and sawdust together with resin to make it all stick together.
- Water resistant chipboard has a lamination over it to protect against water.
- OSB (Oriented strand board) is one of the best qualities of chipboard available. It’s made of large strands of wood that are oriented strategically, glued, and pressed under high temperatures for increased strength.
If you decide to use chipboard for your shed roof framing, use the following techniques to reduce the risk of warping later on. However I encourage you to read on below because you should know the risks of using even the highest quality chipboard before making it the bones of any structure.
- Get the option that is most water resistant. This will likely mean OSB even though OSB is known for swelling at the edges and retaining moisture for longer periods of time.
- Stand the chipboard vertically or lay it down horizontally in the house or garage for 48 hours to allow the wood to acclimate to the humidity in the area. That way it won’t deform once it’s been nailed down. Don’t lean the board against anything as the weight will bend it.
- Use wood glue on areas that you are nailing or screwing down for extra strength.
- Allow for proper spacing when laying your OSB . Expansion and contraction of wood are inevitable. That’s why you need some spacing between the sheets as you lay them on the shed’s roof beams, roughly 1/16 of an inch.
- Check the weather forecast for the week to plan the installation of the panels during a dry period. Rain or snow will warp the chipboard quickly. It’s best to get the boards up in the morning and then get the metal or plastic roofing over the chipboard before nightfall to avoid even the condensation over night.
Now that we have discussed the generally what to do, lets look specifically into OSB and its uses.
Oriented Strand Board (OSB)
Pros and Cons Of OSB VS Plywood
Chipboard manufacturing has come a long way in terms of quality and options due to advances in technology and has become a lot stronger, more consistent and durable than before. Below is a quick reference for the pros and cons of using OSB for your shed roof.
| PROS | CONS |
| More affordable than plywood and solid wood | When moisture is present, even in small amounts, it can cause it to swell and deform |
| Treated with chemicals to make them flame retardant and pest resistant | The grip strength of screws in chipboard is significantly less than in plywood |
| OSB is as strong, if not stronger, than plywood in many applications | In comparison to the vast majority of chipboard and OSB, plywood lasts much longer in outside environments. |
The United States and Canada produce more OSB than the rest of the world combined.
As the name suggests, these wooden sheets are made by orienting large strands of wood together to create large, flat boards. The strands of wood are strategically positioned for maximum strength, the external strands are aligned with the panels strength axes and the internal strands are perpendicular. Research, such as this article from the Department of Environmental Conservation states that in many applications, OSB is a stronger alternative to plywood.
OSB is stronger than plywood in shear. Shear values, through its thickness, are about 2 times greater than plywood.
department of environmental conservation, university of massachusett
In the creation of OSB bonding agents help stick the strands together as they’re pressed together under high pressure. At the same time, the press heats the wood strands together with the bonding resin to cure and strengthen it.
The high density of OSB reduces the rate at which it absorbs water, but it is still prone to swelling at the edges. It also retains water for longer when it is absorbed for the exact same reason.
OSB is a suitable alternative if you don’t have the budget for higher quality plywood or solid wood, but it spending the extra on quality plywood will likely increase the life of your shed roof. If OSB is your final choice than ensure to pay extra care when waterproofing your shed roof to ensure that
What is Best Alternative To Chipboard?
Plywood is far more reliable for the long term and even though it’s about 50% more expensive than chipboard but generally less than $5 per panel more expensive than OSB, plywood is better value for money because it will last at least twice as long in the majority of cases. Some very new OSB may possibly still last for decades, however it has not been around for long enough to determine exactly how long we can expect it to last.
| PROS | CONS |
| Cheaper than solid wood, but still holds more than enough weight. | More expensive than chipboard and OSB |
| Although it still absorbs moisture, it can absorb and dry many times without warping or breaking | Still needs to be waterproofed for outside use |
| Screws and nails hold stronger to plywood compared to chipboard or OSB | |
| Reacts better to stain/treatment and is visually more appealing |
If you are looking to treat your shed roof or paint your shed roof, there are ways we have found best. If it were up to me I would go with plywood over OSB or chipboard every time because I know that it would pay me back with years. A little money saved now could mean more spent later.
If your wondering what exactly makes plywood better, you can read below to understand how it is made.
What Makes Plywood Stronger?
Plywood is made with giant lathes that cut massive sheets out of tree trunks. The sheets of wood are sent down the production line where they’re checked for quality and consistency. The long sheets of wood are cut into large square or rectangular boards.
Glue is applied, and the boards are placed on top of each other. Each sheet is rotated 90 degrees as they are being stacked. This layering technique gives the final product very high strength vs weight as the wood grain is oriented in both directions multiple times. The stacked boards are then pressed and cured by heavy duty presses.
The fact that plywood is just multiple layers of wood bonded together, makes it very similar to solid wood. OSB, however is still stronger in certain applications.
Conclusion
While you can use chipboard for your shed roof framing, it’s important that you choose one of the highest qualities available. OSB is the highest grade of chipboard you can get, as it’s made of bigger shavings of wood that are stuck together strategically to get a decent amount of strength and durability out of it. However, even this grade of chipboard will not fare well in areas of high humidity, like the coastline.
With a shed being outside in the elements, it’s not a good idea to use it for any part of the shed, it’s too susceptible to swelling even if it’s under a well-sealed roof.
Plywood is a far better solution and will last much longer in any situation. It’s easier to drive screws and nails through because of the solid wood grain, and you can treat the plywood with wood finishes to protect the wood and make it look better. Plywood will last many years in your shed if the roofing on top of it has no leaks. If there are leaks, it will take a lot longer to deteriorate compared to chipboard.