SmartLVL 15 H3 400 x 42 2.7m SL1540042H327

This 2.7 m length is a Tilling Timber SmartFrame SmartLVL 15 beam, 400 mm deep by 42 mm thick. Kiln-dried spruce veneers are laminated to AS/NZS 4357 and sold in fixed sections and lengths.

Cutting

• Do not resaw through the thickness.
• Depth rips must match a published smaller size.

Treatment

H3 LOSP treatment to AS/NZS 1604.4 suits above-ground framing with periodic wetting, against moderate decay, borers and termites. Keep it out of the ground and away from fascias, pergolas and faces that trap water. Coat every cut, notch and hole. The factory sealer sheds rain during storage and construction, when framed members may see weather for a limited time, usually not more than 3 months, and it does not totally waterproof the LVL.

Installation

• Joists, bearers, lintels, rafters, hanging beams, counter beams, strutting beams and underpurlins are sized from the SmartLVL 15 tables or an engineer.
• Design span runs to the centre of the required bearing, not across a thick wall.
• Restrain hanging, counter and strutting beams with blocking, a top tie or a galvanised strap.
• Do not skew-nail a rafter to an underpurlin parallel to the veneers, or birdsmouth that way.
• Inside AS 1684.2, one diagram allows one hole in any 1800 mm of span and the other allows three; otherwise ask an engineer.
• Use hot-dipped galvanised or stainless fasteners on exposed work, and a rated hanger for heavier joints.
• Wait seven days before painting, and prime faces and cuts.

Storage

• Store packs flat and off the ground, on bearers at most four metres apart, under a breathable cover.
• Wet LVL loses strength in the short term while wet, and some thickness swelling may not fully recover after drying.

Documents

• SmartLVL 15 Design Guide 2026 Edition 1
• SmartLVL 15 Design Guide Edition 1 2021