When producing our full-framing width stock X-Beam^® we smooth sand both sides and the bottom face, fill any voids over ¾”, and ease the bottom edges. This means your stock beam can be used in any application, including those where the wood is left exposed for aesthetics. X-Beam^® is ready for stain or paint without costly additional jobsite work.

Glulam beams are manufactured in both Balanced and Unbalanced layups. The stock Rosboro X-Beam^® (24F-V4) is an unbalanced layup. In unbalanced beams, the design stress of lumber used on the tension (bottom) side of the beam is higher than the lumber used on the corresponding compression (top) side, allowing a more efficient use of the timber resource. To assure the proper installation of Rosboro X-Beam^® products, the top of the beam is clearly stamped with the word “TOP”, which should be installed upward.  Other Rosboro products, such as Big Beam DF^®, X-Rim, and ESL 1.6E are balanced because they are more commonly used in applications that require that flexibility.

This is most likely what’s called a seasoning check. Glulams are subject to the same seasoning checks or “cracks” as other wood products. Due to the shrinking of wood fibers as moisture is lost to the surrounding atmosphere, this happens naturally. Often, checks will be found near the first glue line, as the bottom lamination has more surface area exposed to the air. Also, a check will normally be found near a glue line where it meets resistance from another lamina. Because of its lower moisture content, glulam will tend to experience less seasoning checking than solid sawn timber, and rarely is the strength of the member compromised. APA publishes the “Owner’s Guide to Understanding Checks in Glued Laminated Timber”, a link to which can be found in the APA Technical Publication section of our

Yes, absolutely. We recommend using oil based paints and stains. Water based paints and stains can cause the glulam to swell and promotes checking.

No, this is an old rule of thumb created when design calculations were all done manually. To save time, designers used to automatically specify a balanced beam in any multi span or cantilever condition. By calculating the beam needed for the longest simple span, they could then use that same size beam for the multi span and cantilever scenarios by specifying balanced layups. A balanced beam is typically more money will not be in stock at distributors, which costs you valuable time. With today’s design software it’s quick and easy to evaluate each span for the most cost-effective beam. 90+% of the time a stock unbalanced X-Beam will work, saving you time and money.

Yes, there is. For these applications Rosboro has developed a hybrid glulam beam called Big Beam DF

By installing the beam upside down, you lose approximately 25% of the beam strength. If possible, flip the beam to the correct orientation. If flipping the beam is not possible, please consult with a licensed professional to decide if the beam is still adequate for the application.

Absolutely! Wood is the most environmentally friendly and sustainable building material in the world. APA has published a detailed Green Verification Report for Rosboro products that outlines which LEED credits are available depending on the standard you are using. You can download this report from the Product Specification and Code Report section of our

Apparent E, the MOE value published for timbers and other solid sawn lumber products, is easiest to work with because it includes both bending deflection and shear deflection. True E does not. Some engineered wood products manufacturers focus their marketing on the True E of their products. Be careful with this; when using True E you must calculate the shear deflection separately from the bending deflection and the two values must be combined for code-compliance.

Rosboro X-Rim is not a fire-retardant-treated (FRT) product, however, in construction where the rim board is required to be 2-hour fire rated glulam rim boards can achieve this rating while safely carrying the design loads. International Building Code Section 722 allows for calculated fire resistance of exposed wood members to be determined from Chapter 16 of the ANSI/AF&PA National Design Specification for Wood Construction (NDS). In a fire the outer portion of a glulam member becomes charred. This layer of charred wood then functions as an insulator helping to protect the undamaged interior of the member from the heat. Chapter 16 of the NDS provides the necessary calculations to determine this effective char depth.

Rosboro’s flagship glulam is the stock X-Beam^®, and our distribution partners keep the most commonly used sizes of X-Beam^® in inventory. This means you can typically get your beams delivered the same or next-day.  For more unique beams, our Western Structures division can custom manufacture and ship as quickly as one week from time of order. You can locate a Rosboro distributor by visiting https://rosboro.com/find-a-distributor/

Yes. Anti-stain is applied right after planing as the wood travels through an in-line spray booth. The formula we use will last up to 120 days, helping to keep our product bright and fresh for that time period.

We manufacture studs using both species but we do not separate them during manufacturing. The product we sell as “Hem-Fir” is typically Coastal Hemlock, which grows west of the Cascade Mountain Range. Our Hemlock generally comes from Western Oregon and Southwest Washington. We also manufacture a True White Fir, which grows in Eastern Oregon and parts of Northern California.

“Wet-use” and “dry-use” are terms associated with end-use conditions and their applicable design stresses. Intermittent exposure to the elements, followed by drying, still refers to “dry-use” even though the glulam beam could be described as wet. The technical measure of “wet” is consistent moisture content within the beam of greater than 16 percent. It is important to emphasize that a moisture content of 16 percent is rarely reached unless the beam is submerged in water, subjected to an artificially humid moisture condition, or in direct contact with the ground. Even in a highly humid artificial moisture environment, moisture content of 16 percent is only reached under unique combinations of relative humidity and temperature. For example, even a beam in an environment having 80 percent relative humidity and a temperature above 70 degrees Fahrenheit will not reach equilibrium moisture content of 16 percent. Because this combination is rarely found in the U.S., ambient-air conditions rarely result in wet-use conditions. However, pockets of moisture may collect even though the wood is protected from decay hazards by pressure treatment.

If you would like a price list, please contact our Lumber Sales office at (888) 393-2304 and we’ll get you set up.

We do not recommend fully encasing a glulam beam, especially in exterior applications. If any type of siding or decorative piece is specified, make sure the beam has adequate ventilation and weep holes to prevent excess moisture from puddling.

We use a resorcinol resin that is brownish-red in color for all of our glulam products. This is a waterproof adhesive, however glulams will still need to be pressure treated if intended for use in exterior applications.

When producing our full-framing width stock X-Beam® we smooth sand both sides and the bottom face, fill any voids over ¾”, and ease the bottom edges. This means your stock beam can be used in any application, including those where the wood is left exposed for aesthetics. X-Beam® is ready for stain or paint without costly additional jobsite work.

Glulam beams are manufactured in both Balanced and Unbalanced layups. The stock Rosboro X-Beam® (24F-V4) is an unbalanced layup. In unbalanced beams, the design stress of lumber used on the tension (bottom) side of the beam is higher than the lumber used on the corresponding compression (top) side, allowing a more efficient use of the timber resource. To assure the proper installation of Rosboro X-Beam® products, the top of the beam is clearly stamped with the word “TOP”, which should be installed upward. Other Rosboro products, such as Big Beam DF®, X-Rim, and ESL 1.6E are balanced because they are more commonly used in applications that require that flexibility.

This is most likely what’s called a seasoning check. Glulams are subject to the same seasoning checks or “cracks” as other wood products. Due to the shrinking of wood fibers as moisture is lost to the surrounding atmosphere, this happens naturally. Often, checks will be found near the first glue line, as the bottom lamination has more surface area exposed to the air. Also, a check will normally be found near a glue line where it meets resistance from another lamina. Because of its lower moisture content, glulam will tend to experience less seasoning checking than solid sawn timber, and rarely is the strength of the member compromised. APA publishes the “Owner’s Guide to Understanding Checks in Glued Laminated Timber”, a link to which can be found in the APA Technical Publication section of our

Yes, absolutely. We recommend using oil based paints and stains. Water based paints and stains can cause the glulam to swell and promotes checking.

No, this is an old rule of thumb created when design calculations were all done manually. To save time, designers used to automatically specify a balanced beam in any multi span or cantilever condition. By calculating the beam needed for the longest simple span, they could then use that same size beam for the multi span and cantilever scenarios by specifying balanced layups. A balanced beam is typically more money will not be in stock at distributors, which costs you valuable time. With today’s design software it’s quick and easy to evaluate each span for the most cost-effective beam. 90+% of the time a stock unbalanced X-Beam will work, saving you time and money.