Stronger, stiffer, and harder

PROLAM’s laminated floors have superior mechanical properties
when compared to alternative oak floors

The table below shows all the species used by PROLAM to produce
its laminated floors in comparison with species used by the laminated oak floor producers.

		MECHANICAL & PHYSICAL PROPERTIES *
			STATIC BENDING
		Shear parallel to grain		Modulus of Rupture		Modulus of Elasticity		Work to maximum load
WHAT DOES IT MEAN?		Strength between wood fibers		Strength		Stiffness		Ability to absorb shock
PROLAM FLOORS		Lbs / Sq. in.		Lbs / Sq. in.		Lbs / Sq. in.		ln * lbs / Cu. in.
HARD MAPLE		2 330		15 800		1 830 000		16.5
AMERICAN BIRCH		1 880		16 600		2 010 000		20.8
AMERICAN BEECH		2 010		14 900		1 720 000		15.1
AMERICAN RED MAPLE		1 850		13 400		1 640 000		12.5
COMPETITION OAK FLOORS
WHITE OAK		2 000		15 200		1 780 000		14.8
RED OAK NORTHERN		1 780		14 300		1 820 000		14.5
RED OAK SOUTHERN		1 390		10 900		1 490 000		9.4
CHESTNUT OAK		1 490		13 300		1 590 00		11.0

* Ref: United State Department of Agriculture Forest Product Laboratory, at Madison Wisconsin FPL-GTR-123 &83

All the wood species used by PROLAM are either similar
or better than the species used by laminated oak floor producers

However, trailer, container and truck body floors cannot be judged on wood alone.

How the floor is made is a lot more important than what it is made of.

Our leading-edge manufacturing process takes into account how the wood is dried, how it is prepared before gluing, the type and way it is glued, and what type of finishing is used. PROLAM also factors in how the laminated floor is installed, including the distance between cross-members, the number of mounting screws, and the frame design. All contribute to minimizing the accumulation of humidity and preventing floor degradation.

PROLAM's innovative Zig-Zag joints further reduce floor stresses and increase fatigue resistance against daily loading and unloading to extend the useful life of your customers' trailer floors. An old-style laminated floor using hook joints has less than half the fatigue resistance as a PROLAM floor using Zig-Zag joints.

More about Zig-Zag here.

In a nutshell:
PROLAM's stronger and more durable floors mean that you will have
low maintenance costs and will require fewer replacement floors.