By QED Consulting Engineers — structural & civil engineers, Notting Hill, Melbourne
Timber has come a long way from sawn hardwood. Engineered timber products — LVL, glulam and cross-laminated timber (CLT) — are manufactured to perform predictably, span further and carry more than natural timber, and they're increasingly used in everything from home renovations to multi-storey "mass timber" buildings. Here's what these products are and where they fit.
What is engineered timber?
Engineered timber is made by bonding timber — veneers, laminations or boards — into products with consistent, reliable structural properties. Because manufacturing removes much of the variability of natural timber, engineers can design with it precisely. The common products are:
- LVL (Laminated Veneer Lumber) — thin veneers bonded together, used widely for beams and lintels where strength and straightness matter
- Glulam (Glue-Laminated Timber) — timber laminations bonded into large beams and columns, capable of long spans and used as an architectural feature
- CLT (Cross-Laminated Timber) — boards layered in alternating directions into large solid panels used for walls and floors
What is "mass timber"?
Mass timber refers to construction using large, solid engineered timber elements — primarily CLT and glulam — as the main structure, including for multi-storey buildings. Instead of a steel or concrete frame, the building's structure is substantially timber.
It's one of the more significant shifts in construction, driven partly by sustainability: timber stores carbon and generally has lower embodied carbon than steel or concrete, and mass timber elements are prefabricated for fast, precise assembly.
Engineered timber in everyday projects
You don't need a multi-storey building to use engineered timber. In ordinary residential work, LVL beams are extremely common — when you remove a wall or span an opening, an LVL is often the beam doing the job. Glulam appears where a longer span or an exposed structural feature is wanted. So engineered timber spans the full range, from a single beam in a renovation to an entire building.
What the engineer considers
Designing with engineered timber involves:
- Product selection — matching the right product to the span, load and application
- Design to the timber standard (AS 1720) and the NCC
- Connections — how timber elements join, which is critical to performance
- Fire performance — mass timber has particular fire design considerations that are well understood but must be addressed
- Moisture and durability detailing
Our residential structural engineering team designs with engineered timber every day, and our commercial engineering team works with mass timber on larger projects — with complex elements supported by finite element analysis.
Is timber as good as steel or concrete?
It's not a question of one being universally better — it's about the right material for the project. Engineered timber offers strength-to-weight, speed of prefabricated construction, warmth as an exposed finish, and sustainability benefits. Steel and concrete have their own strengths. Increasingly, buildings combine materials, and part of the engineer's role is advising which suits your project.
Considering engineered or mass timber?
Talk to a Melbourne structural engineer about whether it suits your project.
Frequently asked questions
What is engineered timber?
Timber manufactured by bonding veneers, laminations or boards into products with consistent structural properties — including LVL, glulam and CLT.
What is mass timber / CLT?
Mass timber is construction using large solid engineered timber elements as the main structure. CLT (cross-laminated timber) is a panel product used for walls and floors in mass timber buildings.
Is timber as strong as steel?
Engineered timber offers excellent strength-to-weight and can span and carry a great deal. The best material depends on the project — buildings increasingly combine timber, steel and concrete.
Is mass timber fire-safe?
Mass timber has specific, well-understood fire design considerations that a structural engineer and the wider team address as part of the design.
