{"id":858,"date":"2026-08-07T17:44:46","date_gmt":"2026-08-07T15:44:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fixwoodsystem.pl\/guides\/screws-for-beech-lvl\/"},"modified":"2026-10-01T14:40:22","modified_gmt":"2026-10-01T12:40:22","slug":"screws-for-beech-lvl","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/fixwoodsystem.pl\/en\/guides\/screws-for-beech-lvl\/","title":{"rendered":"Screws for beech laminated veneer lumber"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"lead\">Beech laminated veneer lumber is several times stronger than spruce and exactly as much harder to screw into. An ordinary structural screw is not intended to be driven into it without a pilot hole - but in a pre-drilled hole ETA-11\/0024 gives a full set of design values for it.<\/p>\n<nav class=\"fws-spis\" aria-labelledby=\"fws-spis-tytul\">\n<p class=\"fws-spis-tytul\" id=\"fws-spis-tytul\">Contents (13 sections)<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><a href=\"#why-an-ordinary-screw-cannot-cope-without-pre-drilling\">Why an ordinary screw cannot cope without pre-drilling<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#what-sets-a-joint-in-beech-apart\">What sets a joint in beech apart<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#why-lvl-behaves-differently-from-solid-timber\">Why LVL behaves differently from solid timber<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#what-beech-lvl-actually-is\">What beech LVL actually is<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#applications\">Applications<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#the-limitation-to-know-before-ordering\">The limitation to know before ordering<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#pre-drilling-in-beech-lvl-mandatory\">Pre-drilling in beech LVL - mandatory<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#when-the-head-has-already-sheared\">When the head has already sheared<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#installation-what-is-worth-checking\">Installation - what is worth checking<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#when-lvl-is-overkill\">When LVL is overkill<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#the-product\">The product<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#what-this-guide-does-not-settle\">What this guide does not settle<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#in-short\">In short<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/nav>\n<p><!--fws-spis-wyglad--><\/p>\n<style class=\"fws-spis-wyglad\">\n.fws-spis{--s-paper:#FBFAF7;--s-bone:#F0EDE7;--s-ink:#14161A;--s-tekst:#4a4d52;\n  --s-cichy:#6E675F;--s-ramka:#e2ddd3;--s-linia:#ece7dd;--s-akcent:#E2541C;\n  margin:1.6rem 0 2.2rem;border:1px solid var(--s-ramka);border-radius:4px;\n  background:var(--s-paper);overflow:hidden}\n.fws-spis-tytul{margin:0;padding:12px 16px;background:var(--s-bone);\n  border-bottom:1px solid var(--s-ramka);\n  font:600 .72rem\/1.3 \"IBM Plex Mono\",ui-monospace,monospace;\n  letter-spacing:.12em;text-transform:uppercase;color:var(--s-cichy)}\n.fws-spis ol{margin:0;padding:0;list-style:none;counter-reset:fws-s}\n@media(min-width:760px){\n  .fws-spis ol{display:grid;grid-template-columns:1fr 1fr}\n  .fws-spis li:nth-child(odd){border-right:1px solid var(--s-linia)}\n}\n.fws-spis li{counter-increment:fws-s;margin:0;border-bottom:1px solid var(--s-linia)}\n.fws-spis a{display:block;padding:11px 16px 11px 40px;position:relative;\n  font-size:14px;line-height:1.45;color:var(--s-tekst);text-decoration:none;\n  transition:background .12s,color .12s}\n.fws-spis a::before{content:counter(fws-s,decimal-leading-zero);position:absolute;\n  left:16px;top:12px;font:400 11px\/1 \"IBM Plex Mono\",ui-monospace,monospace;\n  color:var(--s-cichy);font-variant-numeric:tabular-nums}\n.fws-spis a:hover{background:var(--s-bone);color:var(--s-ink);\n  box-shadow:inset 3px 0 0 var(--s-akcent)}\n.fws-spis a:focus-visible{outline:2px solid var(--s-akcent);outline-offset:-2px}\n.entry-content h2[id]{scroll-margin-top:96px}\n@media(prefers-reduced-motion:reduce){.fws-spis a{transition:none}}\n<\/style>\n<p><!--\/fws-spis-wyglad--><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"why-an-ordinary-screw-cannot-cope-without-pre-drilling\">Why an ordinary screw cannot cope without pre-drilling<\/h2>\n<p>The density of beech LVL is far above that of softwood. ETA-11\/0024 relates the capacity of screws in beech LVL to a reference density of <strong>730 kg\/m\u00b3<\/strong>, and in softwood to <strong>350 kg\/m\u00b3<\/strong>. Without a pilot hole, driving resistance rises so much that the screw can reach its <strong>breaking torque<\/strong> before it gets to full depth.<\/p>\n<p>The result: a sheared head and a shank jammed in material you can no longer extract with a drill - the deeper it sits, the less can be done. This is not a faulty individual screw; it is installation outside the conditions the screw is described for: for ordinary structural screws, the ETA provides for <strong>pre-drilled holes<\/strong> in beech LVL.<\/p>\n<p class=\"fws-ramka fws-ramka--stop\">The worst version of this problem is the quiet one: the head does not shear, but the TX drive rounds out halfway. The screw is then left short of depth, looks seated, and the joint does not have the assumed capacity.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"what-sets-a-joint-in-beech-apart\">What sets a joint in beech apart<\/h2>\n<p>ETA-11\/0024 describes two routes for beech LVL, and it is worth telling them apart before you order anything:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Screws intended to be driven without pre-drilling.<\/strong> The document gives separate values for them in non-pre-drilled beech LVL - these are LBS and WBS ZK Hardwood. FixWoodSystem does not currently stock them.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Ordinary structural screws in pre-drilled holes.<\/strong> KonstruX, Paneltwistec and WBS have values in the ETA for pre-drilled beech LVL. KonstruX from our range follows this route.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>So the difference lies in the installation method, not in whether the joint can be calculated. Pre-drilling costs time at every fastener - and in prefabrication the cycle matters, not the individual hole - but in return you get a joint described in the ETA and parameters the designer can put into the calculation.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"why-lvl-behaves-differently-from-solid-timber\" class=\"fws-znak fws-znak--wazne\">Why LVL behaves differently from solid timber<\/h2>\n<p>Beech LVL is made of bonded veneer layers whose fibres mostly run in one direction. That gives it its strength, but it also brings three properties that surprise people during installation.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>It is homogeneous.<\/strong> No knots, no weaker zones - resistance is the same all the way down. The screw does not &#8220;drop&#8221; into a soft spot, so it gives no warning before overload.<\/li>\n<li><strong>The glue lines are harder than the wood.<\/strong> The screw cuts through them every few millimetres, which adds to the torque.<\/li>\n<li><strong>It delaminates when it fails.<\/strong> Damage does not run along one growth ring but between the layers - and it is often larger than it looks from outside.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 id=\"what-beech-lvl-actually-is\">What beech LVL actually is<\/h2>\n<p>LVL stands for laminated veneer lumber. It is made from peeled veneer bonded under pressure, with the fibres in most layers running lengthwise.<\/p>\n<p>Beech is used here for a reason: it is hard and dense, and reducing it to veneer removes its natural weaknesses - knots and spiral grain. The result is a material whose <strong>repeatability is closer to steel than to solid timber<\/strong>: two members from the same batch behave alike, which cannot be said of two beams.<\/p>\n<p>That repeatability is why LVL goes into prefabrication - and equally why the fastener and the installation method have to be matched exactly. In solid timber, natural variation leaves room for error. Here there is none: if the torque is too high, it is too high on every screw, not on every tenth.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"applications\">Applications<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Joining beech-veneer panel members to one another.<\/li>\n<li>Fixing solid timber, engineered wood and steel to them.<\/li>\n<li>Prefabrication of structural components - where a repeatable assembly cycle counts.<\/li>\n<li>Joints where an LVL member meets a gusset plate or a steel bracket.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 id=\"the-limitation-to-know-before-ordering\" class=\"fws-znak fws-znak--stop\">The limitation to know before ordering<\/h2>\n<p>The second question besides capacity is the <strong>service class<\/strong>. EN 1995-1-1 (Eurocode 5) defines it by the moisture conditions the timber works in, not by what the structure is called:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Class 1<\/strong> - a moisture content corresponding to a temperature of 20\u00b0C and a relative humidity of the surrounding air exceeding 65% for only a few weeks per year. Example: a heated interior.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Class 2<\/strong> - as above, but with an 85% threshold. Example: a covered, unheated space that water does not reach.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Class 3<\/strong> - conditions leading to higher moisture content than class 2. Example: a member that gets wet.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The designer assigns the class to each member - the same carport can have members in class 2 and in class 3. KonstruX from our range is <strong>galvanised<\/strong> carbon steel. ETA-11\/0024 states a mean zinc coating thickness of 5 \u00b5m for such screws and stipulates that the corrosion protection must suit the service class and the expected working life. Thin galvanising is not a durable outdoor solution - with tannin-bearing timber <a href=\"https:\/\/fixwoodsystem.pl\/en\/guides\/oak-larch-and-zinc\/\">even less so<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>That is a different question from strength and the easiest one to confuse, because the limitation does not look like a number.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"pre-drilling-in-beech-lvl-mandatory\" class=\"fws-znak fws-znak--uwaga\">Pre-drilling in beech LVL - mandatory<\/h2>\n<p>For KonstruX, ETA-11\/0024 gives values in beech LVL for pre-drilled holes only, and for Paneltwistec screws it states plainly that holes in beech LVL to EN 14374 must always be pre-drilled. In practice: <strong>every hole for KonstruX in beech LVL is pre-drilled<\/strong>. The drill hole diameters from the ETA table for the sizes we stock:<\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<th>Screw diameter<\/th>\n<th>Hole in beech LVL<\/th>\n<th>For comparison: softwood<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>5.2 mm<\/td>\n<td>3.5 mm<\/td>\n<td>3.0 mm<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>5.9 mm<\/td>\n<td>4.0 mm<\/td>\n<td>3.5 mm<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>6.5 mm<\/td>\n<td>5.0 mm<\/td>\n<td>4.0 mm<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>8.0 mm<\/td>\n<td>6.0 mm<\/td>\n<td>5.0 mm<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<p>Pre-drilling to the ETA table does not replace designing the joint, but the ETA gives all the values for it. The withdrawal parameter f<sub>ax,k<\/sub> that the ETA gives for KonstruX in pre-drilled beech LVL is <strong>31 N\/mm\u00b2<\/strong> for diameters of 5-7 mm and <strong>25 N\/mm\u00b2<\/strong> for 8-10 mm - against 15 N\/mm\u00b2 for the same screws in softwood LVL. When such a document is needed and how to read it is covered in the <a href=\"https:\/\/fixwoodsystem.pl\/en\/guides\/eta-when-needed\/\">guide to ETA<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"when-the-head-has-already-sheared\">When the head has already sheared<\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>Do not try to back the shank out with a drill.<\/strong> With no head there is nothing to grip, and heating the material makes things worse.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Do not put a new screw beside it on the same axis.<\/strong> The shank inside is an obstruction; the new fastener will wander off line and delaminate the material.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Move to a permissible distance<\/strong> and set the new fastener there. If the design does not allow that shift, the decision belongs to the designer, not the installer.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Record the location.<\/strong> The shank stays in the component and will surprise anyone drilling nearby later.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>With LVL it is therefore cheaper to pre-drill every hole than to rescue the situation afterwards - one damaged joint often costs more than the time it takes to pre-drill the whole batch.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"installation-what-is-worth-checking\">Installation - what is worth checking<\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>Drill diameter from the ETA table, not by eye.<\/strong> A bit chosen for softwood is too small in beech - for every size in the table above the difference is 0.5-1.0 mm.<\/li>\n<li><strong>The torque setting on the driver.<\/strong> Set it rather than tightening by feel. Homogeneous LVL gives no warning signal before overload.<\/li>\n<li><strong>A TX bit in good condition that fits the drive.<\/strong> A worn bit destroys the drive in seconds at high torque. It is the cheapest part of the set and the most common cause of trouble.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Spacing and edge distance.<\/strong> For screws in pre-drilled holes the ETA refers to EN 1995-1-1, clause 8.3.1.2 and table 8.2 - as for nails in pre-drilled holes. LVL delaminates at an edge, and damage travels between layers rather than along a growth ring - it looks small from outside and reaches deeper.<\/li>\n<li><strong>The angle from the design.<\/strong> For LVL the ETA distinguishes the angle between screw axis and grain from the angle to the wide face of the member - both enter the calculation, so the screw goes in exactly as it was calculated.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h2 id=\"when-lvl-is-overkill\">When LVL is overkill<\/h2>\n<p>Honest in the other direction as well: if the design gives no reason to use beech LVL, there is no reason to take on pre-drilling at every fastener either.<\/p>\n<p>LVL is chosen where <strong>high capacity in a small section<\/strong> or repeatability in prefabrication is needed: lintels, beams, hall components, frames. In a typical softwood structure the same KonstruX goes in without pre-drilling - the ETA allows both methods in softwood - so installation is noticeably faster.<\/p>\n<p>It is worth saying, because LVL is sometimes chosen &#8220;just in case&#8221;. If a softwood section is enough, you save on both material and installation time.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"the-product\">The product<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/fixwoodsystem.pl\/en\/product\/konstrux-full-thread-cylinder-head\/\">KonstruX - full-thread screw with cylinder head<\/a> - galvanised steel with blue zinc coating, number <strong>ETA-11\/0024<\/strong> in the specification on the product page. In our range, <strong>30 variants<\/strong>: diameters <strong>\u00d8 5.2, 5.9, 6.5 and 8.0 mm<\/strong>, lengths <strong>80-330 mm<\/strong>, packs of 100 (\u00d8 5.2-6.5 mm) and of 50 (\u00d8 8.0 mm). In beech LVL - always into a pre-drilled hole.<\/p>\n<p>Screws for beech LVL without pre-drilling do exist in the ETA, but FixWoodSystem does not stock them. Beech LVL behaves differently from softwood, and that is the most common source of selection errors. <a href=\"https:\/\/fixwoodsystem.pl\/en\/contact\/\">Write to us<\/a> if you want the choice confirmed before ordering - tell us the member thicknesses and what is being fixed to what.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"what-this-guide-does-not-settle\">What this guide does not settle<\/h2>\n<p>Capacity figures for a specific joint. They depend on member thicknesses, the direction of loading, the angles and what is fixed to what - ETA-11\/0024 provides the method and the parameters, and the designer calculates the result for your joint.<\/p>\n<p>Nor does it settle whether a particular LVL product falls within the scope of the ETA. The values for beech LVL apply to beech LVL to EN 14374; any other engineered wood product has to be checked against its own documentation.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"in-short\">In short<\/h2>\n<p>In beech LVL an ordinary structural screw <strong>is not intended to be driven without a pilot hole<\/strong> - the problem is breaking torque, not length. With pre-drilling the picture changes: ETA-11\/0024 gives KonstruX in pre-drilled beech LVL a withdrawal parameter of 31 N\/mm\u00b2 (\u00d8 5-7 mm) and 25 N\/mm\u00b2 (\u00d8 8-10 mm). Two things belong before the order: <strong>every hole is pre-drilled<\/strong> to the diameter in the ETA table, and <strong>corrosion protection is matched to the service class<\/strong>, which is set by the moisture of the timber, not by the name of the structure.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Beech LVL is so dense that an ordinary construction screw snaps in it. What sets a screw made for beech apart.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":1936,"parent":854,"menu_order":40,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"template-guide.php","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-858","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fixwoodsystem.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/858","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fixwoodsystem.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fixwoodsystem.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fixwoodsystem.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=858"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/fixwoodsystem.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/858\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2317,"href":"https:\/\/fixwoodsystem.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/858\/revisions\/2317"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fixwoodsystem.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/854"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fixwoodsystem.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1936"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fixwoodsystem.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=858"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}