Typical types of wood used for roof sheathing are oriented strand board known as osb and plywood the most popular being osb.
													
																	Osb sheathing thickness for roofs. 
									
	
		
	
																	A homeowner recently wrote and asked me the following regarding osb roof decking. 
																	Thermostat 7 16 cat ps2 10 osb sheathing application as 4 x 8. 
																	For pricing and availability. 
																	Panel thickness will also affect permeability using the 2 perm variable of 7 16ths osb sheathing at 3 4 thickness the permeability drops to 2 3rds of a perm. 
															
													
									
	
		
	
																	For rafters spaced 20 or more inches apart 1 2 or 5 8 inch plywood is recommended. 
																	Keep in mind that the load of the roof still plays a role in the plywood thickness. 
																	For pricing and availability. 
																	Thicknesses range from 5 16 to 3 4 inch and the proper one. 
															
													
									
	
		
	
																	For the curious 7 16 osb has a span rating of 24 16 and with supports every 24 inches is good for a roof live load of 40 psf pounds per square foot with a 10 psf dead load. 
																	Many homes have rafters that are even wider at 24 inches apart and will require a thicker sheet of plywood. 
																	Using osb osb comes in 4 by 8 foot sheets as does plywood but the manufacturing process allows the production of longer and wider ones. 
																	The most common rafter spacing is 24 inches and 5 8 inch plywood is recommended for that. 
															
													
									
	
		
	
																	Oriented strand board commonly referred to as osb is a type of engineered lumber similar to particle board formed by adding adhesives and then compressing layers of wood strands. 
																	For heavier loads a 40 20 rated panel 19 32 or 5 8 will support a 130 psf live load and 48 24 rated panels 23 32 or are good to175 psf. 
																	Osb is widely used as roof decking material. 
																	The thickness required by josh s circumstances are good for roof snow loads of up to 70 psf again spanning 24. 
															
													
									
	
		
	
																	It will support roof. 
																	Osb roof decking thickness 7 16 1 2 or 5 8 currently we space rafters 16 oc and use 7 16 osb with h clips. 
																	We re in dallas so we don t engineer for tremendous live loads for an asphalt shingle and we feel comfortable with 16 oc rafter spacing and 7 16 osb decking. 
																	With edge support and the same snow load 3 8 inch osb can be used. 
															
													
									
	
		
	
																	A flatter roof with rafters farther apart may need a thickness of up to inch. 
																	Plywood s advantage over osb. 
																	When this is the case experts recommend a 5 8 inch thick sheet.