Engineered Header Stock Several manufacturers of engineered wood products introduced new header materials: MacMillan Bloedel has sized their engineered beams to better fit residential scales and budgets. The new Parallam 269 measures 211/16 inches thick, which is easily shimmed with 1x2 strapping to match a 2x4 wall. Two pieces can be ganged to match a 2x6 wall. The new size is meant to compete with LVL beams (such as Micro-lams), and residential-scale glulams. The manufacturer claims the parallel-strand lumber (PSL) headers are more dimensionally stable than LVLs which reportedly can cup or twist. The design values of 269s are higher than 13/4-inch LVLs of equal width. And unlike most glulams, the 269 beams are available in standard widths between 91/4 and 16 inches.
