This international standard was developed in accordance with internationally recognized principles on standardization established in the Decision on Principles

for the
Development of International Standards, Guides and Recommendations issued by the World Trade Organization Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee.

Designation: D1037 − 12

Standard Test Methods for

Evaluating Properties of Wood-Base Fiber and Particle
Panel Materials1
This standard is issued under the fixed designation D1037; the number immediately following the designation indicates the year of
original adoption or, in the case of revision, the year of last revision. A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval. A
superscript epsilon (´) indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.
This standard has been approved for use by agencies of the U.S. Department of Defense.

INTRODUCTION

The test methods presented herein have been developed and are presented to serve two distinct
purposes. They are divided into two parts.
Part A. General Test Methods for Evaluating the Basic Properties of Wood-Base Fiber and Particle
Panel Materials—Part A is for use in obtaining basic properties suitable for comparison studies with
other materials of construction. These refined test methods are applicable for this purpose to all
materials covered by Definitions D1554.
Part B. Acceptance and Specification Test Methods for Hardboard—Part B is for specific use in
specifications for procurement and acceptance testing of hardboard. These test methods are generally
employed for those purposes in the industry. By confining their intended use as indicated, it has been
possible to achieve adequate precision of results combined with economy and speed in testing, which
are desirable for specification use.
The choice between a particular test method and its alternative should be made with a full
understanding of the intended purpose of each, because values obtained from tests may, in some cases,
differ. Of the test methods presented in both parts, some have been in generally accepted use for many
years, some are modifications and refinements of previously developed test methods, and some are
more recent developments. Where test methods are suitable for more than one of the purposes, they
are delineated in Part A, but not repeated in Part B. It is the intent that reference to the appropriate
section of the test method shall suffice in specifications developed for the different materials.

1. Scope Section
Significance and Use 3
1.1 Part A—General Test Methods for Evaluating the Basic Apparatus 4
Properties of Wood-Base Fiber and Particle Panel Materials. Test Specimens 5
Moisture Content and Conditioning Requirements 6
These test methods cover the determination of the properties of Accelerated Aging 7
wood-base fiber and particle panel materials that are produced Size, Physical Properties and Appearance of Panels 8
as mat-formed panels such as particleboard, medium-density Static Bending 9
Tension Parallel to Surface 10
fiberboard, hardboard, and oriented strand board. Tension Perpendicular to Surface 11
Compression Parallel to Surface 12
Fastener Holding Tests:
Lateral Nail Resistance 13
1
These test methods are under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee D07 on Nail Withdrawal 14
Wood and are the direct responsibility of Subcommittee D07.03 on Panel Products. Nail-Head Pull-Through 15
Current edition approved May 1, 2012. Published June 2012. Originally Direct Screw Withdrawal 16
approved in 1949. Last previous edition approved in 2006 as D1037 – 06a. DOI: Hardness 17
10.1520/D1037-12. Hardness Modulus 18

Copyright © ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, PO Box C700, West Conshohocken, PA 19428-2959. United States

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 D1037 − 12

Section TABLE 1 Basic Test Procedures for Evaluating Properties of

Shear in the Plane of the Panel 19 Wood Base-Fiber and Particle Panel Materials
Glue-Line Shear (Block Type) 20 ASTM
Falling Ball Impact 21 Test Methods for
Designation
Abrasion Resistance by the U.S. Navy Wear Tester 22
Moisture Tests: C177 Steady-State Heat-Flux Measurements and Thermal Transmission
Water Absorption and Thickness Swelling 23 Properties by Means of the Guarded-Hot-Plate ApparatusA
Linear Expansion with Change in Moisture Content 24 C209 Cellulosic Fiber Insulating BoardA
Cupping and Twisting 25 C236 Steady-State Thermal Performance of Building Assemblies by
Interlaminar Shear 26 Means of the Guarded Hot BoxA
Edgewise Shear 27 C384 Impedance and Absorption of Acoustical Materials by the Imped-
Compression-Shear 28 ance Tube MethodA
C423 Sound Absorption and Sound Absorption Coefficients by the Re-
1.2 Part B—Acceptance and Specification Test Methods for verberation Room MethodA
Hardboard. The methods for Part B provide test procedures for D149 Dielectric Breakdown Voltage and Dielectric Strength of Solid Elec-
trical Insulating Materials at Commercial Power FrequenciesB
measuring the following properties of hardboard: D150 A-C Loss Characteristics and Permittivity (Dielectric Constant) of
Section Solid Electrical Insulating MaterialsB
Thickness 32 D257 D-C Resistance or Conductance of Insulating MaterialsB
Modulus of Rupture 33 D495 High-Voltage, Low-Current, Dry Arc Resistance of Solid Electrical
Tension Strength Parallel to Surface 34 InsulationB
Tension Strength Perpendicular to Surface 35 D1666 Conducting Machining Tests of Wood and Wood-Base MaterialsC
Water Absorption and Thickness Swelling 36 D1761 Mechanical Fasteners in WoodC
Moisture Content and Specific Gravity 37 E72 Conducting Strength Tests of Panels for Building ConstructionD
E84 Surface Burning Characteristics of Building MaterialsD
1.3 There are accepted basic test procedures for various E90 Laboratory Measurement of Airborne Sound Transmission Loss of
fundamental properties of materials that may be used without Building PartitionsA
E96 Water Vapor Transmission of MaterialsA
modification for evaluating certain properties of wood-based E97 Directional Reflectance Factor, 45-deg 0-deg, of Opaque Speci-
fiber and particle panel materials. These test methods are mens by Broad-Band Filter ReflectometryE
included elsewhere in the Annual Book of ASTM Standards. E119 Fire Tests of Building Construction and MaterialsD
E136 Behavior of Materials in a Vertical Tube Furnace at 750°CD
The pertinent ones are listed in Table 1. A few of the test E152 Fire Tests of Door AssembliesD
methods referenced are for construction where the wood-base E162 Surface Flammability of Materials Using a Radiant Heat Energy
materials often are used. SourceD
E661 Performance of Wood and Wood-Based Floor and Roof Sheathing
1.4 The values stated in inch-pound units are to be regarded Under Concentrated Static and Impact LoadsD
E662 Specific Optical Density of Smoke Generated by Solid MaterialsD
as the standard. The SI equivalents are approximate in many E906 Heat and Visible Smoke Release Rates for Materials and Prod-
cases. 1 in. = 25.4 mm, 1 lbf = 4.45 N. uctsD
1.5 This standard does not purport to address all of the A
Annual Book of ASTM Standards, Vol 04.06.
B
safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the Annual Book of ASTM Standards, Vol 10.01.
C
Annual Book of ASTM Standards, Vol 04.10.
responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appro- D
Annual Book of ASTM Standards, Vol 04.07.
priate safety and health practices and determine the applica- E
Annual Book of ASTM Standards, Vol 14.02.
bility of regulatory limitations prior to use.
2. Referenced Documents
2.1 ASTM Standards:2
C273 Test Method for Shear Properties of Sandwich Core E4 Practices for Force Verification of Testing Machines
Materials E691 Practice for Conducting an Interlaboratory Study to
D143 Test Methods for Small Clear Specimens of Timber Determine the Precision of a Test Method
D905 Test Method for Strength Properties of Adhesive
Bonds in Shear by Compression Loading PART A—GENERAL TEST METHODS FOR
D1554 Terminology Relating to Wood-Base Fiber and Par- EVALUATING THE BASIC PROPERTIES OF WOOD-
ticle Panel Materials BASE FIBER AND PARTICLE PANEL MATERIALS
D2395 Test Methods for Density and Specific Gravity (Rela-
tive Density) of Wood and Wood-Based Materials 3. Significance and Use
D2915 Practice for Sampling and Data-Analysis for Struc-
tural Wood and Wood-Based Products 3.1 These test methods cover small-specimen tests for
D3043 Test Methods for Structural Panels in Flexure wood-base fiber and particle panel materials that are made to
D3501 Test Methods for Wood-Based Structural Panels in provide:
Compression 3.2 Data for comparing the mechanical and physical prop-
D4442 Test Methods for Direct Moisture Content Measure- erties of various materials,
ment of Wood and Wood-Based Materials
3.3 Data for determining the influence on the basic proper-
ties of such factors as raw material and processing variables,
2
For referenced ASTM standards, visit the ASTM website, www.astm.org, or post-treatments of panels, and environmental influences, and
contact ASTM Customer Service at [email protected]. For Annual Book of ASTM
Standards volume information, refer to the standard’s Document Summary page on 3.4 Data for manufacturing control, product research and
the ASTM website. development, and specification acceptance.

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 D1037 − 12
3.5 Not all the tests outlined in these test methods may be NOTE 4—When it is desired to obtain the effect of complete saturation,
necessary to evaluate any particular panel for any specified use. the specimens shall be soaked for a longer period.
In each instance, therefore, it will be necessary to determine 6.3.4 Accelerated Aging—Accelerated aging cycles shall be
which tests shall be made. completed per Section 7 of this standard.
6.3.5 Other—Other conditioning methods that are designed
4. Apparatus to meet the test objectives may be employed provided that they
4.1 Testing Machine—For strength and fastener holding are clearly described in the test report.
tests, any standard testing machine (see Note 1) capable of 6.4 Specimens shall be subjected to the conditioning regi-
applying and measuring the load with an error not to exceed mens of section 6.3 after they have been cut to the final
61.0 % shall be used as provided in Practices E4. dimensional sizes required for the test procedures within this
NOTE 1—Some testing machines operated at speeds allowed in these standard.
test procedures without proper damping devices or in need of adjustment
may yield values in error because of “follow-through” due to mass inertia 6.5 When water soaked conditioning (section 6.3.3), accel-
effects in the weighing system. Care must be exercised in the selection of erated aging conditioning (section 6.3.4) or other conditioning
testing machines so that values obtained from test are not in error more method is employed to simulate an application moisture
than the amount stipulated.
exposure:
6.5.1 The sample dimensions and weights shall be recorded
5. Test Specimens
before and after conditioning. Any computed properties shall
5.1 The number of specimens to be chosen for test and the be reported based upon both the pre-conditioned dimensions or
method of their selection depend on the purpose of the weight, or both, and upon the dimensions or weight, or both,
particular tests under consideration, so that no general rule can after the moisture conditioning treatment.
be given to cover all instances. It is recommended that 6.5.2 If the objective is to estimate the relative change in a
whenever possible, a sufficient number of tests be made to property due to the moisture conditioning treatment, a matched
permit statistical treatment of the test data (see Note 2). In the set of material shall be tested in the dry (section 6.3.1 or 6.3.2)
evaluation of a panel material, specimens for test should be condition. The conditioning treatment selected for the matched
obtained from a representative number of panels. In properties set shall be based upon the test objectives.
reflecting differences due to the machine direction of the panel,
specimens from each panel shall be selected both with the long 6.6 For all testing within this standard, the moisture condi-
dimension parallel to the long dimension of the panel, and with tioning method selected and resulting test sample moisture
the long dimension perpendicular to the long dimension of the contents shall be reported.
panel.
NOTE 2—Guidance on statistical sampling is provided in Practice 7. Accelerated Aging
D2915. 7.1 Scope and Significance
7.1.1 The accelerated aging treatment is one possible con-
6. Moisture Content and Conditioning Requirements ditioning treatment (see Section 6) and is used to obtain a
6.1 The physical and mechanical properties of building measure of the inherent ability of a material to withstand severe
panels depend on the moisture content at time of test. exposure conditions and maintain its mechanical and physical
6.2 The moisture conditioning selection for each test proce- properties. Appropriate specimens shall be prepared and sub-
dure within this standard depends upon the purpose of the jected to the six cycles of accelerated aging before the property
particular tests under consideration. All specimens within each is evaluated. The cycling exposure is a simulated condition
test sample shall be conditioned as required to meet the specific developed to evaluate how a material will stand up under aging
test objectives. conditions.
6.3 The following moisture conditioning regimens are com- NOTE 5—All of the tests listed in this standard may not be required for
monly employed with the test procedures of this standard: any specific investigation or specification. Static bending (Section 9),
nail-holding (Sections 13 – 15), and water absorption and thickness
6.3.1 Dry “As Received”—Specimens to be tested “as swelling (Section 23) tests are usually sufficient to evaluate the resistance
received” shall be tested without supplemental conditioning to of a wood-base panel material to aging. In some instances it may be
alter the moisture content. desirable to evaluate the effect of accelerated aging on some other
6.3.2 Dry “Conditioned”—Specimens to be tested air-dry property, including properties outside the scope of this standard.
shall be conditioned to a constant weight and moisture content 7.2 Test Specimens
in a conditioning chamber maintained at a relative humidity of 7.2.1 The test specimens shall be cut to size for testing and
65 6 5 % and a temperature of 68 6 6°F (20 6 3°C) (See Note dimensions or weight measured, or both, as specified in the
3). pertinent sections of this standard before being subjected to the
NOTE 3—This conditioning regime represents a common standard for cyclic exposure listed in section 7.3. When tests involving
wood and wood-based materials. fasteners are made, the fasteners shall be driven prior to the
6.3.3 Water Soaked—Specimens to be tested in the soaked aging exposure. Corrosion-resistant fasteners shall be used
condition shall be submerged in water at 68 6 2°F (20 6 1°C) because extractives or other materials present will corrode
for 24-h (see Note 4) before the test and shall be tested within ordinary steel fasteners.
30 minutes upon removal from the water. 7.3 Accelerated Aging Cycles