America 250 Series Salutes Lp Building Solutions’ Pioneering Role

LP Building Solutions’ role in the evolution of engineered wood products and American homebuilding is the focus of a new USA Today documentary segment, part of the publisher’s “America 250” series on U.S. industry and innovation.

The segment, which premieres July 2 on USAToday.com, traces how LP’s development and commercialization of oriented strand board (OSB) and other engineered wood products have influenced residential construction over the past five decades, according to a company announcement.

From plywood to OSB as a structural standard

Founded in 1972, Nashville-based LP helped move the market from plywood to OSB structural panels, opening North America’s first OSB mill in 1979. At the time, plywood still dominated U.S. homebuilding.

OSB, made from smaller, fast-growing trees, offered a more uniform and resource-efficient alternative aimed at improving consistency in panel performance. Over time, OSB moved from a niche product to a standard in residential construction and now accounts for the majority of the structural panel market, the company said.

LP later extended its engineered wood platform into exterior products with the launch of LP SmartSide Trim & Siding in 1997, giving builders and remodelers a wood-based option that competes with fiber cement, vinyl and traditional wood siding systems.

Why this matters for builders

For production builders and regional operators, the America 250 feature underscores how material choices have shifted in response to labor, cost and performance pressures. Engineered wood systems such as OSB have become central to framing, sheathing and exterior assemblies as builders look for predictable performance, manufacturing scale and compatibility with evolving energy and fire codes.

The spotlight on LP also comes as builders continue to face supply and demand imbalances. Realtor.com estimated a nationwide housing shortfall of more than 4 million homes in 2025, while the National Association of Home Builders reported that the median age of owner-occupied homes reached 42 years in 2024. That combination points to sustained demand for both new-home starts and major renovation work, keeping pressure on building products manufacturers to support higher volumes and more specialized applications.

“Our focus has been on improving how homes are built and how they perform,” LP Chief Executive Officer Jason Ringblom said in the announcement. “We see sustained demand for solutions that advance innovation, sustainability and performance across the industry, and we will continue to meet that demand.”

Product innovation and code-driven demand

LP’s recent product development has centered on both exterior cladding and code-aligned structural solutions. In 2025, the company was granted 21 patents and added products such as the LP SmartSide ExpertFinish Naturals Collection Siding, aimed at giving builders more prefinished options while reducing jobsite labor.

The company also advanced LP BurnGuard Fire-Retardant-Treated OSB, described as the first commercialized FRT OSB certified to meet International Building Code and International Residential Code definitions for fire-retardant-treated wood structural panels. As more jurisdictions tighten fire and wildland-urban interface (WUI) requirements, builders are increasingly weighing FRT options for roof decks, exterior walls and multifamily assemblies.

For homebuilders, the growth of FRT OSB and integrated structural systems reflects a broad trend toward solutions that combine structural performance, moisture management, energy efficiency and code compliance in fewer steps. That can help mitigate skilled labor constraints and reduce cycle times on larger communities.

Emphasis on carbon and resource efficiency

Beyond product performance, LP used the America 250 spotlight to reinforce its positioning around carbon and forest management — an area that is drawing more attention from institutional land developers, public builders and ESG-focused capital.

In its 2025 sustainability report, LP said carbon-negative products accounted for 91% of its North American net sales in 2024. The company also reported a 50% reduction in Scope 1 and Scope 2 greenhouse gas emissions intensity by net sales since 2019.

LP said its manufacturing model emphasizes resource efficiency and long-term forest stewardship, framing these practices as longstanding operational priorities rather than new initiatives. The company operates more than 20 manufacturing facilities across North and South America and reported $2.7 billion in revenue in 2025 with about 4,300 employees.

Positioning ahead of the semiquincentennial

USA Today’s America 250 series is designed to highlight how U.S. businesses have contributed to economic and technological progress since the signing of the Declaration of Independence, ahead of the nation’s 250th anniversary in 2026. LP’s inclusion places residential construction materials alongside better-known sectors like automotive, technology and manufacturing in the run-up to the semiquincentennial.

For builders, developers and construction executives, the feature is another signal that building materials innovation and housing supply constraints are part of a broader national conversation about economic growth, infrastructure and sustainability. It also reinforces that code shifts, carbon reporting expectations and productivity pressures will likely continue to shape product specifications on job sites.

The LP segment is available on USAToday.com as part of the America 250 documentary series. More information on LP’s products and sustainability reporting is available at LPCorp.com.