This white paper addresses the challenges faced by engineers and designers in the North American mass timber industry in selecting efficient members, particularly in relation to compression reinforcement perpendicular to grain using self-tapping screws. The current design standards in the US and Canada lack comprehensive methodologies for this specific application, necessitating the adaptation of European design equations and the development of new approaches tailored to North American mass timber construction.

North American standards often require empirical test results for acceptance, and the European equations used for screw buckling may not be recognized by authorities having jurisdiction. The study’s contributions lie in providing engineers and designers with practical guidance backed by empirical data and derived design values specifically for screws loaded in compression as compression reinforcement perpendicular to grain. It fills the existing literature gap, offering valuable insights into the behavior of self-tapping screws under compression loads. The design values provided here can be referenced when following the Reinforcement Design Guide.