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Materials

Tongue and groove

Tongue and groove is an edge profile where a ridge on one board fits into a slot on the next, locking boards together into a continuous surface.

Also known as T&G, T&G board, tongue and groove joint, tongued and grooved board

The tongue on one edge and the groove on the other let boards interlock without a joint having to land on a support. Loads are shared between neighbouring boards, so the surface stays flat and joints do not step or squeak.

The profile is used on floor decking, roof boarding and cladding. In floor cassettes, the boards are often glued in the joint as well as to the joists, to create a stiffer floor.

Related terms
Floor cassetteA floor cassette is a prefabricated floor section: joists with sheeting and often insulation and services. It is built off site and craned into place as a unit. Sheathing boardSheathing boards are the large sheets (OSB, plywood, particleboard, gypsum) fixed to a timber or steel frame to close it, brace it and form a surface. Floor joistA floor joist is one of the parallel horizontal beams that carry a floor and span between walls or beams.
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