Biscuits & Wooden Lamellas: Sizes (0, 10, 20) – Alternatives to Lamello
A wooden biscuit, often referred to synonymously by the brand name Lamello, is an oval connecting plate made of compressed beech wood used for interlocking wood joints. The standard sizes 0, 10, and 20 differ in length and width, but all feature a uniform material thickness of 4 mm.
What Exactly Are Biscuits and Wooden Lamellas?
In professional joinery, biscuits serve as a precise alignment aid and load-bearing furniture connector for carcases, mitres, and frame joints. They are inserted into a precisely matching groove created with a biscuit jointer. The routed slot is standardised at 4 mm wide.
The holding mechanism is based on the swelling behaviour of the material: as soon as water-based wood glue is applied, the highly compressed beech wood absorbs the moisture. The biscuit acts like an invisible anchor inside the routed slot, swelling and locking the components securely together. Generic biscuits are completely identical in dimension and function to the well-known brand product and serve as a cost-effective alternative.
Sizes and Dimensions in Detail (0, 10, 20)
Selecting the right size depends on the material thickness of the panels being joined. All three standard sizes are exactly 4 mm thick, but vary in overall dimensions and the mandatory routing depth.
- Size 0
- Dimensions (L x W x T): 47 mm x 15 mm x 4 mm
- Routing depth per component: 8 mm
- Application: Thin panels, drawer sides, and decorative mouldings with a thickness of 10 mm - 12 mm.
- Size 10
- Dimensions (L x W x T): 53 mm x 19 mm x 4 mm
- Routing depth per component: 10 mm
- Application: Medium panel thicknesses of 13 mm - 18 mm. Frequently used for lightweight carcase components or fascias.
- Size 20
- Dimensions (L x W x T): 56 mm x 23 mm x 4 mm
- Routing depth per component: 12 mm
- Application: Standard furniture construction from a panel thickness of 19 mm upwards. This is the most frequently used biscuit for heavy cabinet carcases and mitre joints.
Usage & Selection in Furniture Construction
To ensure a torsion-resistant construction, furniture connectors must be spaced at the correct intervals. As a rule, a joining plate is routed every 100 mm - 150 mm. For corner joints in chipboard or MDF boards, the edge distance should be at least 40 mm to prevent the board material from breaking out during routing.
Because the routed groove along the longitudinal axis is deliberately cut about 2 mm wider than the wooden lamella itself, this system allows for slight lateral adjustment during assembly. This is a crucial technical advantage over round wooden dowels, as minor tolerances can still be compensated for while gluing and clamping the workpieces.
Related Terms
- Wooden dowels: Cylindrical wooden pins for joints without lateral play.
- Cam and dowel connectors: Demountable furniture connectors made of metal (often with a 15 mm housing) for flat-pack furniture.
- Tongue and groove joint: Continuous profiling of wood edges for surface joining without loose tongues.
- Shadow gap: A deliberately visible gap between two components, often realised using spacing plates or routed lamella joints.
Matching Categories
- Biscuits
- Furniture connectors