Fiber Cement (hardie) on Exterior for Shear

[kmart30]

I have many builders asking me about only using 5/16" hardie board on the exterior instead of OSB or CDX. Obviously this saves them money from not having to install the OSB or CDX but the thought of a 5/16" fiber cement board to resist shear just doesn't sound good. I know other engineers spec this out as an option but what would hardie fall under as a sheathing material? ParticalBoard sheathing? Gypsum? Any other good resources besides the NDS that I could look at for some guidance on this?

 

[Shotzie]

I haven't read into it too much but take a look at this report.

Link

 

[Agent666]

Here in NZ cement sheeting is tested to a standard test to set the kN/m it is good for. It is used quite extensively, even down to 5-6mm thick (thinner than the 5/16" you quote)

 

[kmart30]

Thanks for the Link Shotzie...that is a great reference. I'm in Florida so the winds can get high for sure but it looks like they have products that may work on small residential. I typically use the sheathing to resist combined shear and uplift but I dont think this will work in that case. I would have to add tie-rods which may just be a wash with the savings of using only hardie board for sheathing. Looks like the max shear you can get with hardie panels is 340plf....