The first step in this process is sorting the bamboo strips into groups of like color. Because bamboo is a natural product, color variations occur. The bamboo strips are sorted so that each board is made with strips of similar shade; otherwise the boards would appear striped.
After the strips have been sorted for color, they are sorted for hardness. The hardest strips are marked for use as the top layer of the boards. Softer strips are marked for use on the bottom or middle of the boards.
After sorting, the bamboo is assembled into planks.
For solid boards, the strips are glue-coated and hand assembled in either vertical or horizontal configuration.For engineered boards, the bamboo strips are mounted on either side of a center layer of pine.
At this stage, it is apparent why the strips must be perfectly rectangular so that all sides bond completely with the adjacent strips.
Irregular shaped strips do not form complete bonds with the other strips and pockets of air are left within the board. This decreases strength because the board is less dense and the bonded surface area between the strips is smaller. A board made in this way is also more susceptible to structural instability because moisture can easily penetrate to the center of the board .

