TRADA has expressed concern that strength-graded timber may be being remachined and sold on without regrading.
The organisation said recent enquiries to the TRADA helpline suggested a lack of understanding on the issue.
“The limits are very tight,” said Philip O’Leary of TRADA’s structural investigations section. “Take a piece of timber measuring 130x50mm, the most you can take off the width is 10mm without regrading. Any more than that and the timber would have to be regraded.”
Call-outs of TRADA’s technical consultants to check grading of timber have yielded huge variances in results, from more than half of the consignment being rejected, to the parcel being totally in keeping with the rules.
“The industry needs to be aware that, generally, machine grading will allow a higher yield than visual strength grading,” added Mr O’Leary.
