Cedar shingles and cladding have seen a resurgence in popularity among architects in recent years. But, according to Tim Gabriel, financial director of MBM Forest Products Ltd, the restricting factor in greater use of the species is lack of knowledge.

“Many architects and specifiers are woefully unaware of the attributes of western red cedar – so the message for the industry is education, education, education.”

Mr Gabriel said specifiers are pressurised to meet ever more demanding standards in all areas, especially in terms of “eco-standards”. And here, he said, cedar wins time and time again over alternatives, adding: “This trend can only be seen to continue.”

Alternative roofing products

Christian Brash, managing director of John Brash and Co Ltd, said the cedar market is reasonably strong due to the growing interest in alternative roofing products. It has been buoyed by growth in the garden leisure market where cedar shingles are being used to cover pergolas and other garden structures.

Sustainability issues have also led to growth of the market, he said. “Our cedar comes from Canada and North America which have strict reforestation and forest management plans. And the manufacture of cedar shingles and shakes utilises parts of the log that would otherwise be wasted,” said Mr Brash.

Traditionally Canadian cedar shingles and shakes are treated with CCA, but pending changes in EU legislation prohibiting its use in certain applications will force some UK importers to look at alternatives.

In North America and Canada CCA-treated cedar shingles will still be allowed to be used on the roofs of buildings – but from June 30 they will be illegal in the UK and Europe.

Canada is unlikely to offer alternative treatments for those on this side of the pond which will leave importers having to bring in untreated shingles and have them treated.

Some importers already have strong relationships with UK treatment companies, while others have their own facilities and are prepared for the deadline.

Treatment process

John Brash & Co is more than ready. Its cedar shingles and shakes are treated in a vacuum pressure impregnation process with a copper-based preservative treatment. This enables the company to guarantee the products for 40 years against wood rotting fungi and insect attack.

But there is concern in the industry that not everyone has taken on board the fact that this legislation applies to them. John Vincent of Vincent Timber cautioned: “The main issue is to ensure there are no CCA treated shingles on the premises after June 30. People must also remember that the battens used to put the shingles on must not be CCA-treated either.”

Meanwhile Timbmet is enjoying a cedar surge. Softwood commercial manager Simon Thomas said if consumption levels of the past five years continue to climb at the pace seen, he predicts that cedar will become an increasingly regular stock item for most importers and merchants.

He added: “There are other advantages to this timber for importers, architects and customers – shipping schedules are particularly reliable which assists buyers with their own planning timescales.

“In addition, the recent strengthening of the pound against the Canadian dollar has brought pricing advantages to importer and customer alike.”

Price fluctuations

Peter Stedman of The Loft Shop cautioned buyers to beware. “The market – and therefore pricing – is dominated by demand from the US. Because price is a key feature prices fluctuate daily – there continues to be a variation between quality, on grade, and poor quality, off grade.

“A recent examination of UK delivered shingles showed that off grade material is still being imported into the country. This is a clear indication that price remains the key determinant for some buyers.

“The effect of this low cost/poor quality material and the increasing tendency to source lower price American shingles is to drag down UK prices to a level which will inevitably result in poor quality product being applied to roofs, with all the attendant problems.”