More than 60 delegates allied to the timber and construction industries gathered for “Timber 2003” to keep abreast of recent and forthcoming legislation, as well as hearing about ongoing developments in timber use. The conference was organised by TRADA Technology and BM TRADA Certification in association with the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, the Timber Trade Federation (TTF) and the Wood Panel Industries Federation (WPIF).

The day focused on “issues facing the timber and panel product industries” and one of the topics, presented by Philip Becker of TRADA Technology’s Business Solutions Group, was Key Performance Indicators. Dr Paul Newman, also of TRADA Technology, gave an enlightening update on many of the sectors where timber products are leading the way in ecological, environmental and technical ability.

One-year deadline

The day commenced with an introduction by Stephen Phillips from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, who immediately brought out the significance of the Construction Products Directive (CPD) and CE marking. CE marking started on April 1 and the timber industry now has less than a year before it impacts heavily on all companies that are involved in manufacturing, trading or supplying wood based panel products. By April 1, 2004, all these companies will have to ensure that any wood based panel products being supplied into the construction industry conform to EN 13986 2002.

Mr Phillips briefly explained how the UK has arrived at this point, via the Construction Product Regulations of 1991, amended in 1994, which produced various mandates for different products. M113 for panel products is the first to be carried through, with M112 (structural timber), M119 (flooring) and M121 (internal/external wall and ceiling products) to follow.

Passport for acceptance

While the UK, Finland, Sweden and Ireland have not made it compulsory, products that conform to EN 13986 will be able to carry the CE mark. It is likely, therefore, that this symbol will begin to be seen as a passport for product acceptance throughout the European trading zone.

Hugh Taylor and Mark Wilkinson of BM TRADA Certification, together with David Duke-Evans of the WPIF, carried out the challenging task of clarifying this complicated, politically engineered set of directives and, while the audience undoubtedly struggled to keep pace with some of the data, their efforts began to lift the clouds of uncertainty.

Their presentations were supported by a helpful explanation from Manjit Lall of Isowool, who explained how the Insulated Building Products sector has already coped with CE marking. This provided delegates with some reassurance that a similar industry had already achieved requirements that are now heading rapidly towards the wood based panel products market.

Key points

The presentations brought out the following key points of legislation and procedure:

  • CE marking is not a mark of quality, purely of conformity with the CPD.

  • CPD applies to all products “permanently incorporated into the works”.

  • While CE marking of products is not mandatory in the UK, compliance with the CPD is.

  • Wood based panel products come under Sector Group (SG) 20.

Within the framework of the CPD, said Mr Taylor, there are four main elements:

  • A system of harmonised technical specifications.

  • A system of attestation of conformity.

  • A framework of notified bodies.

  • CE marking of products.

Some confusion can arise from use of the term ‘harmonised’. This means simply “contains criteria which permit CE marking to be affixed”. Harmonised technical specifications include harmonised Euro Norms (hENs) or a European Technical Approval (ETA). Mr Taylor commented: “While the CPD is not directly about quality, quality may be implied, depending on what the harmonising clauses cover.”

Essential requirements

At the heart of the CPD there are six “essential requirements”:

  • Mechanical resistance/stability.

  • Fire.

  • Safety in use.

  • Hygiene, health, environment.

  • Noise.

  • Energy economy/heat retention.

Within the Technical Specifications an Attestation of Conformity (AoC) is defined. The AoC covers the “who does what” to allow CE marking. Some tasks will fall to the manufacturer, others to a notified body, ie a test laboratory or certification body. The levels range from 1+ (product certification with audit testing), the most onerous, through 1 (product certification without audit testing), 2+ (Factory Production Control [fpc] with continuous surveillance), 2 (fpc without surveillance), 3 (initial type testing) and 4 (manufacturer’s tasks only). Panel products will generally fall within levels 2+ (structural) and 4 (non-structural).

Harmonised panel standard

The harmonised standard for wood based panels is BS EN 13986, which was published, in July last year. It covers panel products to be used in construction and gives the requirements for panels to be CE marked.

The standard contains seven tables of performance characteristics under which wood based panel products can be classified within CPD:

  • Internal use, structural, dry conditions.

  • Internal use, structural, humid conditions.

  • Internal use, structural floors, walls and roofs.

  • External use, structural.

  • External use, non-structural.

  • Internal use, non-structural, dry conditions.

  • Internal use, non-structural, humid conditions.

Industry requirements

Having tackled these new regulations from an official perspective, Nick Boulton, product manager for the TTF, explained the subject from a trading viewpoint, concentrating on what the vast majority of the industry needs to do and when and how to do it.

In essence he made the following points:

  • First, buy a copy of EN 13986. It’s a lengthy document but concentrates on one product for one end use at a time and it can be broken down into manageable chunks.

  • CPD is intended to break down barriers to trade in the EU, it is not intended directly to improve construction.

  • If your company is supplying the construction industry, directly or indirectly, all wood based panel products will have to comply with EN 13986. It is a legal obligation upon manufacturers to prove, in a consistent way, that their products are fit for construction purposes.

  • For the first time, manufacturers are obliged to assess each product in construction terms and state its performance.

  • The trade is then obliged to pass this information on to the construction industry by way of the CE mark.

  • BS 5268 Part 2 will remain unchanged as a design standard and can still be included as part of a specification – specifiers can always demand products that are above the minimum performance under EN 13986.

  • EN 13986 will ensure that the same European standards and test methods are used throughout Europe. However, the same product will not necessarily be accepted for the same end use throughout Europe.

  • Provided that any manufacturer, anywhere in the world, meets the CPD requirements, its products can be sold throughout the EU. This will be a boon for overseas manufacturers and suppliers, provided they invest in gaining compliance with EN 13986.

  • If a wood based panel product does not conform to EN 13986 2002 then it shouldn’t be on site.

  • From April 1, 2004 the trade will no longer be able to supply the construction market by default. If products do not comply with the CPD, or better still the CE mark, they should be returned from site.

  • If a company is selling wood based panel products to the construction industry, then it needs to be able to produce a Certificate of Conformity for each of these products, traceable back to the specific manufacturer.

“This will be a legal requirement from April 1, 2004, no ‘ifs’, no ‘buts’,” said Mr Boulton.

He added t hat ultimately it’s the manufacturer’s responsibility to achieve the CE mark and produce declaration of conformity.

Importers and merchants will have to show traceability. Without this they cannot provide a conformity declaration. This all ties in with PEFC/FSC chain of custody certification and provides the opportunity for the industry to move forward on all of these fronts.

Importers and merchants can state that products are not construction products, in a similar way to the existing methods used to cover BS 5268 conformance, but “if it’s for Bob the Builder or John Laing, it’s all included as construction”, said Mr Boulton.

While all this is a dry subject, its impact on the timber industry is immense and will shape how other timber products follow on in the supply chain to the construction industry. As Mr Boulton warned in his summing up: “We’ve less than a year to go”.