The news story “Trader cancels ply contract” was very interesting, mainly because it seems to sum up the attitude of many plywood importers who, despite plenty of well-publicised information from The Timber Trade Federation and TRADA, still seem to think that CE2+ is proof that a panel is structural. Quite simply, it isn’t.
All it means is that the factory that the material came from has the capability to produce structural plywood; nothing else.
While there are plenty of responsible agents and importers trying to sell in a tough market, openly and honestly, there are far too many who either do not know about this fundamental issue, or choose to ignore it, passing non-structural material off as “structural”, telling people that ”it’s CE2+”.
I hope that the responsible members of our trade will work together to identify the companies that seem to openly flout this legislation, which has been in place for many years.
Merchants have a duty, under EN 13986, to ensure that all timber-based panel products comply with the required standards for the use for which their customers have specified. Regrettably, many importers and agents are not selling material correctly, thereby passing plywood down the line that is incorrectly specified, leaving their merchant customers in a vulnerable position.
Hopefully this incident can be used as a catalyst for change.
Keith Fryer
Co-director
T Brewer & Co
