A document warning traders to be vigilant when dealing with the expected flood of Chinese plywood imports has been produced by the Timber Trade Federation‘s National Panel Products Division (NPPD).
The guidelines, put together following an NPPD code of conduct committee meeting to address fears about the product, states that no Chinese plywood is listed in BS 5268, Part 2, or has achieved a BBA certificate of structural performance.
Use of the marks BS 5268 or BS 6566 is therefore “incorrect” and distribution of such products would leave a company open to prosecution by Trading Standards. Buyers are further warned that handling or supplying crates marked with an incorrect country origin, such as ‘Indonesia’ or ‘Malaysia’, is an offence under Customs and Excise and Plant Health regulations.
The NPPD recommends traders trace plywood back to its original source of manufacture. Each sheet of plywood in future shipments should be stamped with the manufacturers’ identification mark, thickness and glue line (of core and face), while crates should display country of origin, veneer species (face and core) and conformance with Plant Health regulations.
