The UK timber grading committee (UKTGC) was established in 1989 with the purpose of supporting and regulating the use of strength graded timber in the UK, and to ensure the maintenance of common safety standards in grading. Much of what it used to do in terms of regulation and standards is now done through the Construction Product Regulations and European Standards, but it still has a very important role in linking industry with the committee work at British Standards (mostly B/518) and CEN (mostly TC124) level. That link is two way – working to ensure that standards and regulations are understood and applied correctly, but also helping to shape the development and maintenance of those standards. Standards committee work needs to have industry input to make sure the standards are relevant (and usable) and the UKTGC is an important way of helping to achieve this for the UK’s perspective.
The UK has a long history of timber grading standards, regulation, and innovation and it remains at the centre of this work – being one of the most active countries at European level. This is thanks, in no small part, to the UKTGC.
The UKTGC has also previously coordinated work in support of the UK industry in general, from relatively small tasks such as drawing up model Factory Production Control documentation, to larger technical development work for machine grading settings.
The agenda of a meeting typically covers:
- Reports from industry members and certification bodies about: UK production and imported production; any grading issues identified and reported; and any issues around the associated QA, FPC, DOP, grade stamps and CE marking
- Technical reports and new developments
- Update reports n BSI and CEN work on the main standards (e.g. EN 14081, EN 1912, BS 4978, BS 5756, EN 336, EN 338, EN 15228)
- Communication activities
The committee operates through the Timber Trade Federation (TTF) as a fully independent committee, with freedom of decision and publication.
If you have issues to raise, questions to ask, or wish to join the committee please get in touch.