Is Your Timber Fit for Purpose?

This piece was written and provided by John Halkett, General Manager of ATIF

During the timber shortage, we saw the pop up of many new importers, and it is important that fabricators know how to check that their timber is compliant.

Unfortunately, there has been some evidence of structural timber entering the Australian market branded MGP10 (and some treated H2) where there are questions as to whether or not some of this product has been machine graded. Compliance with building codes and standards has been a matter discussed by the Australian Timber Importers Federation (ATIF) Board in the past, and will be again on the agenda for their next board meeting.

Previous statements by the ATIF Board have included that concerns have been expressed that some imported structural softwood products may not always comply with the requirements of building codes. Further, it was affirmed that complaints received about possible non-compliance were taken very seriously by ATIF to protect the overall reputation and credentials of the timber supply chain.

For FTMA members some checks may be advisable if acquiring structural timber products from a new supplier, or if the product is being sourced from a new country/region. It may be advisable to check that the branding is consistent with that usually seen on timber products supplied by more established suppliers. Also, that the MGP10 branding is not on top of the H2 (blue) treatment, as treatment is usually the last process. Branding over treatment may suggest that timber could have been stamped after treatment and may not have been through a machine grader.

Supply chain disruption notwithstanding ongoing challenges around sourcing additional structural timber product supplies are continuing to be acerbated by a shortage of containers, shipping space availability, and port congestion. Collectively supply sourcing and logistics issues have contributed to climbing costs and charges that have added to ongoing difficulties across the entire supply chain and for building and construction industries.