Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Proper Marks on Resawn Lumber

When resawing HT lumber, it is important to make sure that the marks conform to ALSC requirements.

If you are consuming HT lumber to build your own Wood Packaging Material that your facility has resawn inhouse, then no additional marking is required.

If you are selling HT lumber that your facility has resawn, make certain that a complete HT mark is on all pieces of material. If you only have a partial HT mark, another full mark must be applied to the piece. Since the original piece has been altered, it may be necessary to obliterate the original grade marks as well. ALSC Lumber Enforcement Regulation 5.10.1 states "When grade stamped lumber is resawn or remanufactured in such a way as to potentially alter the grade, the original mark shall be removed or obliterated..."  
Sections 5.10.1.1 & 5.10.1.2 offer two exceptions to the obliteration requirement, though. The ALSC Lumber Enforcement Regulations can be accessed at http://www.alsc.org/greenbook%20collection/LumberProgram_EnforcementRegs.pdf. If you have any questions about how these regulations pertain to your specific circumstances, please contact us.

If you purchase resawn lumber, make sure that each piece has a full HT mark on it. If only part of the load is marked, then this material is out of ALSC conformance. The HT marked material would need to be separated from the unmarked pieces. The properly stamped material could then be used in the manufacture of IPPC conforming WPM, and the unmarked material could only be used for domestic purposes unless retreated and subsequently labeled.

Source: Timber Products Inspection, Inc.