Builders Merchants Journal – BMJ Publishing to Builders Merchants and the UK merchanting industry for more than 95 years
BSW Timber is launching a major campaign to encourage architects and the building industry to use more British C16 strength grade timber.
The company is to join the 2011RIBA Roadshow tour, hosting a series of 10 CPD seminars promoting the benefits of C16 at city venues throughout the UK – starting in Nottingham on February 24.
BSW have invested heavily in the provision of machined C16 timber through the company’s Easi-Edge product. Multi-million pound investment in both planing and grading technology at BSW mills across the UK has dramatically increased the availability of the product.
Now BSW wants to encourage UK-wide use of a high quality product that the company believes has strong environmental credentials and can provide a major boost for the UK timber industry.
BSW’s marketing manager, Eve Johnson says: “We want to change the way the construction industry thinks about strength-graded timber. Typically, architects over specify in the mistaken belief that the higher European C24 grade is a superior product.
“And while the higher strength grade is needed for some applications – such as load bearing support – we believe that the vast majority of UK construction products could use British C16 timber without any major design issues. In particular, C16-timber can be used by using wider sections or decreasing the centres of the joists. And British C16 is fit-for-purpose and is graded to standard BS EN 14081:2005.
“Using British timber supports the UK timber industry which employs over 116,000 people and is worth more than £2 billion to the UK economy.”
C16 timber also has significant environmental benefits. The product is available nationwide from national merchant groups and independent timber merchants. The amount of miles to market is significantly lower from a UK rather than a European sawmill.
