NEW CRITERIA FOR VISUAL STRENGTH GRADING OF SAWN TIMBER FROM BIRCH GROWN IN SWEDEN

Abstract

Today there is no standard for strength grading and CE-marking sawn timber of Birch grown in Sweden, which makes it impossible to use this material as structural timber. Internationally, there are standards for visual grading of hardwood in several European countries. However, these standards may not be used to classify Birch timber grown in Sweden without having been tested and verified to meet the standard's requirements. In a project (BizWOOD) run by RISE, 600 pieces of sawn birch wood from Sweden is visually graded and strength tested. The project aims to result in grading rules for birch, either by using international standards or where international standards will be used as references for the identification of defects that will be included in the grading model. This paper summarizes parts of the BizWOOD project and includes 1) description of sampling and timber origin, 2) visual grading according to international standards, 3) strength testing of the material, 4) evaluation of mechanical characteristics, 5) evaluation of grading techniques.