Optimized T-Classes for glued laminated timber

09 2014

With the publication in the Official Journal of the European Union 2014/C 259/1 on 8.8.2014 the new harmonized standard EN 14080:2013 for glued laminated timber and glued solid timber is applicable with Microtec machine grading systems.

Already in March 2014 Microtec got the approval for optimized machine settings, which are available for immediate use:

  • Spruce (Picea abies) and fir (Abies alba) from Austria, Czech Republic, Germany, Finland, Poland, Romania, Sweden, Slovakia, Ukraine
  • Pine (Pinus sylvestris) from Finland, Poland, Sweden

Glued laminated timber
Boards for glulam are graded according to the new standard in T-classes. The approved machine settings apply to the following Microtec grading systems:

  • Viscan
  • Viscan Compact
  • Viscan Plus
  • Goldeneye 702
  • Goldeneye 706
     

For the production of glued laminated timber it is still allowed to use L-classes (see news from 11.09.2013) and C-classes. The use of C-classes is recommended in the following cases for glulam production:

  • There is available a wider range of machine settings for C-classes for different wood species and growth areas (for ex. Scots pine, Douglas pine, European larch, Sitka spruce, Black pine) than for T-classes and L-classes.
  • For visual grading for some species there are not yet available assignments to strength classes. According to EN 1912:2012 only lamellas graded according DIN 4074-1 “as joist” are currently assigned to C-classes. For the more economic visual grading of the lamellas for glulam “as board” there are available only private reports for spruce with assignments to T-classes.

 
Glued solid timber
With the introduction of this new standard EN 14080:2013 for the first time it possible to mark glued solid timber (Duo/Trio/Quattro) with the CE mark. For glued solid timber the lamellas are graded according to the new standard in C-classes.

Official Journal of the European Union
ITT-107-08-11_ViSCAN_T-classes
ITT-108-22-08_ViSCAN-COMPACT_T-classes
ITT-109-20-09_ViSCAN-PLUS_T-classes
ITT-111-05-09_GOLDENEYE-702_T-classes
ITT-112-10-09_GOLDENEYE-706_T-classes