John Brash's opinion on centre cut roofing batten

John Brash has taken a tough stance on sub-standard roofing batten in the market, supported by the publication of the new British Standard.

BS5534:2003 +A1: 2010 for roofing batten rectifies an anomaly in the previous version, making it harder for severely weakened, sub standard batten from being marketed as BS5534 compliant.

The maximum size of through-knots allowed is now only 5mm, as opposed to the previous 15mm; through-knots are knots appearing on both edges but not on the face.

Batten cut from the centre of the log is known as centre cut, which contains a high proportion of through knots.

These changes essentially make centre cut unsuitable for roofing batten manufacture.

The prevalence of centre cut material in the batten market has increased significantly of late, despite the fact that, when cut into small section such as roofing batten, it is more prone to distortion.

This, together with the dangerous knot configuration and defects such as slope of grain, make it very difficult to find centre cut material that meets the new BS, or that is even suitable for on site grading.

John Brash has consistently used the much stronger side-board material.

The company has both trained staff and stringent processes in place to ensure any centre cut material reaching its site is immediately identified and quarantined to prevent batch contamination.

Brash urges all roofing contractors and specifiers to check that the batten they are supplied with is either fully factory graded or manufactured from side boards.

In response to the new British Standard, John Brash has revised its 2010 Grading Guide which provides roofers with both essential guidelines for final grading on site, and a guide on how to identify centre cut material.

Its featured Batten Checklist is also designed to save time, money and most importantly, to keep our roofers safe.

John Brash's premium factory graded batten JB-RED is suitable for quality roofers that want to avoid all the issues of grading on site.

It is the first batten in the UK to comply with the requirements of BS5534:2003 +A1:2010, the Code of Practice for Slating and Tiling.

The battens have a red stained finish and BS5534 stamp confirming they have been stringently tested to ensure they meet the new British Standard, using production processes independently certified by the Building Research Establishment (BRE).

The company is the UK's first timber company to be awarded BRE's prestigious Tick Mark status for JB-RED, recognising the company's expetise in grading and preservative treatment of its roofing battens.

As well as its JB-RED fully graded product, John Brash also produces JB-GREEN and JBI- products, fully graded to all aspects of BS5534:2003 with the exception of a final grade on site for knots and wane.

Back to top