CE2+ marking confusion continues

I read with interest the story about false CE2+ markings on plywood in Belfast, shipped from China.

Despite the efforts of The Timber Trade Federation’s National Panel Products Division to educate the trade on CE marking, it seems that the majority of the trade believes that the CE2+ mark refers to structural plywood. This is not correct.

CE2+ is a level of attestation of the factory's production control, and nothing more. A manufacturer whose factory production control has been assessed by an approved certification body is entitled to produce structural plywood in accordance with BS EN 13986, and mark it accordingly. The manufacturer is likely to produce non-structural plywood as well, especially thinner panels.

There is no such thing as CE2+ plywood, and the sooner the trade realises this the better.

Structural plywood should be correctly marked as indicated in BS EN 13986, showing thickness, bonding class, density and reaction to fire, the year of production, and the manufacturer’s factory production control certificate number issued by the certification body. The manufacturer must also make available all initial type testing data for each thickness, and type of plywood supplied to show the product’s performance characteristics, for example, bending strength, bending stiffness, bonding quality, durability (moisture resistance), release of formaldehyde, reaction to fire, water vapour permeability, airborne sound insulation, thermal conductivity, strength and stiffness for structural use, mechanical durability, biological durability and content of pentachlorophenol.

Michael Harrod
Managing director
PT Group Ltd