I refer to your article ‘NPPD to publish plywood producer "approved" list’ (TTJ March 31), and thank you for keeping this important issue to the fore.

NPPD secretary Nick Boulton has devoted considerable time, effort and enthusiasm in developing this guidance circular, which will be issued imminently to the full federation membership.

A federation meeting in November concluded that the circular should be sent out to confirm which plywoods are listed in BS 5268. No additional research work has been carried out at this time.

BS 5268 is not a product standard, but a guidance code identifying minimum performance and strength characteristics for structural applications of timber and wood based products. There are many grades of plywood, outside the scope of BS 5268, that are acceptable for use on construction sites, provided they are not used in structural applications.

To my knowledge, no-one has stated that any other grade and manufacture of plywood from any producing country, not currently included, does not meet the requirements of BS 5268. They merely remain unlisted.

ABIMCI, the Brazilian plywood producers association, announced in November that it intended establishing a national (Brazilian) standard for plywood quality. The NPPD endorses this decision enthusiastically. We will encourage Brazilian plywood producers to opt for independent third party assessment following the establishment of their standard. Then either ABIMCI or the individual producers may apply for inclusion in BS 5268. This is also applicable to any other plywood producers interested in developing common national standards.

Without BS 5268, engineers and designers would be unable to specify timber and wood based products for structural construction use. This, therefore, remains a very sensible document, but it needs the fullest co-operation of all interested parties to ensure that the trade’s products are used safely and correctly.

We also need the TTJ to continue to focus on subjects that are vital for the well-being of our industry.