Supplying Timber Issue 9 0 - Autumn 2025 - Flipbook - Page 72
———— WOOD PROTECTION ————
FLAME-RETARDANT TREATED
WOOD: ARE YOU MEETING YOUR
LEGAL RESPONSIBILITIES?
The Wood Protection Association o昀昀ers advice on how to ensure
compliance with 昀氀ame-retardant treated wood products.
s part of its
role as the UK
Construction
Products
Regulator, the
O昀케ce for Product Safety
and Standards (OPSS) is now
actively reviewing how 昀氀ame
retardant (FR) treated wood
products – including timber
cladding – are placed on the
market.
Several timber businesses
have already been
contacted to verify
compliance.
These products
are inherently
safety-critical and
ensuring their traceability
and performance claims
meet the legal requirements
of the Construction Products
Regulation (CPR) is now a top
priority for regulators.
A key issue that OPSS is
focusing on relates to the
Declaration of Performance
(DoP) required to support
昀氀ame retardant treated wood
products when they are placed
on the market.
As a business, if you are
sending a wood product
to a treatment plant for
FR treatment so you can
make an additional claim
about its performance then,
legally, you must take on
the responsibilities as the
A
manufacturer of that product –
this includes producing a new
DoP.
TIMBER KNOWLEDGE
What does this
mean for suppliers?
If you are sending wood
products such as
cladding to a thirdparty for 昀椀re
retardant
treatment and then
supplying it to market with that
enhanced performance claim,
you are legally classed as the
manufacturer of that treated
product.
This comes with a set of legal
obligations, including:
• Producing a new Declaration
of Performance (DoP)
• A昀케xing the correct CE or
UKCA marking
• Maintaining a certi昀椀ed
Factory Production Control
(FPC) system.
Even if your operation is not
SUPPLYING TIMBER
72
a factory – for example, a
warehouse or distribution
hub – these
responsibilities still
apply.
Key
Compliance
Requirements
1. Product
performance
evidence
Before placing any FR
treated wood products
on the market and in
partnership with the
treatment provider, a valid
昀椀re test classi昀椀cation report
must be obtained from a
AUTUMN 2025
