scope:

This European Standard gives guidance on methods for determining and classifying the durability of wood and wood-based materials against biological wood-destroying agents. The methods can be applied either to individual wood species, batches of wood and processed wood-based materials, including heat-treated, preservative-treated wood and modified wood. However, this standard is not intended to replace testing of the efficacy of biocides. The wood-destroying agents considered in this standard are: - wood-decay fungi (basidiomycete and soft-rot fungi); - beetles capable of attacking dry wood; - termites; - marine organisms capable of attacking wood in service. Data on the biological durability of selected wood species considered of economic importance in European countries are presented in Annex B (informative), which also provides information relating to their geographical origin, density, sapwood width and treatability. NOTE - Treatability, durability to disfiguring fungi, permeability to water and performance in use of wood and wood-based materials are also important issues. However, because standardized methods aiming to assess and classify these factors do not exist and/or have not been extensively experienced yet, preliminary guidance is given in Annex C (informative) for the classification of wood treatability with aqueous wood preservatives, Annex D (informative) for the classification of the permeability to water, Annex E (informative) for the durability to disfiguring fungi, and Annex F (informative) for the classification of performance.