scope:

This Standard specifies a method for testing wood boards treated with preservatives and exposed outdoors, out of contact with the ground, in a decking module closely resembling decking in residential use poorly ventilated on the underside.

The test method uses samples with cross sections typical of treated commodities and thus evaluates the performance of the treatment method as well as the preservative. It is suitable for testing the effectiveness of new or modified preservatives as full-cross-section-, shell- or surfacetreatments. This is a commodity test, not a preservative screening test and is analogous to AWPA E8, The Standard Method of Field Test with Posts used for ground-contact testing.The method, with appropriate modification, may also be used for testing natural durability.