SFPA Announces Completion of Southern Pine Testing
Originally published by: SFPA — July 23, 2012
The following article was produced and published by the source linked to above, who is solely responsible for its content. SBC Magazine is publishing this story to raise awareness of information publicly available online and does not verify the accuracy of the author’s claims. As a consequence, SBC cannot vouch for the validity of any facts, claims or opinions made in the article.
The Southern Forest Product Association (SFPA) issued a press release today announcing the completion of Southern Pine lumber testing. In the release it states:
"The latest full In-Grade Testing matrix for visually graded Southern Pine dimension lumber has been completed by the Southern Pine Inspection Bureau (SPIB) in cooperation with Timber Products Inspection and others. In a two-step process, more than 7,400 full-size samples of commercially-produced Southern Pine were destructively tested. As the first step, No.2 2x4s were tested which resulted in new design values for Southern Pine sized 2” to 4” wide and 2” to 4” thick in No.2 Dense and lower grades on an interim basis; new design values for only those sizes and grades became effective June 1, 2012, pending the potential for slight adjustments based on results from additional testing in step two.
As the second step, Select Structural (SS) 2x4s, No.2 and SS 2x8s, and No.2 and SS 2x10s were tested to complete the full In-Grade Testing matrix. SPIB and Timber Products collected the test specimens according to a sampling plan approved by the American Lumber Standard Committee Board of Review (ALSC BOR). Destructive tests in bending, tension and compression were then conducted while gathering stiffness and other property data, all in accordance with ASTM International standards. Throughout the entire process, technical oversight was provided by the USDA Forest Products Laboratory."
Click on the pdf link below to view the full release, which includes approximate design value changes for Southern Pine based on preliminary data from the full In-Grade Testing matrix.
