Federal Register: December 29, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 250)
DOCID: FR Doc E6-22435
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Institute of Standards and Technology
Docket ID: [Docket No.: 061212329-6329-01]
NOTICE: NOTICES
ACTION: Voluntary product standards:
DOCUMENT ACTION: Notice and request for comments.
SUBJECT CATEGORY:
Proposed Voluntary Product Standard PS 1-06, Structural Plywood
DATES: Written comments regarding the proposed revision, PS 1-06, should be submitted to the Standards Services Division, NIST, no later than February 27, 2007.
DOCUMENT SUMMARY:
This notice advises the public that the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is distributing a proposed revision of Voluntary Product Standard (PS) 195, Construction and Industrial Plywood. This standard, prepared by the Standing Committee for PS 1, establishes requirements, for those who choose to adhere to the standard, for the principal types and grades of structural plywood and provides a basis for common understanding among producers, distributors, and users of the product. Interested parties are invited to review the proposed standard and submit comments to NIST.
SUMMARY:
Structural plywood; standards revision,
SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION
Proposed Voluntary Product Standard PS 1-06
establishes requirements, for those who choose to adhere to the
standard, for the principal types and grades of structural plywood.
This standard covers the wood species, veneer grading, adhesive bonds,
panel construction and workmanship, dimensions and tolerances, marking, moisture content,
[[Page 78405]]
and packing of plywood intended for construction and industrial uses.
The proposed revision of the standard, PS 195, Construction and Industrial Plywood, has been developed and is being processed in accordance with Department of Commerce provisions in Title 15 Code of Federal Regulations Part 10, Procedures for the Development of Voluntary Product Standards, as amended (published June 20, 1986). The Standing Committee for PS 1 is responsible for maintaining, revising, and interpreting the standard and comprises producers, distributors, users, and others with an interest in the standard.
After reviewing the standard, the Committee determined that portions of it were obsolete and technically inadequate and needed to be revised to reflect current industry practices. The Committee held meetings to review the standard and make needed changes. Much of the work was performed by the document's sponsor, APAThe Engineered Wood Association. Committee members voted on the revision and it was approved by at least threequarters of the membership. The Committee submitted a report to NIST with the voting results and the draft revised standard. NIST has determined that the revised standard should be issued for public comment.
Included in this standard are test methods to determine compliance and a glossary of trade terms and definitions. A quality certification program is provided whereby qualified testing agencies inspect, sample, and test products identified as complying with this standard. Information on species grouping is provided in Appendix A; information on reinspecting practices is provided in Appendix B; and information on the maintenance, history, and current edition of the standard is provided in Appendix C.
This Voluntary Product Standard incorporates the International
System of Units (SI) as well as U.S. customary units of measurement. In
conversion of U.S. customary units where exact placement is not an
issue, such as nail spacing, approximate conversions to SI units are
made to yield more easily recognizable numbers. In critical matters,
such as panel thickness, more precise conversions to SI units are made.
For nominal U.S. customary units, actual dimensions in SI units are
given. The values given in SI units are the standard. The values in
parentheses are for information only. Advisory notes in this standard and Appendices B and C shall not be considered mandatory.
This revision includes the following changes:
(1) Name ChangeSince its inception in 1966 when three regional
plywood standards were consolidated, the title of PS 1 has been
Construction and Industrial Plywood. This revision changes the name to
Structural Plywood as that name is more consistent with marketplace terminology.
(2) Deletion of Interior and Intermediate Bond Classifications
Provisions, test methods, and criteria for plywood manufactured with
Interior and Intermediate Bond Classifications were removed from the
standard because the use of such adhesive systems had become rare since
the industry had transitioned to moisture resistant adhesives in the 1950s.
(3) Mold/bacteria testsTest methods and associated criteria for
assessing the potential for mold and bacteria growth on the adhesives
used to manufacture plywood were eliminated. Those methods were
developed and relevant only to the Interior and Intermediate types of
adhesives used decades ago and which had long become obsolete since the industry switched to moisture resistant adhesives.
(4) TerminologyTerminology related to Bond Classifications was
revised to clarify that adhesive classification methods were specific
to wet bonding strength and did not address other modes of natural
degradation of plywood. In addition, the terminology ``Interior Bonded
with Exterior Glue'' was replaced with its alternate term ``Exposure 1'' as that term has become common in the marketplace.
(5) Performance Testing LanguageLanguage clarifying the sampling
and pass/fail criteria of performance testing was revised to be
consistent with the language in PS 204, Performance Standard for Wood Based StructuralUse Panels.
(6) Table 1This Table was modified to better reflect the species
included in the various Groups and the text referring to Table 1 was also modified accordingly.
(7) Appendix A on Assignment of Species GroupingThis mandatory
appendix was added to the standard to clarify the process by which species had been evaluated for tabulation in Table 1.
(8) OverlaysThe prescriptive definitions of High Density Overlays
(HDO) and Medium Density Overlays (MDO) were revised to reflect
commercially available products based on input from producers of
overlays and overlaid plywood. In addition, HDO grades were
differentiated into HDOconcrete form and HDOindustrial and MDO grades
were differentiated into MDOconcrete form and MDOgeneral to recognize
that overlays are designed and manufactured to satisfy specific enduse requirements.
(9) RepairsThe size permitted for synthetic repairs was modified to create compatibility with permissible wood repairs.
(10) Exterior Plywood GradesTable 3 on Exterior Plywood Grades
was revised to incorporate new grades of overlaid plywood and concrete form grades.
(11) UnderlaymentSection 5.6.3 on Underlayment was revised to clarify the grade and intended enduse.
(12) Minimum Grade for Exposure 1Table 2 on Exposure 1 grades was
revised to permit DD grade only for plywood qualified through
performance testing specified in PS 1 or PS 2. This change creates compatibility with the minimum grade permitted in PS 2.
Concurrent with this Federal Register Notice, the proposed
Voluntary Product Standard PS 106 is being distributed by the National
Institute of Standards and Technology to national experts and other
interested parties for review and comment, in order to ensure that the
standard constitutes acceptable industry practice. All public comments
will be reviewed and considered. The Standing Committee for PS 1 and NIST will revise the standard accordingly.
Dated: December 20, 2006.
James E. Hill,
Acting Deputy Director.
[FR Doc. E622435 Filed 122806; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 351013P
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT
Ms. JoAnne Overman, Standards Services Division, National Institute of Standards and Technology, telephone: (301) 9754037; fax: 3019754715, email: joanne.overman@nist.gov.