What is BS EN 16351 - Cross laminated timber about?
BS EN 16351 is a safety standard on cross-laminated timber.
BS EN 16351 sets out provisions regarding the performance of characteristics of the following types of cross-laminated timber for use in buildings and bridges:
- Type 1: Straight or curved cross-laminated timber comprising only timber layers but no large finger joints
- Type 2: Straight cross-laminated timber comprising only timber layers and large finger joints
- Type 3: Straight cross-laminated timber comprising timber and wood-based panel layers but no large finger joints
BS EN 16351 covers cross-laminated timber of all three Types of cross-laminated timber manufactured according to BS EN 16351, which sets up provisions for:
- Boundary conditions during the manufacture of cross-laminated timber
- Moisture content and temperature of timber to be bonded
- Production of finger joints and bonds between layers
- To be used in service class 1 or 2 according to EN 1995-1-1
- Made of coniferous species and poplar listed in BS EN 16351
- Which may be made of layers made of different species
- Bonded with phenolic or aminoplastic or moisture-curing one-component polyurethane or emulsion polymer isocyanate adhesives of adhesive Type I according to the respective standard
- Made of timber laminations having a nominal width between 40 mm (including) and 300 mm (including)
- Built-up of at least three orthogonally bonded layers (at least two of them timber layers)
- Which may have, depending on the number of layers, adjacent layers bonded parallel to the grain
- Made of timber layers which are made of strength graded timber according to EN 14081-1
- Made of timber layers having nominal thicknesses between 6 mm (including) and 47 mm (including)
- Made of timber layers which may comprise edge bonds
- Having nominal overall thicknesses up to 500 mm
Additional provisions of BS EN 16351 apply for straight cross-laminated timber comprising only timber layers and comprising large finger joints (Type 2):
- Made from cross-laminated timber pieces having the same cross-section and layup
- Made from cross-laminated timber pieces having nominal cross-sectional thicknesses from 51 mm (including) up to 345 mm (including) and nominal minimum thicknesses of the outer layers not less than 17 mm (including)
- Made from cross-laminated timber pieces solely comprising timber layers
- Made from plane cross-laminated timber pieces
- With parallel x-axes of the jointed components
- With large finger joints having a finger length of at least 45 mm and fingers which are visible at the two narrow sides of the components
- Having large finger joints bonded with phenolic or aminoplastic or moisture-curing one-component polyurethane adhesives of adhesive Type I according to the respective standard
Additional provisions of BS EN 16351 apply for straight cross-laminated timber comprising timber and wood-based panel layers but no large finger joints (Type 3):
- Made of structural wood-based panels specified in BS EN 16351
- Made of one panel per most lay
- Having thicknesses between 6 mm (including) and 45 mm (including)
BS EN 16351 applies to cross-laminated timber untreated or treated against biological attack.
BS EN 16351 also lays down procedures for assessment and verification of constancy of performance (AVPC) of cross-laminated timber.
NOTE: BS EN 16351 does not cover:
- Cross-laminated timber treated with fire retardants
- Cross-laminated timber which is produced from re-used timber or wood-based panels comprising reused timber
Who is BS EN 16351 - Cross laminated timber for?
BS EN 16351 on cross-laminated timber is relevant to:
- Construction sectors
- Manufacturers of wood panel products
Why should you use BS EN 16351 - Cross laminated timber?
Cross laminated timber is a large-scale, prefabricated, solid engineered wood.
Cross-laminated timber in accordance with BS EN 16351 and multilayer solid wood panels have the same layup, but for cross-laminated timber, the timber is strength graded and the adhesives are tested according to the provisions of BS EN 16351. BS EN 16351 assists on the modulus of elasticity, bending strength, compressive strength, tensile strength, and shear strength of cross-laminated timber. BS EN 16351 provides guidance on the dimensional stability of cross-laminated timber.
Overall, BS EN 16351 is useful as it assists with cross-laminated timber which can be helpful for your business.
What’s changed since the last update?
BS EN 16351:2021 supersedes BS EN 16351:2015, which is withdrawn.
The following changes have been made:
- The standard has been adjusted to the latest versions of standards for adhesives
- The provisions for reaction and resistance to fire have been modified
- The provisions for gap widths and ratios of lamination width by thickness have been modified
- Missing provisions for factory production control have been added
- The provisions for determination of strength, stiffness, and density characteristics of cross-laminated timber have been modified
