Timber Visual Grading Rules

Timbers can be structurally or visually graded. Structural grading is a method to ascertain the strength of the timber, whereas visual grading is based on the appearance, including the number of knots and defects.

New Zealand pinus radiata (Radiata Pine) grading rules have been around for some time. All New Zealand timbers have typically been visual graded to NZS3631: 1988.

This standard is designed to establish the visual grading rules for the selection of timber into quality classes. In this standard four types of grades have been specified.

NZS3631 is now thirty years old and does not represent a complete range of grades now used in the New Zealand market, especially not in regard to Radiata Pine.

There can be huge variance in quality between suppliers. Many manufacturers have created their own grades, to better represent their products in the marketplace.

Abodo has published its own thorough grade rules for finished products, to help buyers truly understand what they are getting.

View the Abodo Appearance Grading rules here.