Japan Accepts WWPA Gradestamps

Marking the first time the Japanese government has recognized foreign standards for building materials, Western Wood Products Association-grademarked lumber products have been approved for use in 2x4 construction in Japan.

To celebrate Japan's liberalization in wood products trade, Hunt and U.S. Ambassador to Japan Walter Mondale exchanged documents with officials of the Japan Ministry of Construction April 16 during ceremonies arranged to coincide with talks between President Clinton and Japanese Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto.

"This is an extraordinary honor for WWPA member mills to be the first U.S. lumber grading agency to be cer-

Three Mills Qualify For JAS

The number of western lumber mills offering products graded to Japanese standards has doubled with the addition of three mills authorized to place Japanese Agricultural Standard stamps on structural lumber. Bennett Lumber Products, Inc., Princeton, Id.; Guy Bennett Lumber tified by Japan and be the first foreign quality standards organization to earn this essential product approval for wood construction." said WWPA president Robert H. Hunt. "It is the culmination of years of work by WWPA mills to gain acceptance in Japan for lumber carrying the Association grademark."

In certifying WWPA's grading rules, Japan will immediately allow gradestamped structural lumber produced by WWPA member mills to be used in American-style construction without further inspection.

Japan traditionally has been the largest export market for American lumber, buying nearly I billion bd. ft. annually (40Vo of total U.S. lumber exports). In 1995, Japan purchased 881 million bd. ft. of lumber from U.S. mills valued at $624.4 million. More than 807o of the lumber was produced by Pacific Northwest mills, with Douglas fir and hem-fir the preferred species.

Co., Clarkston, Wa., and GeorgiaPacific Corp., Philomath, Or., recently earned JAS certification, a process which typically takes up to a year to complete. It includes special training for mill graders and managers, and an extensive review and documentation of production facilities and quality control programs.

WWPA lumber grading rules were used as a model for similar Japanese standards created in the mid-1970s. Despite the similarities of grades, Japan has required U.S. construction lumber be regraded to Japanese standards, adding to the cost of the lumber.

In recent years, the Japanese government has sought to lower housing construction costs, which are approximately twice that of typical American construction. The Ministry of Construction determined that Japan must make "dramatic changes in the construction regulation system and not discriminate against foreign products which can provide builders the desired use and cost efficiencies." At the urging of WWPA and the U.S. government, Ministry officials agreed that recognizing American grading rules, such as those published by WWPA, would simplify the complex approval procedures for home building and help lower costs.

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