The borates are here!

By Richard Jackson Owner and President The Pacific Wood Preserving Companies

Today Pac Bor has an estimated 9OVo market share of residential sill plate in Arizona and an estimated 60Vo market share in the Los Angeles Basin. Market share in Northern California and Las Vegas is growing as users become aware of the benefits of using Pac Bor. Today, 15 wood preserving plants in North America treat with borates.

Industry Standards

Over the last several years, U.S. Borax, wood preservation scientists and Pacific Wood Preserving have worked to include inorganic boron into industry standards. This has involved extensive research, peer scrutiny, and regulatory review of the wood preservative. Today, inorganic boron is listed in the American WoodPreservers Association Standards C3l-99 ("Lumber Used Out of Contact withthe Ground and Continuously Protected from Liquid Water-Treatment by Pressure Processes"). It is also listed in AWPA's P5-00, which describes standards for waterborne preservatives.

AWPA recently introduced a Use Category System in an attempt to simplify the interpretation of the standards. At AWPA's annual meeting in May, inorganic boron was added to Use Category 2, "Interior Construction, Damp Above Ground," and to the "Guide to Treated Wood End Uses." According to AWPA executive v.p. John Hall, the 2001 version of this guide will list inorganic boron in framing interior and sill plate appli- cations. Until the 2001 standard is published, conflicts between the C standards and the Use Category System will be governed by the C standards.

The borates (identified as disodium octaborate tetrahydrate, the active ingredient) are also promulgated under the International Conference of Building Officials Evaluation Service Evaluation Reports, which are specific to individual wood treaters. Pacific's report is ICBO-ER 4890. Pac Bor also has a Letter of Acceptance from the Division of State Architect Office of Regulation Services (dated September 11, 1997), approving its use in governmental construction (i.e., schools, public buildings). To my knowledge, only Pac Bor has this acceptance letter. Other generic versions of inorganic boron have not received it.

Buyers Beware

Buyers of wood treated with inor- ganic boron can be confident that they are receiving product that meets industry standards if the products bear an official stamp or end-tag. While this can be confusing because of misleading stamps, end-tags and advertisements by wood treaters who do not follow industry standards, below is a guide on how wholesalers, retail yards, building inspectors and consumers can ensure that they are receiving products that have the industry recommended retention and penetration of preservative, and that the proper manufacturing procedures have been followed:

(1) The Western Wood Preservers Institute developed the CheckMark logo to help West Coast buyers of treated wood quickly determine if products have been inspected by an ALSC accredited, third pafiy agency. (See generic version of stamp below.)

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