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Pacific Lumber Inspection Bureau (PLIB) has published a new grading rules book, WCLB Standard Grading Rules for West Coast & Imported Softwood Lumber, No. 18, 2022. The new rule book replaces “Standard 17,” the Bureau’s previous version of the grading rules written and first published by West Coast Lumber Inspection Bureau (WCLIB) in 1991 and revised multiple times since.
When WCLIB and PLIB merged operations in 2019, PLIB was recognized by the American Lumber Standards Committee (ALSC) as a lumber grading rules-writing authority. No. 18, 2022 edition is the first major revision to the rule book since the merger, and the first to be published by PLIB. It replaces Standard 17 as the official WCLB Grading Rules for West Coast & Imported Lumber.
“The new rule book includes all updates to the NGR grade rules as well as revisions to other grades specific to the WCLB rules,” said Jeff Fantozzi, PLIB’s president. “There are also several items included in WCLB No. 18 that had not been included in previous editions of the Standard 17 rule book.”
Besides the new title and publisher, among the most significant changes are inclusion of the complete and current National Grade Rule (NGR) interpretations as well as the WCLB rule interpretations. No. 18 also features updates to MSR grade tables and design value tables, and a new seasoning provision for timbers, intended to make the definition for dry timbers consistent across manufacturers. Fantozzi said the PLIB also updated the species lists, rearranged the order of some sections, and incorporated revisions and corrections from previous editions.
Coil-bound and perfect bound copies of No. 18 may be purchased for $30. Visit plib.org/resources or call (253) 835-3344 for ordering information. A downloadable PDF will also be available soon.
