Labelling requirements
There are strict controls in Australia on the manufacture, sale and labelling of treated timber.
All chemicals used in preservative formulations must be approved by the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Chemical Authority (APVMA).
The treatment plants themselves are regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) or equivalent body in each state or territory, or the local council for the region, depending on the size of the plant and its processing output.
All CCA treated timber must be marked with the words ‘Treated with copper chrome arsenate’ unless the pieces have end sections that are too small to be easily branded – such as in fence palings, battens and droppers – in which case the overall packaging must be marked accordingly.
Labelling
Timber that is sold as meeting the standards specified in AS/NZS 1604 Preservative-treated wood-based products must be labelled in accordance with the standard. Below is an example of a typical label, based on the sample shown on the NSW EPA webpage: Codes, labels and branding
Plant number – registered number of the treatment plant. See the Timber Preservers Association of Australia website for the numbers and details of all treatment plants listed with them.
Preservative code number – reference number for the chemical formulation used in the treatment process. Below is a summary of the preservative code numbers listed on the NSW EPA webpage:
CCA: 01, 02, 03, 14, 15, 16, 31, 32, 33, 34, 38, 40, 43, 51, 55
ACQ: 90; Copper quaternary: 89
Copper azole: 58
Synthetic pyrethroids: bifenthrin: 73, 75; permethrin: 70, 74
LOSP: tebuconazole + propiconazole + permethrin: 64; imidacloprid: 59, 60
Boron: 9, 10, 11
Creosote: 20; PEC: 45
Hazard level – see the lesson Hazard Classes for descriptions of the six hazard levels specified in AS/NZS 1604
Suffix code – used where a specific end use is intended for the product within a particular hazard level. The suffix codes are:
F for framing
S for LVL beams
A for painted LOSP products used outdoors