Shaun Revill, Trading Director of SR Timber, began his working life on the tools as a slater & tiler, he then worked with a Swedish timber importer ultimately specialising in roofing battens till he launched his own business in 2005. As the market experiences an increasing influx of non-compliant battens entering the UK, Shaun highlights the importance of checking your stock and supply chain, as legislation for compliance is likely to shift from recommendation to requirement under the new ‘General Safety Requirement’, placing responsibilities on everyone in the supply chain.
Tile battens have traditionally been outside the scope of the Construction Product Regulation (CPA) as they have never been classified as ‘Structural Timber’. However, the proposed General Safety Requirement (GSR) is intended to regulate products not currently covered by the CPA, leading to roofing battens being categorised to the same level of standards, compliance, and enforcement.
There is no doubt that tile battens are a safety-critical component of a building. If tile battens fail, there is a risk to the lives of roofers, building occupants, and the wider public. They must be sufficient in strength, as roofers use tile battens as hand and foot holds during construction. They must also be sound with sufficient density since the fixing of tiles and slates depends on them. The weight of tiles and slats is transferred by the tile battens into the roof structure, so they must maintain their integrity and be correctly preservative-treated to ensure a long service life and protect workers.
It is currently recommended that when installing any roofing battens, they be factory graded and fully compliant with British Standards BS 5534:2014+A2:2018 and BS 8417:2011+A1:2014 (preservation of wood) Use Class 2. Under the new GSR, it is predicted that this will change from a recommendation to enforceable legislation, so it is important for merchants to understand the implications and recognise a compliant batten.
Over the past five years, substandard timber battens have been increasingly entering the UK market—battens that cut corners and, upon inspection, would not meet the required British Standards.
FIVE tips for recognising Batten that complies with British Standards:
- Check that it isn’t undersized on both the thickness and the width
- Minimum 25mm on the thickness, and to a maximum 28mm – allowed tolerances 0mm/+3mm.
- Minimum 35mm on the width to a maximum of 41mm for 38mm sized batten.
- Minimum 47mm on the width to a maximum of 53mm for 50mm sized batten.
Good-grade batten will be consistently sized in both thickness and width.
- Markings
Check to ensure the marking/stamping on each piece of batten shows:
- Supplier (Manufacturer)
- Origin – imported and/or species code (either is permitted)
- ‘Graded BS 5534’ (must state both graded and BS 5534)
- Size (25×38 or 25×50)
- Companies that follow best practice recommended by the National Federation of Roofing Contractors (NFRC) and Timber Development UK (TDUK) also apply third-party accreditation markings, which record independent compliance and management records of the production of graded battens.
- Knots
Check the size of knots on each face – 38mm / 50mm part of the batten:
- Maximum 5mm knot rule, this is for knots running edge to edge, thickness only.
- Wane permitted on one arris only, should not exceed one-third of the batten dimension.
- Bow, spring or twist should each be not greater than 5mm, measured over a length of 1.2m.
The knot rule is quite complicated, but essentially any large knot which is bigger than half the width of the batten, appearing on both sides of the face (width), would not be compliant with BS 5534.
- Preservative
Roofing battens are classed as Use Class 2, requiring treatment to comply with BS 8417.
- Due Diligence
All documentation should show the following as a minimum, e.g., on delivery notes:
- Name of supplier.
- Origin (imported and/or species code).
- Graded in accordance with BS 5534.
- Basic size or sizes.
- Type of preservative and method of treatment (Use Class 2), if applicable.
Good suppliers will also offer a full Chain of Custody and a full third-party accreditation.
Note: Moisture content of the batten should not exceed 22% at the time of fixing. An excessively heavy batten may indicate incorrect moisture content; if in doubt, question your supplier, seek expert advice, or check it with a timber moisture meter with hammer probe.
SR Timber was established in 2004 and continues to promote the importance of using a correctly graded roofing batten across the industry, especially as new roofers join the trade. Education, guidance, and practical support are at the heart of this approach, and all their sales team members are qualified batten graders. They support merchants, advise contractors on specifications, and help new roofers understand compliance requirements on site. They also organise training roadshows, in partnership with TDUK, NFRC, and WPA, which any interested merchant can attend to learn more.