Woodexperts' Director Jim Coulson recently attended the NFRC as part of the Working Group on Tiling Battens, looking at ways to stop the importation of illegal or "fake" BS 5534 battens. Some are marked "BS 5534" but have obviously not been graded; and others are dyed blue - a very common colour - which seems to make roofers believe that they must somehow be "official" BS 5534 battens, simply because they have a colour to them.

 

Fortunately, the NFRC Working Group has proposed publishing a list of "Approved Battens"  which have been independently third-party certified. One of the very few Certification Bodies on that list will be our own Diamond Mark: look out for Diamond Mark, on roofing battens and other timber products, for safety and peace of mind.