Checking for Substandard Roofing Battens
Sub-standard battens
A sub-standard batten may not take the weight of an operative whilst using as a roof ladder which could result in an injury to the operative or a third party. Please note that walking mid-span between rafters is not advised.
Sub-standard battens which have been incorrectly graded or treated may rot prematurely, which reduces the effectiveness of any fixings and increases the risk of tiles/slates coming off the roof.
Due to the high demand for treated timber, compounded by shortages and supply chain issues. There are now large quantities of sub-standard roofing battens within the UK market that are being marked, coloured and sold as conforming to BS 5534 when in fact they are an inferior product and highly likely to impact performance and longevity of a roof should they be used. These sub-standard, inferior battens are becoming an increasingly serious issue for merchants, roofing contractors and their clients.
Health and safety
The use of inferior battens that do not conform to BS 5534 has the potential to cause roof failures and accidents. HSE guidance, HSG33 Health and Safety in Roof Work, states that battens must be a minimum size of 50 mm x 25 mm (maximum span 600 mm) or 38 mm x 25 mm (maximum span 450 mm) and meet the grading requirements specified in BS 5534: Code of practice for slating and tiling, also noted in NFRC Technical bulletin 33—Graded battens for slating and tiling.
Non-compliant battens should not be installed. Ungraded or part-graded battens may prove weak and vulnerable to failure should the roofer inadvertently walk on these areas whilst covering the roof.
What to look out for
Graded BS 5534 roofing battens should be stamped with the following:
Five steps to take
Should you encounter, or think you have encountered sub-standard battens, follow these simple steps to determine whether or not they can be used.
Check the thickness of the battens. 25 mm thick batten should be 25 – 2 mm thick but never less than 25 mm. Checks can be visual where discrepancies in thicknesses are obvious, or the batten can be measured with a tape measure, ruler or measuring gauge.
Check the size of the knots that are visible on both faces (widest sides of a batten). Measure the knots on each face—at the widest point, (width), these two sizes added together should not exceed the width of the batten being used, 50 mm on 25x50 batten, and 38 mm on 25x38 batten.
These images show battens with non-compliant knots, which should not be used.
Do not rely on a coloured roofing batten to be compliant. Give each pack of battens a visual check before
opening the pack. Each batten should be individually stamped with the information highlighted. This image shows coloured battens, but they are not individually stamped and so do not conform to BS 5534.
Please note that labels and stickers are not a substitute. The batten should be stamped.
Timber battens graded to BS 5534 should not contain any rot, decay or signs of insect infestation. If you see evidence of rot, decay or insect holes in a batten, do not use it and alert your supervisor or Contracts Manager.
If you have any concern that a roofing batten does not comply, or is ungraded, then you must not use the batten, and must report it to your Contracts Manager or supervisor at the earliest opportunity.
Download the NFRC 'Toolbox Talk' on Substandard roofing battens.