Meeting the standard: Marley puts the case for graded roof battens

With battens “one of the most important parts of a pitched roof”, Marley is urging merchants to highlight the importance of only selling BS 5534 graded products.

An essential component of a roof, roofing battens are not just small section timbers that are quickly covered over. In fact, they are one of the most important parts of a pitched roof, acting as a structural and load bearing element. As well as supporting the dead weight of tiles and the imposed wind loads, roofing battens can also be used as a secure foothold during installation, so it makes sense to offer the best battens — meaning BS 5534 graded — to your customers.

Know your battens

However, there are increasing concerns that due to the high demand for treated timber following recent supply issues, roofing battens that aren’t compliant or haven’t been through the right preservative treatment process may have entered the supply chain. This means merchants could be inadvertently selling inferior roofing battens to their customers, thinking they are fully BS 5534 compliant.

Posing significant health and safety risks, if a roofer were to step on a batten that didn’t have the required strength, it would only take a single batten failure to have serious consequences and cause potentially serious liability issues.

Not all battens are fully BS5534 compliant, and this is something that merchants need to be aware of. And the best way for merchants to have peace of mind about safety, quality and BS 5534 compliance of the batten they are selling, is to buy from a trusted batten brand or manufacturer, such as JB Red.

Here we look at some of the most common questions asked about batten safety, helping merchants to confidently advise their customers on what to look out for when it comes to battens.

Can roofers stand on a roofing batten during installation?

Any battens sold as roofing battens should be graded to the BS 5534 standard but unfortunately, this is not always the case. It is very important to note that only BS 5534 graded battens should be used as a secure foothold during roof installation.

Unless you buy from a trusted manufacturer, it would be risky to assume that just because you buy roofing battens, that they are fully compliant and safe to stand on.

How can I check that a roofing batten is safe to use?

When the battens are delivered to site, four simple visual checks should be carried out:

Grading stamp: Make sure there is an indelible BS 5534 stamp on the batten — only battens that have been pre or factory graded to BS5534 can be called roofing battens.

Third party accreditation: Look for an independent quality mark — Marley’s JB Red battens have a BBA stamp to demonstrate this.

Check for damage or defects: When picked up from one end, the batten should be straight and not snap (within the agreed BS 5534 limit of 5mm distortion). Some defects are allowed — for a full list, email info@marley.co.uk for a free battens pocket checklist. And in general, if there is a defect you are unsure of, contact the manufacturer.

Timber: The species of tree, from which the timber has come from, should be stamped on the batten. Marley only uses slow grown imported redwood or whitewood for its JB Red battens. Also look out for an FSC or PEFC stamp to ensure sustainable sourcing.

My batten has a BS 5534 stamp, but it does have quite a few defects. Should I use it?

As a natural material, timber battens will obviously have varied characteristics, but BS 5534 is very strict about what is and isn’t allowed. Marley’s machine grading process scans JB Red battens by the millimetre to make sure they meet the requirements of the standard.

If there are any doubts about defects, the batten should not be used and the manufacturer contacted — far better to be safe than sorry.

Are all coloured roofing battens fully compliant with BS 5534?

There is a misconception that colour is proof of compliance and effective preservative treatment but unfortunately this isn’t the case. The colour of Marley’s JB Red battens helps indicate to merchants and their customers, as well as building inspectors, that the battens used are compliant.

However, they also have all the correct stamps, third party accreditation and supporting documentation to back this up. Never take colour alone as proof of quality.

JB Red — an exceptional choice for your customers

Exhibiting exceptionally high quality of manufacture at every stage — from integral strength and consistency of size to thoroughly protective treatments — JB Red battens can be purchased as part of a full Marley roof system, backed up with a free 15-year warranty.

Click the link for further details on Marley’s JB Red battens, including full technical data and a batten grading guide, or call 01283722222.