Owners of private gardens, developers, architects, timber shop owner, landscaping architects, owners of vineyards and orchards, members of planning committees and decision-makers – all of them make high demands when deciding on and purchasing preservative treated wooden products. Preservative treated wooden products, marked with the RAL Quality Label for preservative treated wood construction elements fulfill your demands – long service life, safety and ease of maintenance. In the following we outline the underlying concept of RAL Quality Control for timber products.
One particular benefit when using products marked with the RAL Quality Label is the 10-year manufacturer’s warranty.
RAL quality-controlled wood products can be identified very easily by durable product-markings, e.g. by a plaque with the RAL quality mark, referencing the year of production year and other details provided by the manufacturer.
A further way of indicating RAL products is the “Simple Label”, by use of three stylized palisades, combined with the letter-sequence RAL and the manufacturer’s code number. This simplified quality mark is applied in several variations, e.g. as a marker nail or clip, by marking iron, by embossing or similar methods providing a durable marking on the wooden element.
The RAL Quality Label stands for:
Consumers, industry as well as locally and nationally bodies inviting for tenders / public authorities play safe in considering the use of treated wooden products marked with the RAL Quality Label. It stands for reliable, solid and trustworthy products of consistent high quality.
The RAL quality control system can be seen as a pyramid with three distinct levels. On top is the RAL German Institute for Quality Control and Labelling, an independent and neutral umbrella organization. It supervises the various Quality Associations ensuring that criteria are developed and set forth in a public process by an independent board of specialists and thus guaranteeing that all Quality Labels remain a reliable and trustworthy mark for various types of products the RAL Institute stands for.
The second level consists of the Quality Associations themselves, which are formed by firms that want to use a particular RAL Quality Label. They are responsible among other things for monitoring their associated firms and for regular updating of the quality and test criteria.
The base level consists of the users of the Quality Label, who voluntarily commit themselves to the applicable RAL quality scheme and procedures of quality control measures consisting of an ongoing internal production control and regular checks by independent third party inspections.
The RAL Quality Label is based on an extensive quality concept which exceeds norms and legal regulations (evtl. provisions oder requirements). RAL quality control always includes a multitude of aspects which are important for its use. This includes in particular compliance with health and environmental regulations, safety aspects, economy and performance in service. All quality controls are public and offer the highest degree of transparency, and by thus providing viable consumer protection.
Clients don’t need to deal with complicated and extensive pre- and post-checks because the products which are marked with the RAL Quality Label always fulfil the standards as anchored / set forth (streichen laid down) in the RAL quality control terms. It has been proven that RAL quality controls reduce the error rate in production firms.
→ to the RAL-Whiteboard-Clip with explanations as to how the RAL quality control system functions
Checking the quality of treated timber requires expert knowledge, special equipment and shall be conducted by trained people only. With the RAL Quality Label for Impregnated Wood Construction Elements however the quality has already been checked by a specialist, providing excellent orientation in the efforts to separate the wheat from the chaff. Products with the RAL Quality Label provide guidance and safety for making the right choices in a huge market and obtaining the best value for money.
The Quality Label of the of the Quality Association for Impregnated Wood Construction Elements (RAL-GZ 411) stands for:
The Consumers' Guide Wood Preservatives the Federal Ministry for Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection (BMELV) offers, amongst other things, a clear recommendation for purchasing products with the quality label RAL-GZ 411!
Therefore: accept no less than RAL!
Further information can be found in the following information sheet for downloading.
Internal and external monitoring
As a first step, every business which applies for permission to use the Quality Label is subject to an initial check, which is carried out by an independent certified body, with which can be e.g. an inspection company, an institute or an officially certified wood protection expert.
As part of this initial process, the applicant must prove that all the technical equipment and the impregnation correspond to the strict demands of the Quality Association and that the company is able to carry out continuous quality self-control..
When the company has passed this initial inspection process, the use of the RAL Quality label is granted by the RAL body. With the right to use the Quality Label, the manufacturer commits to maintaining the high quality standards of the Quality Association by continuously monitoring of the quality of production process and products.
In addition to the continuous internal quality control, the manufacturer is at least twice a year subject to an external quality control monitoring. Here an independent certified body is checking checks the conformity on the basis of a detailed checklist with the criteria enforced by the RAL Quality Association.
Severe infringements result in a withdrawal of the right to use the Quality Label.
These are the inspection criteria for our checks, which underlie our slogan:
"Long-lasting for sure!"
a) Indirect control:
Check of the records from the internal quality control monitoring, the treatment protocols and diagrams, the penetration measurements of the drill and cross-section samples as well as the analytical results of the concentration measurements of the treatment solution
b) Direct controls:
Several factors are decisive for RAL-quality-controlled wood products lasting longer:
Quality is the top priority of the Quality Association for Impregnated Wood Construction Elements. The secret of the above-average lifespan of RAL quality-controlled wood products lies in the combination of many precisely coordinated measures:
The use of high quality raw timber as starting material is mandatory. The protection level provided by compliance with the building codes and principles of structural wood protection is supplemented by effective, preventative chemical measures are another contribution factor. The chemical treatment self is done with highly effective wood preservatives approved by national and/or European wood preservatives. The treatment carried out in large-scale treatment facilities by specialists and continuous quality control round it off.
Naturally only high-quality timber is used. Production errors are avoided as far as possible by continuous checking.
The quality of RAL quality-controlled wood products is based on precisely defined requirement as
The right to use the the RAL Quality Label is granted by the Quality Association for Impregnated Wood Construction Elements to those producers only who rigorously fulfill the quality and inspection rules stipulated by the Association.
These regulations state, amongst other things, which officially tested wood protectors may be used for the RAL impregnationand the penetration depth in order to achieve the required protection for the treated piece of timber in its designated use class. It is regulated as well which kind of treatment has to be applied and the treatment parameters to apply in order to achieve the required RAL quality. The terms for the storage of freshly treated timber are determined too.
The quality and inspection regulations also require that in every company that is permitted to use the quality label there must be at least one responsible worker who has successfully followed a training course.
That is how you as a customer always receive constant quality
RAL quality controlled products are compliant with the requirements for human health, animal health and environment
In an extensive study of the ecological impact of treated timber carried out by the Helvetian Institute for Material Testing and Research (EMPA) in Switzerland it was proved that RAL quality-controlled wood products are safe for health and environment throughout their service life when used according to their specification.
That's why they are even recommended in a consumer guide from the Federal Ministry for Agriculture, Food and Consumer Protection (BMLEV)!
The wood used for production of RAL quality-controlled wood products is sourced only from sustainably managed forests. It is only as much wood felled as can later re-grow.
The wood preservatives are evaluated within the framework of the biocidal products regulation (BPR). This approval process has been established as a procedure for assessing the effectiveness, safety in use (humans and animals) and the impact on the environment (air, soil and water-dwelling animals and plants) of biocides and similar assessments for products containing biocides and how they are used. It is ensured that all parts of the treatment process are contained or controlled within no-effect limits so there is no impact on or release to air soil or ground water during treatment and storage of the treated timber for drying and fixation.
At the end of their service life RAL impregnated timber elements can be incinerated means converted to energy in approved installations for producing electricity and/or warmth.
By careful use of what nature has to offer, RAL quality-controlled wood products make a valuable contribution to sustainability and future.
RAL Quality Labels are exceedingly useful when a company wants to participate in a call for tender. Authorities can rely on the RAL Quality Labels which stand for fulfilling the requirements on the company and its products. RAL Quality Labels are therefore accepted as proof of the bidder’s qualification and terms of delivery.
→ This video shows that the RAL Quality Control fulfills the awarding requirements of e.g. compliance with transparency, quality, economy and bidder’s aptitude, providing safety and reliability for the tender issuing and deciding authorities.
Only approved manufacturers (Approved Users of the Quality Label)) are allowed to mark their wood products with the RAL Quality Label.
There is a 10-year manufacturer's guarantee for these products.
Here is a list with the names of the manufacturers who are currently allowed to use the Quality Label.
Behren 2
29365 Sprakensehl
Phone +49-5837-97970
info@scheerer.de
scheerer.de
Mähderstr. 29-32
72270 Baiersbronn (Heselbach)
Phone +49-7442-8438-0
info@braun-wuerfele.de
braun-wuerfele.de
Gewerbegebiet, Im Westfeld 2
59939 Olsberg Assinghausen
Phone +49-2962-97110
post@pieperholz.de
pieperholz.de
Sandgrubenweg 24
88499 Altheim-Riedlingen
Phone +49-7371-9374-0
info@schwarz-zaeune.de
schwarz-zaeune.de
Rösrather Str. 770
51107 Köln (Rath)
Phone +49-2205-1015
csk@carlscholl.de
carlscholl.de
Hochstraße 2
78183 Hüfingen
Phone +49-771-8978280
info@fuerstenberg-thp.de
fuerstenberg-thp.de
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