Timber Products Inspection, Inc.
Timber Products Inspection, Inc.
In the mid-1970's, TP was asked by the log home industry and regulatory bodies to extend its expertise in lumber and timber grading to building logs for residential and commercial log structures. In response to this request, TP developed and now provides a nationwide grading and gradestamping program to log home manufacturers. The TP grading rules and design values are based on the nationally recognized standard ASTM D3957 "Standard Methods for Establishing Stress Grades for Structural Members Used in Log Buildings"
In order to design with logs, one must have log design values. To obtain safe design values, logs must be structurally graded. TP's log grading program is, and always has been the leader in the industry, accepted under all three of the National Building Codes and by the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Under the current TP Log Grading Program, the manufacturer's personnel are trained and qualified to grade and gradestamp their logs in accordance with the TP grading rules. The TP rules and licensing agreement require that the manufacturer maintain a high conformance rating (95% or better on average) when monitoring by unannounced inspections by TP personnel. Failure to maintain that high rating would result in the loss of gradestamping privileges.
The TP log gradestamp provides the buyer with the assurance of receiving building logs from a quality-oriented company who is manufacturing his product under a meaningful quality audit program. TP also provides "lot inspection" grading services for individuals building their own homes, or for small manufacturers or hand crafters whose production is too small for an ongoing monitoring program.
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