Roofing Work – Making Sense out of British Standards

When it comes to British Standards, there are more than 27,000 of them in total, but not all of them apply to the roofing sector, or even the construction industry in general, so finding out which British Standards apply to roofing work means that you only need to concern yourself about a fraction of the total number.  Today we’re going to take a look at the British Standards that you need to consider when working on a roofing project.

BS 5534:2014 – Slating and tiling for pitched roofs and vertical cladding code of practice (including shingles).

This roofing standard provides recommendations for the design, materials, application, installation and performance of slates, tiles, shingles and shakes, as well as all of the associated fittings and accessories used in the construction of a pitched roof. 

Rain and wind resistance, together with durability, thermal insulation, fire resistance, the control of condensation, sound, environment and health and safety issues are also covered in this Standard which should be read in conjunction with BS 8000-6 (below).

BS 5534:2014 has been mandatory since February, 2015.  Since its original publication, two amendments have been issued.  The second amendment was published in February, 2018 in order to improve security, durability and weather-resistance of both new and refurbished pitched roofs.  This also refers to a new standard, BS 8612:2018 which we will also take a look at.  Recent revisions to this standards reflect changes in the roofing market, particularly the increase in use of dry fix roofing systems.  It’s designed to set minimum standards for dry fix products that should improve the quality of pitched roof installations.

The transitional period for the introduction and adoption of the updated version of the Standard has now ended so the National House Building Council’s (NHBC) technical standards should be formalised early next year.

BS 8612 – Dry fixed ridge, hip and gable systems for roofs – product specifications.

The new Standard, BS 8612 has been in force since February, 2018 and states the minimum performance requirements for dry fixed roofing systems in regard to fixing, wind load resistance, durability, and ventilation according to BS 5250.  This applies to both new build and refurbished roofs.  The Standard was designed in response to a significant increase in the dry fix market, which have gained popularity as a result of recent changes in industry standards and guidelines.  However, the increase in popularity has resulted in some inferior products appearing on the market so BS 8612 is designed to ensure that the products used during a build are suitable. 

The NHBC is expected to include the new Standard in its update to NHBC Standards for January 2019, which should afford the roofing sector plenty of time to transition.  However, the date that the Standard will become compulsory has not as yet been confirmed.

Next week we’ll take a look at the other roofing standards that should be considered.  If you don’t want miss out on this valuable information, why not make sure you’re notified when we publish it?  You can follow us on Facebook or Twitter and get a heads up when the article is released.