FAQs

Becoming a PLIB qualified or ticketed lumber grader requires one-on-one instruction from a PLIB lumber inspector. This in-person training period, where inspector and student review actual pieces of lumber by hand, allows the student to demonstrate their grading proficiency on actual pieces of lumber.

The most common way for a student to receive this hands-on training is by working as a grader trainee at a sawmill or lumber remanufacturing facility. This allows the grader trainee to be exposed to hundreds, even thousands, of pieces of lumber during their working hours and provides the opportunity for the PLIB inspector to work directly with the trainee over several months while the inspector conducts their routine inspections.

In Canada, PLIB also offers in-person grading classes at member mills that allow trainees to earn their grading ticket. During these in-person classes, the trainee will be able to handle lumber and receive feedback from the instructor. When all classes are completed, the trainee takes both a written and a practical (hands-on) exam. A passing grade on both the written and practical test is required to receive a grading ticket. Depending on the number of grades and species, a full grading course at a mill can take between six to twelve classes.

PLIB continuously monitors the performance of every qualified and ticketed grader during our regular mill inspections to verify that each grader is meeting the performance standards set by PLIB and the national regulatory body.

Lumber grade stamping in North America is done under the oversight of a nationally recognized lumber standards and accreditation body. In Canada, this body is the Canadian Lumber Standard Accreditation Board (CLSAB), and in the US it is the American Lumber Standards Committee (ALSC). There are several requirements that must be met before a manufacturer can be issued grade stamps and be permitted to grade stamp lumber. Some of the most important considerations are:

• The ability to grade stamp lumber with a building code recognized CLSAB or ALSC grade stamp requires subscribing to the grade stamping and inspection services of an agency accredited by CLSAB or ALSC. This is because the agencies, not CLSAB or ALSC, issue the grade stamps and approve manufacturing facilities to grade stamp lumber.
• Possessing a PLIB grade stamp requires executing a Grade Stamp Licensing Agreement and a Subscriber’s Contract with PLIB. The PLIB quality marks are trademarked and cannot be used without PLIB’s express written permission through the licensing agreement. PLIB takes any misuse of our marks very seriously and will take legal action when the trademark rights are violated.
• Grade stamps can only be issued to facilities that are stationary. The stamps themselves cannot be moved from one geographic location to another, such as with a portable sawmill, without special written permission each time the stamps are taken off-site.
• Regular inspections and oversight by a CLSAB or ALSC accredited grading agency is required to ensure lumber is accurately graded to the national standards.

If you are a new member starting service with the Pacific Lumber Inspection Bureau (PLIB), please contact our office to order your first set of grade stamps by calling 253.835.3344 or emailing us at info@plib.org. Existing members ordering additional stamps please contact our vendor Gateway Graphics directly by calling 888.329.2910 or by emailing sales@gateway-graphics.com.

I own a portable sawmill that is not stationary?
I don’t need grade stamping on a regular basis?
I’m a contractor or homeowner and need some lumber graded on a one-time basis?

In these cases, subscribing to regular grading services may not be practical or cost-effective. The good news is that you can still have your lumber graded and grade stamped using PLIB’s transient, or on-site, grade stamping services. With our transient grading service, any small mill, portable sawmill, or even a contractor or homeowner can hire a PLIB inspector to come to the location where the lumber is and grade the lumber. Our inspectors will grade stamp the lumber or issue a Certificate of Grade, which is sometimes preferred when the lumber will be exposed and the customer does not want the grade stamp to be seen. Transient inspections do not require membership in PLIB, but please check with PLIB to make sure transient inspections are available in your region.

Note to sawmills using transient grading services: Grading knowledge is not required for transient inspections; however, it can help you make informed decisions about how to mill your products to get the most value out of your logs. The PLIB online grading course is an excellent tool to help you gain this knowledge before you saw the first log.  Talking with a PLIB inspector before cutting is also recommended and can help you maximize recovery.

For more information about PLIB’s online training programs, membership, or transient inspection and stamping services please reach out to us at 253.835.3344 or info@plib.org  We would be happy to help you determine what options are right for your situation.

While PLIB’s online grader training courses will teach you the basics of how to grade lumber, successful completion of the online courses will not earn you your lumber grading ticket or make you a PLIB qualified lumber grader.

Please refer to “How do I become a Grader?” in the above FAQ section for more information on the process of becoming a qualified grader.

Successful completion of the online courses does not give you the ability to possess PLIB grade stamps.

Please refer to “How do I become eligible to possess grade stamps?” in the above FAQ section for more information on the process of becoming a qualified grader.

PLIB provides a multitude of various services to the United States, Canada and Europe.

Please contact us to inquire about specific locations or services.

Click to view the PLIB Member’s Buyer’s Guide

Kiln-dried lumber (KD) is heated in kilns to reduce moisture in lumber through evaporation to reduce warping, but may not reach an internal temperature that sterilizes the wood. Heat-treated lumber (HT) is heated to 56°C for 30 minutes to ensure complete sterilization of the lumber.

For more recently stamped lumber, our Member Directory is a regularly updated catalogue of active PLIB Member Mills.

If the stamp in question is partially illegible or there are no active mills in our directory that match, submit a picture of the stamp to info@plib.org and we will reply as soon as we can.

Width in inches multiplied by the length in feet and then divided by 12 = board feet

Example 1: A 2×4, 8 feet in length = (2 x 4 x 8) ÷ 12 = 64 ÷ 12 = 5.328 board feet

Example 2: A 2×6, 16 feet in length = (2 x 6 x 16) ÷ 12 = 192 ÷ 12 = 16 board feet