RAL Quality Association for Impregnated Wood Construction Elements

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:

• Products with excellent performance and long service-live service life
• Products complying with the latest health and environmental requirements
• Safety for the consumer
• 10-year manufacturer's warranty

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

• Continuous self-monitoring
• External monitoring by independent inspection institutes or approved wood protection experts

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!"

1. Checks during internal monitoring

• Quality, processing and storage of timber,
• Relative moisture content of the timber before treatment ,
• Treatment quality requirements according to the designated use class (penetration depth and retention achieved),
• Quality of the wood preservative treating solution ,
• Completeness and accuracy of treatment records and diagrams for each batch treated,
• Storage and marking of the treated timber.

2. Checks within the framework of external quality control process
   On the basis of a checklist

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:

• the quality and storage of prepared timber which is ready for impregnation,
• the wood and impregnation quality of the quality-controlled timber, including the taking of additional drill and cross-section samples and analyses,
• ongoing production, processes and functionality of the treatment equipment according to GuP,
• the efficiency of the vacuum pump (at least once a year).

Several factors are decisive for RAL-quality-controlled wood products lasting longer:

• The use of high quality timber
• Compliance with the building codes and principles of structural wood protection
• High-quality impregnation
• Use of effective wood preservatives approved according to national and European legislation
• Permanent production control

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.