Building officials in the U.S. and Canada accept panels marked with the TECO TESTED® certification mark. U.S. building codes require wood structural panels such as plywood and OSB, when used for structural purposes, to conform to U.S. Department of Commerce Voluntary Product Standards PS 1 (Structural Plywood) or PS 2 (Performance Standard for Wood-Based Structural-Use Panels), and to be identified by the mark of an approved certification agency like PFS TECO. Canadian building codes require OSB, when used for structural purposes, to conform to CSA O325, Construction Sheathing, and to be identified by the trademark of an approved certification agency.
PFS TECO maintains accreditations in the U.S. through the International Accreditation Service (IAS) and the Standards Council of Canada (SCC), having demonstrated compliance with the following ISO/IEC international standards:
17020, Requirements for the operation of various types of bodies performing inspections;
17025, General requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories; and
17065, Requirements for bodies certifying products, processes and services.
Copies of our accreditation certificates as a recognized Certification Agency by SCC, as an Inspection Agency through the IAS (AA-652), and as Test Laboratories through IAS (TL-109 and TL-207) can be downloaded from the Accreditations page on our website: http://www.pfsteco.com/accreditations
Panels with the TECO TESTED® certification mark are interchangeable with panels marked by other certification agencies. Plywood and OSB are tested and certified to PS 1 and PS 2. Panels certified by an accredited agency are equivalent to and interchangeable with panels of the same grade and thickness and certified to the same standard by other accredited agencies. For example, a TECO-certified 7/16 Category, PS 2 panel with a 24/16-span rating could be used in place of another 7/16 Category, 24/16-span rated PS 2 panel certified by another agency.
When specifying panels for use in floor, wall and roof applications, it is suggested that architects, engineers and designers specify panels by grade or span rating in accordance with either PS 1 or PS 2. Specifying panels certified by a particular certification agency only serves to limit the products available to the building contractor and may cause unnecessary project delays.
