Is there a BAL rating on American Red Oak? I can only find the US classification as a class C with the FSI range of 80-200? Does this translate to a BAL rating in Australia?
The density of American red oak at 12% moisture content averages around 700 kg/m³
It is surprising that reclaimed timber is not offered in a stress graded condition. Grading rules for recycled timber are available on our website and can be downloaded free of charge via this link https://www.woodsolutions.com.au/system/files/Recycled_Products_Structuralproducts_0.pdf. Span tables can also be downloaded once the grade is known. It will be necessary to know the species of timber before it can be graded, but presumably suppliers can provide this information. Regarding a person to provide a stress grading service, Timber Training Creswick provides training in visual stress grading and should be able to put you in touch with people in your area who have completed their courses. TTC has a website here https://timbertrainingcreswick.com.au/about/.
Need to know which "charred" or non charred timber has a 1 hour fire rating 60/60/60 . To be used for fire rated party wall as a wall plate to hold roof trusses. MPG10 grade or better.
Whether timber would achieve a 1-hour fire rating depends on the size and density of the species of timber. Our Technical Design Guide #06, titled Timber-Framed Construction – Sacrificial Timber Construction Joint, explains how to use timber's charring properties. A copy can be downloaded free of charge from our website via this link https://www.woodsolutions.com.au/publications, or a hard copy can be purchased here https://www.intertekinform.com/en-au/search/standard/?searchTerm=WS06&productFamily=STANDARD&q=WS06. The construction details in our Technical Design Guide #06 are valid for any species of timber with a density not less than 470 kg/m³
²
Where = timber density at 12% moisture content in kg per cubic metre
For example, the charring rate of pine with a density of 550 kg/m3 would be 0.4 + 0.26 = 0.66 mm/min. A dense hardwood would 'char' more slowly. A structural design check is required to make sure the residual section would continue to carry the load after a 1-hour period.