The exit of the UK from the European Union on 31 December 2020 has forced businesses in the timber industry to adapt to a new playbook as the UK is now outside of the EU Single Market.

The UK will replace CE Marking on all products. The UK has refused mutual recognition of standards, claiming the right to diverge in all regulatory matters. This means CE marking will no longer be accepted. The timetable is not the same for all the different types of products that must carry CE marking.

One significant change for the construction industry is that the UK Government is currently stating that from 1 January 2023 only UKCA marked building products can be placed on the market in Great Britain.

However, given the global pandemic, and the pressures this places on business, TTF and many others in the construction sector are calling for this date to be extended. We are confident this will happen, but manufacturers must continue to work towards putting UKCA marking in place as soon as possible.

The UKCA mark will be administered by UK Approved bodies only. For sawmills and panel product manufacturers outside the UK, this means changing the notified body they work with if they want to supply the UK market. Or if they want to supply both EU and UK markets duplicating their current certification system by adding a UK Approved Body alongside their existing EU Notified Body.