The Accoya Color Grading Specification Guide (2023 PDF) outlines the official grading rules for Accoya® Color rough-sawn boards and finished deckboards. This document defines how Accoya Color is inspected, what types of defects are allowable, and the dimensional tolerances that apply to each finished product. It is an essential resource for builders, dealers, and designers who need to understand what qualifies as an acceptable Accoya Color product.
The guide divides grading into three evaluation zones and notes that rough-sawn boards are skimmed on the sapwood face prior to inspection. Deckboards are graded in their final profiled state. Because grading occurs at the point of manufacture, these rules apply only to materials as delivered — not after machining or fabrication by the installer.
The Accoya Color grading table includes limits for color uptake, patching, surface checks, streaks, and minor wood characteristics. Allowed conditions include small pin knots (½” or less), bark or resin pockets up to 5/16″ × 2″, and limited brown staining that will machine off. Boards may have up to 15% surface area with incomplete color uptake, and minor shade variation between boards is permitted.
Dimensional tolerances for width, thickness, bow, crook, twist, and cupping are defined for both 4/4 and 5/4 material across 8’–16′ lengths. The guide also notes that up to 5% of a shipment may fall outside grade and still be considered acceptable — standard practice in North American lumber grading.
The rough-sawn and deckboard sections each include diagrams showing typical defect zones and how inspectors evaluate the “better face” versus the back face. Specific restrictions apply to wane (not allowed on rough-sawn), end splits, surface checks, and resin streak groupings.
Download the full Accoya Color Grading Specification Guide (2023 PDF) below for detailed grading tables, defect definitions, tolerances, and visual examples. For help sourcing Accoya Color or reviewing project specifications, your TimberTown team is always ready to support your next build.
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