Babb Lumber Company

Borate Treated Lumber

Babb Lumber produces environmentally-safe borate treated lumber for indoor use and for protected outdoor use. Borate treatment protects against termite and wood-destroying fungal attack, reduces indoor mold problems, prevents insect infestation, and provides a Class B fire rating. Borate lumber is produced at the Ringgold Plant #2 and distributed by Babb Lumber from both the Ringgold and Vincennes yards. See www.SafeLumber.com and Sillbor for details on borate treated wood.

Our borate treatment process is a standard pressure treating process using 150psi of pressure to drive the borates throughout the interior of the wood. Higher pressures and steam are used when treating spruce or SPF products. This is much more effective and longer lasting than brush-on, dip, or spray applications that coat only the surface of the wood. There are no shortcuts to effective wood treatment.

Babb Lumber has developed a steam pressure process that effectively treats spruce lumber, including SPF studs, with borates. This process uses high pressure steam and the resulting lumber is surface dried after treatment. Babb Lumber has earned a Class B fire rating for this product. The test report can be viewed here: Fire Test Report . A Class B fire rating means that our borate wood is harder to ignite, burns slower, and produces less smoke than untreated wood. The use of SafeLumber borate treated wood in a wall system gives more time for occupants to escape a fire and time for the fire fighters to arrive and limit the damage.

Note that borate treated lumber should not be used for direct ground contact.

We distribute SafeLumber through our dealer network. We distribute in standard size bundles or, for a small up-charge, we will deliver exact piece count orders pulled for specific orders to the dealer.

Contact Roger Babb ( rab@babb.com or 423-322-0701) for more details on SafeLumber.