Materials – Interior
333 sources in the library on materials – interior, 40 on this page cited in a published note. Each one says what the document covers and what it is good for. Name a source to see which document it is and where to read it. One at a time. Page 1 of 9.
- very strong RN-BCN48C cited
Department for Energy Security and Net Zero
Warm Homes: Local Grant, policy guidance for local authorities (updated July 2026), government guidance cited for the figures and rules it sets out
Cited in Boiler Upgrade Scheme & Heating Grants 2026, Insulation Grants 2026: ECO4, GBIS & What You Can Get, LPG Conversion Cost: 2026 UK Price Guide, Underfloor Insulation: Suspended & Solid.
- very strong RN-E6C4IA cited
GOV.UK
GOV.UK guidance listing work that does not need building regulations approval in England. Most repairs, replacements and maintenance work are exempt, apart from heating systems, oil tanks, fuse boxes and glazing units.
Cited in DPC Injection vs Membrane for Rising Damp, Skirting Boards: Types, Sizes & Cost (MDF vs Timber).
- very strong RN-2IWEP7 cited
Health and Safety Executive
HSE's guidance note behind every slip-resistance figure a flooring or paving note quotes, and the source that separates the two tests people conflate. Table 1 classifies slip potential from pendulum test values (PTV): 0 to 24 high, 25 to 35 moderate, 36 and above low. Table 2 gives the parallel Rz microroughness classification. It describes the HSL/UKSRG ramp CoF test, then deals with the German ramp tests separately: DIN 51097 uses barefoot operators with a soap solution and DIN 51130 uses heavily cleated EN ISO 20345 safety boots with motor oil, and HSE states it has reservations about both because neither uses contaminants representative of real workplaces and the way results are reported is a cause for concern. Table 3 sets the DIN 51130 R scale by slip angle: R9 6 to 10 degrees, R10 10 to 19, R11 19 to 27, R12 27 to 35, R13 above 35. It warns that R9 and sometimes R10 surfaces will be slippery when wet and that a single class covers a wide CoF range, R10 alone spanning 0.18 to 0.34, so an R number is not a substitute for a PTV. Note that BS 7976-2, the pendulum method, was withdrawn in February 2022, which makes this HSE page the right citation for the thresholds.
Cited in Bathroom Tiles: Types, Cost & Layout, Best Flooring for Kitchens, Bathrooms & Living Rooms, Floor Tiles: Porcelain vs Ceramic vs Stone, How to Tile a Floor and 4 more.
- very strong RN-DF6UI1 cited
Health and Safety Executive
HSE's construction lead page. It states lead pigments were commonly used in paints for buildings until the 1960s and that lead was not removed from all commonly used paint until the early 1980s, which is the date test any note about stripping paint in an older house needs. The highest-risk activities it names are stripping or preparing leaded paint from doors and windows, working with lead on roofs, hot cutting of lead or leaded paint in demolition, and blast removal of old leaded paint. Health effects include anaemia and kidney disease, with chronic exposure risking kidney, nerve and brain damage, and a link to a small number of occupational cancers. The governing law is the Control of Lead at Work Regulations 2002, which requires employers to protect employees from the risks from lead, applied through an Assess, Control and Review model with FFP3 respiratory protection at an assigned protection factor of 20, changed work methods, dust control, protective clothing, hygiene and medical surveillance.
Cited in Fixing Doors That Stick or Drop, How to Fit Coving & Cornice, How to Repair Victorian Coving, How to Restore Radiator and 5 more.
- very strong RN-DNUV4Q cited
Health and Safety Executive
HSE guidance aimed squarely at worktop installers. It states that respirable crystalline silica is present in most rocks, sands and clays and in products such as bricks, tiles and concrete, and that breathing stone dust containing RCS causes silicosis, lung cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The controls it names are water suppression, or on-tool extraction with a shroud and dust collector attached to an M-class vacuum, and it warns against dry sweeping dust and debris or anything else that makes dust go airborne. For respiratory protection it specifies a face mask such as an FFP3 with an assigned protection factor of at least 20, meaning it reduces the dust inhaled by a factor of 20. Cite it when a note tells a reader what to ask a worktop fitter about site cutting.
Cited in Kitchen Worktops Compared: Quartz, Granite, Laminate.
- very strong RN-GKGY2H cited
Health and Safety Executive
HSE's material-by-material guide to where asbestos sits in a building and what class of work removing each one is. On textured coatings it states they 'were used to produce decorative finishes on ceilings and walls' and that 'in the past, they have had various trade names such as Artex', which is the source to cite when a note names Artex rather than a generic textured coating. It classes work on textured coatings as low-risk work that a trained non-licensed worker may carry out, while large-scale removal by steaming or gelling is notifiable non-licensed work and removal by energetic methods such as wet abrasive blasting requires a licensed contractor. Useful alongside the why-and-where page, which gives the before-2000 date but does not name Artex.
Cited in Barge Boards, Fascias & Soffits: Cost & Replacement, How to Fit Coving & Cornice, How to Insulate a Loft (DIY), Plastering Ceiling Cost: 2026 UK Price Guide and 1 more.
- very strong RN-KU7LZ2 cited
Health and Safety Executive
Sets the conditions under which work with asbestos does not need a licence. The exposure must be sporadic and of low intensity, with the air concentration not exceeding 0.6 fibres per cubic centimetre measured over 10 minutes, and must not exceed the legal control limit of 0.1 asbestos fibres per cubic centimetre of air averaged over a four hour period. Materials listed as non-licensed include asbestos-containing thermoplastic and vinyl floor tiles worked on without substantial breakage, drilling textured decorative coatings to fit fixtures and fittings, painting or repainting asbestos insulating board in good condition, and maintenance of asbestos cement products such as roof sheeting, tiles and rainwater goods provided they are not substantially damaged. Notifiable non-licensed work includes large-scale removal of textured decorative coatings by steaming or gelling, and removal of asbestos cement where the material will be substantially damaged or broken up. This is the reference for anyone lifting old vinyl floor tiles or stripping Artex in a pre-2000 home.
Cited in Asbestos in the Home: Survey, Removal & Cost, Skip Hire Costs & Sizes.
- very strong RN-VEGC3Y cited
Health and Safety Executive
HSE's stoneworking FAQ gives the workplace exposure limit for respirable crystalline silica as 0.1 mg/m3, and notes that reducing exposure below the WEL alone may not amount to adequate control in most cases. It gives silica content by stone type: limestone usually, but not always, below 2 per cent; marble typically below 5 per cent although it can be as high as 30 per cent; and engineered or artificial marble may be as high as 30 per cent. This is the citation for why cutting and shaping an engineered stone worktop on site is a controlled activity and why a fabricator should be cutting wet rather than dry.
Cited in Kitchen Worktops Compared: Quartz, Granite, Laminate.
- very strong RN-N4ZKTE cited
Health and Safety Executive
HSE's woodworking guidance on wood dust: it can cause asthma, hardwood dust can cause nasal cancer, and extraction plus suitable RPE are needed.
Cited in How to Build Alcove Cupboard And Shelves, MDF vs Solid Timber for Joinery: Which & When.
- very strong RN-BG4BIJ cited
Historic England
Historic England's homeowner advice on redecorating a historic house; it says ornamental plaster ceilings may need special treatment and points owners to specialist historic-interior firms.
Cited in How to Repair Victorian Coving.
- very strong RN-FH7NJV cited
Home Office
Government guidance on regulation 10 of the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022. It lists the information the responsible person must give residents of flats, including keeping fire doors shut.
Cited in Fire Doors Explained: FD30 vs FD60 & Where You Need Them.
- very strong RN-IM3YF7 cited
LABC
LABC guidance on replacing stair handrails and balustrades in homes: the work is usually uncontrolled, but LABC sets out good practice, including the 100 mm ball rule, whenever a balustrade is replaced or refurbished.
Cited in New Banister Spindles, Staircase Renovation Cost: 2026 UK Price Guide.
- very strong RN-35VE7W cited
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
Table 0.1a sets separating element performance for dwellings: purpose built walls a minimum 45 dB DnT,w + Ctr, floors and stairs 45 dB airborne and a maximum 62 dB L'nT,w impact; where a dwelling is formed by material change of use the figures relax to 43 dB airborne and 64 dB impact. Table 0.2 sets the laboratory value for new internal walls and floors within a dwelling at a minimum 40 dB Rw. Requirement E2 covers internal walls between a bedroom or a room containing a WC and other rooms, and internal floors, but expressly does not apply to an internal wall containing a door, a wall separating an en suite toilet from its own bedroom, or existing walls and floors in a material change of use. Section 5 gives internal wall types A to D and internal floor types A to C, including timber or metal stud with plasterboard and mineral wool; paragraph 5.14 requires all gaps around internal walls to be filled.
Cited in Acoustic Insulation for Floors & Walls, Acoustic Underlay & Soundproof Flooring, Ceiling Lights: Downlights vs Pendants vs Spots, Concrete Blocks: Aircrete vs Dense vs Hollow and 12 more.
- very strong RN-XH6E39 cited
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
The standard that decides whether a loft ladder is legal and when a raised deck needs a balustrade. Published 3 January 2013, it covers protection from falling, collision and impact including stairs, ladders, ramps, guarding and vehicle barriers. Paragraph 1.31 states that retractable ladders must not be used as a means of escape. Paragraph 1.32 permits a fixed ladder, with fixed handrails on both sides, only for access in a loft conversion containing one habitable room, and only where there is not enough space without altering the existing space for a compliant stair, which is the rule that catches most loft ladder installations. Paragraph 1.29 restricts alternating tread stairs to loft conversions. For a private stair the maximum pitch is 42 degrees (Table 1.1 note 1), the normal relationship between rise and going is twice the rise plus the going between 550mm and 700mm, and for dwellings external tapered steps forming part of the building need a going of at least 280mm. Paragraph 3.1 requires guarding wherever it is reasonably necessary for safety at the edge of a floor, gallery, balcony, roof, light well, basement or similar sunken area. Paragraph 3.2 requires guarding to be at least the height in Diagram 3.1, allows any wall, parapet or balustrade to serve as guarding, and requires it to resist the loads in BS EN 1991-1-1 with its UK National Annex and PD 6688-1-1, with BS 6180 for barrier and infill panel design. Handrails should be positioned 900mm to 1000mm from the pitch line or floor.
Cited in All You Need To Know About Double Glazing Repairs, Basement & Cellar Conversions: Cost, Basement Conversion Cost & Feasibility (UK), Bifold Doors: Cost, Sizes & Alternatives and 56 more.
- very strong RN-5IVIKF cited
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
Paragraph 1645 of the M4(2) guidance requires a minimum 1,200 mm clear space in front of and between all kitchen units and appliances in living, kitchen and eating areas. Wall switches, socket outlets, stopcocks and controls must have their centre line between 450 mm and 1,200 mm above floor level (Diagram 1.5), consumer units are mounted with switches 1,350 to 1,450 mm above floor level, and boiler timer controls and thermostats between 900 mm and 1,200 mm. Communal approach routes and flights need a minimum clear width of 1,200 mm and every landing a minimum 1,200 mm clear of any door swing. Handrail guidance is measured 450 mm above the pitch line of the treads.
Cited in Bathroom Layouts & Planning, Bathroom Storage Solutions, Bathroom Tiles: Types, Cost & Layout, Creating a Downstairs Toilet: Cost & Rules and 16 more.
- very strong RN-JYJ3I5 cited
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
The document that decides what electrical work a homeowner may legally do themselves, and the exact list of notifiable jobs. Regulation 12(6A), reproduced at paragraph 2.5, makes only three things notifiable: the installation of a new circuit, the replacement of a consumer unit, and any addition or alteration to existing circuits in a special location. Regulation 12(9) defines special location as, in a room containing a bath or shower, the zone extending vertically from finished floor level to 2.25 metres (or the shower head position if higher) and horizontally 600mm from the edge of the bath tub or shower tray. Paragraph 2.7 states that all other electrical installation work is not notifiable, namely additions and alterations to existing installations outside special locations, and replacements, repairs and maintenance anywhere. Paragraph 2.8 gives worked examples: a built-in cooker is not notifiable unless a new cooker circuit is needed, and connecting an electric gate or garage door to an existing isolator is not notifiable but running a new circuit from the consumer unit to that isolator is. Paragraph 2.2 confirms Part P reaches outdoor work including fixed garden lighting, pond pumps and outbuildings such as sheds, detached garages and domestic greenhouses. Notifiable work must be certified by self-certification by a registered competent person, third-party certification, or a building control body (paragraph 3.1), with the compliance certificate issued within 30 days (paragraph 3.4). Note that Approved Document P is a source of guidance rather than a ban: non-notifiable work still has to comply with BS 7671.
Cited in Adding an Ensuite: Cost, Layout & Plumbing, Adding Plug Socket Room Cost: 2026 UK Price Guide, Annexe & Granny Flat: Cost, Planning & Rules, Awning Installation Cost: Patio & Garden Awnings and 114 more.
- very strong RN-1B9EF4 cited
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
The official annual analysis of fires attended in England. It gives cooking appliances as the largest specified source of ignition for accidental dwelling fires, 42% in the year to March 2026.
Cited in Fire Doors Explained: FD30 vs FD60 & Where You Need Them.
- very strong RN-JUSY4R cited
The National Archives (legislation.gov.uk)
Regulation 3 of the Building (Local Authority Charges) Regulations 2010 authorises each local authority to fix its own building regulations charges through a charging scheme.
Cited in Green Roofs & Living Roofs, Spiral Staircases: Sizes, Building Regs & Cost.
- very strong RN-G28L1V cited
Welsh Government
The Welsh Part K, and the clearest statement of when a loft may be reached by something other than a normal stair. The maximum pitch for a private stair is 42 degrees, and where a floor of the building is less than 100 square metres the going may be reduced to 250 mm. Paragraph 1.10 sets headroom at 2 m on the access between levels, and for loft conversions where that is impossible, 1.9 m measured at the centre of the stair width reducing to 1.8 m at the side is satisfactory. Paragraph 1.11 gives no minimum stair width, deferring to Part B for escape and Part M for disabled access. Paragraph 1.23 allows an alternating tread stair only in one or more straight flights, only for a loft conversion, only where there is not enough space for a conforming stair, and only for access to one habitable room, together if desired with a bathroom or WC, provided that WC is not the only one in the dwelling. Paragraph 1.24 requires uniform steps with parallel nosings, handrails both sides, slip resistant treads, and over the wider part of the step a maximum rise of 220 mm and minimum going of 220 mm. Paragraph 1.25 permits a fixed ladder with fixed handrails both sides on the same conditions, serving one habitable room only, and states plainly that retractable ladders are not acceptable for means of escape.
Cited in Staircase Types & Costs: Straight, Winder & Spiral.
- strong locally RN-03H25U cited
Bath and North East Somerset Council Building Control
A council building control service's loft conversion guidance, cited as local practice, says spiral stairs designed to BS 5395-2 generally need an outside diameter of 1.3 to 1.8 m.
- strong locally RN-3Z3YUG cited
Bedford Borough Council
Building control fees and charges, a council publishing its own schedule. It binds in that district only, so it is cited as evidence of local charges and never as the authority for a national rule
Cited in Blown Window Repair Cost: 2026 UK Price Guide, Cost to Rewire vs Repair Old Wiring, Creating a Downstairs Toilet: Cost & Rules, Knocking Through & Removing Chimney Breasts and 1 more.
- strong locally RN-NCHWLC cited
CS2 Limited, chartered quantity surveyors, published by North Hertfordshire District Council
Detailed Cost Plan, Royston Road (Site 13), Baldock, item 2.5.3, a council publishing its own schedule. It binds in that district only, so it is cited as evidence of local charges and never as the authority for a national rule
Cited in Brick Steps Cost: 2026 UK Price Guide, Loft & Roll Insulation: Types, Depth & U-values, Soundproof Fence Cost: 2026 UK Price Guide.
- strong locally RN-UT2P9N cited
London Borough of Haringey
Appendix XIa, Building Control, Local Land Charges and Street Naming and Numbering 2026-27, a council publishing its own schedule. It binds in that district only, so it is cited as evidence of local charges and never as the authority for a national rule
Cited in Build Garage Cost: 2026 UK Price Guide, How to Run Armoured Cable Shed.
- strong RN-0NVN0R cited
BSI
Part 4 of the BS 5385 tiling series and the part that governs wet areas, which is the standard a wet room specification should name. Published 31 Oct 2015 and current. It gives recommendations for design and installation of ceramic and mosaic wall and floor tiling where there are specific functional requirements such as sterile conditions, specific environmental requirements such as wet areas, or potentially detrimental conditions such as chemical attack on either the installation or the background. It covers choice of materials, application practice and the design of backgrounds and structural bases, and augments Parts 1 (internal walls), 2 (external walls), 3 (internal and external floors) and 5 (terrazzo, natural and agglomerated stone).
Cited in Cost to Tile a Bathroom, Floor Tiles: Porcelain vs Ceramic vs Stone.
- strong RN-TL1I4R cited
BSI
BS EN 12004-1:2017, published 28 February 2017, committee B/539, prepared by CEN/TC 67 Ceramic tiles, current; it supersedes BS EN 12004:2007+A1:2012. The scope covers three types of ceramic tile adhesive: cementitious for internal and external installations, and dispersion and reaction resin for internal installations only, on walls and floors. It gives the terminology for the products, working methods and application properties, specifies the performance requirements and the appurtenant test methods, the assessment and verification of constancy of performance, and the classification, designation and marking of tile adhesives, which is where the C, D and R type letters and class numbers on a bag of adhesive come from. It expressly does not provide criteria or recommendations for the design and installation of ceramic tiles, which is BS 5385. It notes tile adhesives may also be used for natural and agglomerated stones if they do not adversely affect the material. BS EN 12004-2:2017 gives the test methods.
Cited in Bathroom Tiles: Types, Cost & Layout, Grab Adhesive & Construction Adhesives, How to Tile a Wall or Floor, Tile Adhesive & Grout Explained and 2 more.
- strong RN-9A1H9G cited
BSI
The standard that produces the Euroclass letter, and the one regulation 7(2) of the Building Regulations names by title and ISBN when it requires external wall materials on a relevant building to be Class A2-s1, d0 or A1. Published 31 Jan 2019 and Current. Part 1 provides the reaction to fire classification procedure for all construction products, including products incorporated within building elements, with the sole exception of power, control and communication cables which are classified under EN 13501-6. Products are considered in relation to their end-use application, which is why an insulation board or cladding panel cannot carry a meaningful Euroclass in the abstract: the classification attaches to the product as used in a stated build-up. This is the reference for reading the suffixes as well as the letter, s for smoke production and d for flaming droplets.
Cited in Cladding and Render: The Complete UK Guide (2026), PIR vs Mineral Wool Insulation Compared.
- strong RN-B8GMT1 cited
BSI
The European test that an EI 30 or E 30 fire door rating comes from, and the standard the UK fire door trade is moving to in place of BS 476-22. Published 31 August 2018 as BS EN 1634-1:2014+A1:2018 and shown as current but under review, it specifies the method for determining the fire resistance of door and shutter assemblies and openable windows installed in openings in vertical separating elements, covering hinged and pivoted doors, horizontally and vertically sliding doors including articulated and sectional doors, folding and sliding folding doors and shutters, tilting doors, rolling shutter doors, openable windows and operable fabric curtains.
Cited in Fire Doors Explained: FD30 vs FD60 & Where You Need Them.
- strong RN-G4ZRB1 cited
BSI
BS EN 300:2006, published 31 August 2006, committee B/541, current; it supersedes BS EN 300:1997. Clause 1 states it applies to oriented strand boards, defines the terms, establishes a classification and specifies the requirements, with clause 4 being the classification of boards and clause 5 the general requirements for all OSB types. It states plainly that the values it lists relate to product properties and are not characteristic values to be used in design calculations: test methods for mechanical properties for structural purposes are in EN 789, determination of characteristic values and density for structural purposes in EN 1058, and design characteristic values for OSB in EN 12369-1, with supplementary properties in Annex C. This is the standard that a board marked OSB3 is classified against, so cite it whenever a note specifies OSB for a floor deck.
- strong RN-DNW09X cited
BSI
BS EN 312:2010, published 30 November 2010, committee B/541, under review; it supersedes BS EN 312:2003 and the earlier seven-part series BS EN 312-1 to -7, whose part titles are still visible in the BSI catalogue and name the board categories directly: general purpose boards for use in dry conditions, boards for interior fitments including furniture for use in dry conditions, load-bearing boards for use in dry conditions, load-bearing boards for use in humid conditions, and heavy-duty load-bearing boards for dry and for humid conditions. Clause 1 of the 2010 edition specifies the requirements for flat-pressed or calendar-pressed unfaced particleboards as defined in EN 309, and it is called up in EN 13986 for construction applications where these are referred to as resin-bonded particleboards. It warns the values it lists are product properties and are not characteristic values for design calculations, which come from EN 12369-1 or from testing to EN 789, EN 1058 and ENV 1156. This is the standard behind a chipboard flooring panel grade.
Cited in Chipboard, OSB & Plywood Flooring Compared, Timber Merchants: What They Stock & How to Buy.
- strong RN-TBEMIM cited
BSI
BS EN 338:2016, published 30 June 2016, committee B/518, ISBN 978 0 580 83526 1, current; it supersedes BS EN 338:2009. Clause 1 establishes the system of strength classes for general use in design codes, giving characteristic strength and stiffness properties and density values for each class, to which EN 14081-1 refers. It applies to all softwood and hardwood timber for structural use within the scope of EN 14081-1. This is the standard that defines C16 and C24, the two softwood classes a merchant sells joists in, along with the C and D class series generally. Clause 5 is the classification of structural timber and clause 6 covers allocation of a population to a strength class by visual grading or machine grading. Cite it whenever a note says a joist is C16 or C24, since the letter and number are a graded characteristic strength, not a species or a quality label.
Cited in Structural Materials: The Complete Guide, Timber Merchants: What They Stock & How to Buy.
- strong RN-NMRO24 cited
BSI
The product standard for bagged render and plaster, the one a monocouche, silicone or Tyrolean render should be declared to. Published 30 Nov 2016, Current, with Designated status for UKCA marking. Part 1 of the BS EN 998 series applies to factory made rendering and plastering mortars based on inorganic binders for external rendering and internal plastering on walls, ceilings, columns and partitions, and contains definitions, final performance requirements, the assessment and verification of constancy of performance regime and the marking requirements. The binder boundary is spelt out: a calcium sulphate binder may be used as an additional binder with air lime, and if air lime is the principal active binding component the mortar is covered here, but if calcium sulphate is the principal binder it falls under EN 13279 instead. Three exclusions matter on site: site-made rendering and plastering mortars are outside its scope and are covered by codes of application and national specifications; mortars with calcium sulphate as principal binder are excluded; and special fire-resistant and acoustic mortars, structural repair mortars, smoothing and trueing materials, paints, coatings, thin-layer organic renders and prefabricated units such as plasterboard are not dealt with.
Cited in Cladding and Render: The Complete UK Guide (2026), Render Types: Sand-Cement, Monocouche & Acrylic, Repairing & Renewing Render.
- strong RN-U9PCSG cited
BSI (British Standards Institution)
STATUS: CURRENT, with no withdrawal date shown despite the 1980 date. BS 4787-1:1980 was published 30 June 1980 and specifies the metric sizes for dimensionally coordinated internal and external wood doorsets, door leaves and frames, that is the work sizes for the doorset as an assembly of fixed frame plus movable leaf with its hardware, with information on glazed openings and ancillary provisions in Appendix A, and it is written to coordinate doors with windows. This is the origin of the standard UK metric door sizes (762 x 1981 mm and its relatives) that a note quotes when telling a reader whether a replacement leaf will fit an existing lining. Note that performance, as distinct from dimensions, comes from other standards: BS EN 14351-1 for external pedestrian doorsets and BS 8214 for timber fire door assemblies. Catalogue page confirms number, title, date, status and scope; the size tables are paywalled.
Cited in How Much Paint Do I Need?.
- strong RN-R926HN cited
BSI (British Standards Institution)
STATUS: WITHDRAWN on 5 November 2024, a recent change that matters because decorating notes still quote BS 4800 colour references. BS 4800:2011 (the SET) was published 31 May 2011, ISBN 978 0 580 74345 0, ICS 87.040, committee STI/14, and was the schedule of paint colours for building purposes: the framework behind references such as 00 E 53 or 18 B 25 used in specifications and by trade paint manufacturers. Its predecessor BS 4800:1981 (published 1 January 1982, ISBN 0 580 12336 7) was itself withdrawn on 30 June 1989, so both editions the notes might mean are dead. A note telling a reader to specify a colour to BS 4800 should say the standard has been withdrawn and point to the manufacturer's own colour system or to BS 5252, and reviewers should treat any BS 4800 colour reference as legacy. Catalogue pages confirm numbers, titles, publication dates, withdrawal dates and classification.
- strong RN-YM2ENG cited
BSI (British Standards Institution)
STATUS: CURRENT. BS 5756:2007+A2:2017 was published 30 November 2017, the same date as the matching amendment to BS 4978 for softwood, and supersedes BS 5756:2007+A1:2011 and BS 5756:2007. It specifies a method of grading temperate hardwood visually for structural use in the United Kingdom and names four grades in two categories: for large size timber, Heavy Structural Temperate Hardwood THA and THB, and for smaller sections, General Structural Temperate Hardwood TH1 and TH2. This is the standard to cite for a structural oak beam or an oak frame, the hardwood counterpart to BS 4978 for softwood, with the grade to strength class mapping again made through BS EN 1912 and BS EN 338 (green oak commonly reaching D24 or D30). Catalogue page confirms number, title, date, status, scope and the four grade names; the limit tables are paywalled.
- strong RN-445W51 cited
BSI (British Standards Institution)
The accessibility code of practice that Approved Document M sits alongside. Paywalled, so only the catalogue page is public; it confirms BS 8300-2:2018, published 31 January 2018, status Current, and that it is part 2 of a two-part standard, with BS 8300-1:2018 (also published 31 January 2018, also Current) covering the external environment including parking, setting-down points, access routes and approaches to entrances. Part 2 covers external features affecting external access routes, and building interiors including entrances, reception facilities, horizontal and vertical movement and building facilities. Crucially for a home renovation note, the catalogue page states plainly that BS 8300-2 does NOT apply to individual dwellings; its residential scope is nursing, residential and care homes, student accommodation and the COMMON PARTS of blocks of flats. It also confirms the recommendations apply largely to new buildings but can be used to assess and improve existing ones, and that the extent to which they apply to listed and historic buildings is decided case by case.
Cited in Bathroom Storage Solutions, Choosing Paint Colours: A Practical Guide.
- strong RN-VKPEGH cited
BSI (British Standards Institution)
STATUS: CURRENT (marked Under Review). BS EN 12150-1:2015+A1:2019 was published 31 May 2019 and supersedes BS EN 12150-1:2015, which had itself replaced BS EN 12150-1:2000. It establishes tolerances, flatness, edgework, fragmentation and the physical and mechanical characteristics of monolithic flat thermally toughened soda lime silicate safety glass for use in buildings. Curved toughened glass is described in Annex A but is not part of the standard, and glass built into laminated or insulating glass units, or coated after toughening, falls under the relevant assembly product standard instead. Part 2 (BS EN 12150-2) covers evaluation of conformity. The catalogue page confirms number, title, date, status and scope; the test detail is paywalled.
Cited in Splashbacks: Glass, Tile & Stone Options, Worktop Edges, Upstands & Splashbacks.
- strong RN-OPTOJC cited
BSI (British Standards Institution)
STATUS: CURRENT. BS EN 12600:2002 was published 9 January 2003 and is the pendulum impact test that classifies flat glass products into three principal classes by performance under impact and by mode of breakage, the classification that Approved Document K uses for critical locations in glazing. The class code is a three part designation of the form Class 1(B)1 or 2(B)2, where the first figure is the drop height passed, the letter the mode of breakage and the last figure the highest class achieved. The stated purpose is increasing personal safety by reducing cutting and piercing injuries and by assessing containment. It does not cover application requirements or durability, and it superseded the old British test BS 6206:1981, which used classes A, B and C, so a note quoting BS 6206 class A glass is quoting a superseded classification. Catalogue page confirms number, title, date, status and scope; the test detail is paywalled.
Cited in Rooflights & Skylights: Materials & Types, Windows and Doors: The Complete UK Guide (2026).
- strong RN-BI7QQG cited
BSI (British Standards Institution)
STATUS: CURRENT. BS EN ISO 12543-2:2021 was published 28 February 2022 and is identical to ISO 12543-2 and EN ISO 12543-2; it supersedes BS EN ISO 12543-2:2011. It sets the performance requirements for laminated safety glass as defined in ISO 12543-1, covering impact behaviour, durability against humidity, high temperature and solar radiation, fire performance, appearance and dimensional specification. This is the part to cite for laminated safety glass, which matters for rooflights and overhead glazing where laminate is required so that a broken pane is retained by the interlayer rather than falling; toughened glass to BS EN 12150-1 fragments instead. The series has six parts: -1 definitions and component parts, -2 laminated safety glass, -3 laminated glass, -4 test methods for durability, -5 dimensions and edge finishing, -6 appearance. Catalogue page confirms number, title, date, status and scope; the requirements are paywalled.
- strong RN-EQ9U3W cited
BSI Knowledge
The BSI listing for BS 5395-2 shows it was published on 31 January 1984 and is still marked current.
- strong RN-YWX7VM cited
BSI Knowledge
BSI catalogue page for BS EN 14411:2016, published 31 July 2016, status Current, Under Review; supersedes BS EN 14411:2012, which is Withdrawn. The standard defines terms and specifies characteristics for ceramic tiles including mosaics (any piece fitting into a 49 cm2 square) produced by extrusion or dry pressing, for internal and external floors including stairs and for walls. It classifies tiles into groups by two parameters: forming method, group A extruded and group B dry-pressed, and water absorption level, which is where the BIa to BIII designations on a porcelain or ceramic tile data sheet come from. It sets the level of requirements for those characteristics, references the test methods, and covers assessment and verification of constancy of performance, designation and marking. It expressly does not apply to mesh-backed products, ceramic trims and accessories, tiles made by processes other than extrusion or dry pressing, dry-pressed unglazed tiles with water absorption above 10 per cent, external road finishes, or ceiling finishes. 2016 changes include a new Clause 6 on AVCP and the exclusion of decorative pieces and mesh-backed products.
Cited in Bathroom Tiles: Types, Cost & Layout.