Processing / Products No.

Structural timber design to

Eurocode 5 (IS EN 1995-1-1) rules
James Harrington1, Malcolm Jacob and Colin Short

The first code of practice issued in the United Kingdom on the structural use of
timber (CP 112 of 1952) was based on research and experience of Canadian,
United States and British war-time construction. It enabled the construction
industry in the UK to build timber structures and use timber structural elements
for a period of fifteen years without serious challenge to its validity.
It was first revised by the British Standards Institution in 1967, with the
addition of new data in regard to grades of timber for use, development of glued
laminated construction and the structural use of plywood. The 1967 version
referenced eight British standards and two British codes of practice, the first of
which (CP 3) dealt with basic data for the design of buildings and also loadings,
and CP 98 which set out the requirements for preservative treatment for
constructional timber.
Eurocode 5: Design of timber structures — Part 1-1: — General — Common
rules and rules for buildings was published by CEN (European Committee for
Standardisation) in November 2004. National standards bodies in each member
state of the EU and European Free Trade Association (EFTA) countries are
obliged to give this European standard the status of a national standard without
any alteration. In Ireland the responsibility for publication is with the National
Standards Authority of Ireland.
Eurocode 5 relies for implementation on a number of other Eurocodes and on
a very large number of material and production standards. Eurocode 5 is
referenced as EN 1995: Design of timber structures, and consists of Part 1-1 as
described, Part 1-2: General rules — Structural Fire Design and Part 2: Bridges.
EN 1995 is intended to be used in conjunction with:
EN 1990: 2002 Eurocode — Basis of design
EN 1991: Eurocode 1 — Actions on structures
EN Standards: In respect of construction products relevant to timber
structures.
COFORD
Arena House, Arena Road,

COFORD has published a handbook that sets out the manner in which IS EN
Sandyford, Dublin 18, Ireland

1995-1-1 and other Eurocodes interact in the design process (Harrington, Jacob
Telephone: +353 1 2130725
Email: [email protected]

and Short 2006). It indicates and includes summarised information about the
http://www.coford.ie
© COFORD 2007

1
James Harrington Associates, Four One The Rise, Mount Merrion, Co Dublin. Tel: (01) 2789709.
 What are Eurocodes?
Eurocodes are a set of harmonised structural design codes for building and civil engineering works. They are
being developed by the European Standards Organisation, CEN, on foot of a mandate from the European
Commission.
The objective of the programme is to eliminate technical obstacles to trade and to improve the
competitiveness of the European construction industry - and the professionals and industries connected with
it, both within and outside the European Union.
Eurocodes serve as reference documents for the following purposes:
• A framework for drawing up harmonised technical specifications for construction products in the context
of the Construction Products Directive.
• A means of demonstrating compliance of building and civil engineering works with National Regulations
and with the essential requirements No.1 (mechanical resistance and stability) and No. 2 (safety in case
of fire) of the Construction Products Directive, Council Directive 89/106/EEC.
• A basis for specifying public procurement contracts for construction works and related engineering
services.

standards required to be used to facilitate the • the choice of the structural system and the design of the
implementation of the design principles and application structure is made by appropriately qualified and
rules of Eurocodes. The handbook is for use by professional experienced personnel.
design engineers in the public and private sectors who are
• execution is undertaken by personnel having the
involved with design and/or construction of timber
appropriate skill and experience.
elements, assemblies and/or timber structures. It also
provides the basic information for management in entities • adequate supervision and quality control is provided
producing and/or manufacturing structural solid timber, during execution of the work, i.e. in design offices,
glued laminated timber, laminated veneer lumber, wood- factories, production and fabrication plants and on site.
based panels, metal fasteners and prefabricated wall, floor • the construction materials and products are used as
and roof diaphragm elements. It enables design engineers, specified in EN 1990 or in EN 1991 and in Eurocodes
architects and specifiers to use tabulated information to EN 1992 to EN 1999 or in the relevant execution
select specific element materials for building construction. standards, or referenced material or product
specifications.

Basis of design - IS EN 1990 • the structure will be adequately maintained and used in
Eurocode 1990 accordance with the design assumptions.
EN 1990 and all other Eurocodes make provision for a
The basis of design of timber structures as applied in EN
National Annex whereby the National Standard
1995 is required to be in accordance with EN 1990 which
implementing a Eurocode is permitted to have a choice in
sets out the principles and requirements for safety,
respect of Nationally Determined Parameters (NDPs) for
serviceability and durability of structures, describes the
specific procedures or classes or values.
design and verification procedures and provides guidelines
for related aspects of structural reliability. The general
assumptions of EN 1990 are:
Actions on structures (IS EN 1991) values related to safety from a range of values, classes or
- Eurocode 1 symbols.

EN 1991-1-1 (Eurocode 1) provides design guidance and

actions for the structural design of buildings and civil Eurocodes recognised for
engineering works, including data for densities of construction works
construction materials and stored materials, self-weight of
Member states of the European Union and the European
construction elements and imposed loadings for buildings.
Free Trade Association recognise that Eurocodes are
EN 1991-1-1 also includes provision for a National appropriate for the following purposes:
Annex whereby the National Standard implementing 1991-
• as a framework for drawing up harmonised technical
1-1 is permitted to have a choice in respect of Nationally
specifications for construction products.
Determined Parameters (NDPs).
• as a basis for specifying contracts for the execution of
construction works and related engineering services.
Eurocode 5 as a structural timber
limit state design code • as a means of validating compliance of building and
civil engineering works with the essential requirements
EN 1995-1-1 is a limit state design code which requires of Council Directive 89/106/EEC particularly regarding
structural stability to be in accordance with two specifically mechanical resistance and stability.
defined states, within which the structure complies in
The application of EN 1995-1-1 for design of structural
relation to particular performance criteria. These limit states
timber and timber structures relies on data provided in
are:
numerous CEN standards. Eurocode 5 refers to fifty-three
• Ultimate limit state — associated with collapse or with normative standards and a number of these refer to several
other forms of failure which include loss of other EN standards in regard to compliance.
equilibrium, excessive deformation, transformation into
a mechanism, rupture or loss of stability.
Reference
• Serviceability limit state — associated with
deformation which affects the appearance or effective Harrington, J., Jacob, M. and Short. C. 2006. Handbook on
use of the structure, vibrations which cause discomfort structural timber design to Eurocode 5 (IS EN 1995-
to people or damage to the structure, damage or 1-1) rules including strength-capacity tables for
cracking which is likely to adversely affect the structural elements. COFORD, Dublin.
durability of the structure.
The ultimate limit state criteria ensure that the
probability of failure is acceptably low and the
serviceability limit state criteria ensure satisfactory
behaviour under service (working) actions. In special
circumstances limit state criteria involving fatigue and fire
resistance may require to be considered.
The basic requirements of EN 1990: 2002 section 2 are
deemed to be satisfied for timber structures when limit state
design, in conjunction with the partial factor method using
EN 1990:2002 and EN 1991 for actions and their
combinations and EN 1995 for resistances, and its rules for
serviceability and durability, are applied. Regulatory
authorities in each member state have the right to determine
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or approval by COFORD of any product or service to the exclusion of others that may be suitable. Every effort is made to provide accurate and useful
information. However, COFORD assumes no legal liability for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process
disclosed herein or for any loss or damage howsoever arising as a result of use, or reliance, on this information.