FWPA releases new fastener testing standard to strengthen confidence across the timber industry

Forest & Wood Products Australia (FWPA) has released a new industry standard designed to strengthen confidence in timber construction by improving how mechanical fasteners and connection systems are tested and characterised across Australia’s timber sector.

The new FWPA Standard (T01) establishes a nationally  consistent approach for testing mechanical fasteners and connectors used in timber structures, supporting more reliable structural design, stronger product confidence and greater innovation in modern timber construction.

Developed through an FWPA-funded research project managed  by the Engineered  Wood Products Association of Australasia (EWPAA) and undertaken by the ARC Advance  Timber Hub at the University of Queensland, the Standard responds to an important industry need for contemporary, robust and practical testing methodologies.

As timber construction systems continue to evolve, including greater use of engineered wood products such  as glue-laminated timber (GLT), laminated veneer lumber (LVL) and cross- laminated timber (CLT), the performance of connection systems is increasingly critical to structural reliability and market confidence.

FWPA Standard T01 provides a clear pathway for manufacturers, testing laboratories, engineers, universities and certifiers to generate stronger and more consistent performance data for timber joints and fastener systems.

Why the new Standard matters

FWPA Standard T01 establishes standardised methods  to determine key connection performance characteristics, including:

• Strength, stiffness, ductility and slip performance of timber joints
• Testing methods  across sawn timber and engineered wood products, including GLT, LVL, CLT and plywood
• Procedures for both lateral and axial loading scenarios, including identification of governing failure modes
• Standardised testing of individual fasteners and complete connection assemblies
• Generation of characteristic design values suitable for structural design under AS 1720.1

Importantly, the Standard is intended to support industry as an alternative to AS 1649 (2025) for determining characteristic capacities of commonly used timber connection types until that standard undergoes further comprehensive revision.

Rather than replacing existing Australian Standards, FWPA Standard T01 is designed to complement them; helping improve consistency, reduce uncertainty  and support more efficient timber connection design.

Supporting innovation in modern  timber systems

Connection systems are fundamental to the performance and scalability of timber buildings, particularly as Australia  sees  growing interest in prefabrication, mass timber construction and higher-value  engineered wood applications.

By improving the way connection performance is characterised, FWPA Standard T01 will help industry generate clearer,  more robust design data, enabling greater confidence in timber connection systems and supporting innovation across the built environment.

The Standard is expected  to be particularly valuable  for timber manufacturers, product developers, testing laboratories, researchers, structural engineers and certifiers seeking dependable performance data to support product development and compliant structural design.

“As timber systems become more advanced, confidence in connection performance becomes increasingly important. FWPA Standard  T01 provides industry with a practical and consistent framework to generate robust design data and support innovation in timber construction.” Boris Iskra –

“This Standard  reflects extensive technical review and industry collaboration, providing a stronger foundation for testing and characterising timber connection systems used across both traditional and engineered wood products.” ARC Advance Timber Hub