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Choose the correct Use Category for your application

It is important to choose the correct use category for pressure treated wood applications. The following are the AWPA Standard Categories and are the warranty categories for Babb products:

Above Ground UC3b  (The Babb product is EcoLife designated as EL2)

  • Decking and railing

  • Joists and beams when more than six inches above ground

  • Fence boards (but not posts)

 

Ground Contact UC4A (The Babb product is Copper Azole CA-C)

  • 4x4 and larger posts

  • Round fence posts

  • Joists and beams when touching the ground or in ground proximity or not having good ventilation

  • Joists and beams for docks

  • Stair stringers

  • Ledger boards attached directly to the home.


Some manufacturers suggest that all above ground applications should be treated to ground contact UC4A and if you are using their products you should follow their requirements. However, our EcoLife product is specifically designed for the unique exposure to alternating sun and wet conditions typical for above ground outdoor applications and will perform with less twisting and weathering cracks than other products. The EcoLife warranty covers all above ground applications, including joists and beams.

While Babb Lumber also supplies UC4A material on all items, we believe that our UC3B EcoLife product is a better choice for above ground applications. Please consider the following benefits:

  • EcoLife contains a stabilizer additive that reduces warping and cracks while shedding water. EcoLife is specifically formulated for the alternating sun/rain exposures of above ground applications. Ground contact treatments generally do not include a stabilizer.

  • EcoLife does not depend on copper as a preservative and resists attacks by the increasingly prevalent copper tolerant fungi. All of the ground contact products currently available in the market use copper as a preservative.

  • EcoLife uses the proper amount of preservative for above ground applications. Using ground contact products for above ground applications introduces unnecessary amounts of chemical into the environment.

  • EcoLife products offer superior above ground performance at a cost that is equivalent or often less than ground contact products.