May, 2026
Supplement No. 1 to the NLGA Standard Grading Rules for Canadian Lumber (2025)
(effective May 1, 2026)
This Supplement is issued to revise the 2025 edition of the NLGA Standard Grading Rules for Canadian Lumber and the NGR Interpretations.
The revisions are summarized below:
NLGA Standard Grading Rules
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- Para. 39 revise to be consistent with CSA O141 and PS 20
- Para. 44 replace paragraph in its entirety to be consistent with CSA O141 and PS 20
- Paras. 121a, 122b, and 124c. incorporate NGR changes to permitted shake
- Paras. 121a, 122a, 122b, 122c, 124a, 124b, 124c, and 124d.
- incorporate NGR changes to permitted holes
- Para. 122a incorporate NGR clarification that the rule for wane dip on end of a piece does not apply to the Construction grade similar to the NO. 1 grade
- Paras. 122b and 124c. incorporate NGR clarification of permitted unsound wood
- Para. 715 revise to be consistent with CSA O141 and PS 20
- Para. 717 remove as definition is now under new Para. 725
- Para. 725 new paragraph to define moisture content terms
NGR Interpretations
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- Section 1.17 Unsound wood – permissible peck
May, 2026
Supplement No. 2 to the NLGA Standard Grading Rules for Canadian Lumber (2025)
(effective May 1, 2026)
This Supplement is issued to revise the 2025 edition of the NLGA Standard Grading Rules for Canadian Lumber and the EU Annex.
The revisions are summarized below:
NLGA Standard Grading Rules
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- Para. 7 revise to include lumber from U.S. grown logs and manufactured in Canada
- Paras. 40, 42, 46, 120a, 850, 901a revise to reference appropriate Paras. 7 and/or 7a and/or 7b
EU Annex
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- All Sections: revised to include new species groups as per Para. 7 revisions and updated to include MSR provisions
May 2026
NLGA Special Product Standards
NEW Edition – April, 2026
We are pleased to announce the publication of a new edition of the
- NLGA SPS4 – Special Products Standard for Fingerjoined Machine Graded Lumbe
Click below for a free download:
- NLGA SPS 5 – Special Products Standard for Face-Glued Lumber “Vertical Use Only
Click below for a free download:
- NLGA SPS 6 – Special Products Standard for Structural Face-Glued Lumber
Click below for a free download:
We provide free PDFs of the NLGA Special Product Standards for your personal reference. These files are protected by copyright. You may view, download and print these PDF files for your own use, but may not copy, reprint, publish, distribute or sell them in any format, including electronic, without the written permission of NLGA.
November, 2025 – NEW EDITION
NLGA Standard Grading Rules For Canadian Lumber
NEW Edition – September 2025
We are pleased to announce that a new edition of the NLGA Standard Grading Rules For Canadian Lumber has been published.
Supersedes all previous Editions, Revisions and Supplements
Many of the GR revisions were editorial and/or related to formatting including:
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- Add design values for Canada – new Paras. 850-857
- Revise Hem-Fir (N) design values for the U.S.
- Renumber U.S. design value section – new Paras. 900-910
- Remove Para. 48 and incorporate into Para. 7b to eliminate redundancy
- Harmonize terms throughout: “species group” to replace “species combination”, “surfaced” to replace “dressed”, “narrow face” to replace “edge”, etc.
- Harmonize the NGR 2025 updates
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We are pleased to provide free PDF sections of the NLGA Standard Grading Rules For Canadian Lumber (2025 edition) for your personal reference.
These files are protected by copyright. You may view, print and download these PDF files for your own use but may not copy, reprint, publish, distribute or sell them in any format, including electronic, without the written permission of National Lumber Grades Authority.
A spiral-bound book of the full NLGA Standard Grading Rules For Canadian Lumber may be purchased from NLGA through our publication sales section of the website.
Copies may be ordered through Publications For Sale on our website.
November 2025
NLGA Special Product Standards
NEW Edition – November 1, 2025
We are pleased to announce the publication of a new edition of the
- NLGA SPS4 – SPECIAL PRODUCTS STANDARD FOR FINGERJOINED MACHINE GRADED LUMBER
We provide free PDFs of the NLGA Special Product Standards for your personal reference. These files are protected by copyright. You may view, download and print these PDF files for your own use, but may not copy, reprint, publish, distribute or sell them in any format, including electronic, without the written permission of NLGA.
Click below for a free download:
June 2025 (rev November 2025)
NLGA Special Product Standards
NEW Edition – June 1, 2025
We are pleased to announce the publication of a new edition of the
- NLGA SPS1 – SPECIAL PRODUCTS STANDARD FOR FINGERJOINED STRUCTURAL LUMBER
- NLGA SPS2 – SPECIAL PRODUCTS STANDARD FOR MACHINE GRADED LUMBER
- NLGA SPS3 – SPECIAL PRODUCTS STANDARD FOR FINGERJOINED ‘VERTICAL STUD USE ONLY’ LUMBER
We provide free PDFs of the NLGA Special Product Standards for your personal reference. These files are protected by copyright. You may view, download and print these PDF files for your own use, but may not copy, reprint, publish, distribute or sell them in any format, including electronic, without the written permission of NLGA.
Click below for a free download:
- NLGA SPS 1 – 2025 Final+Ratified Responses
- NLGA SPS 2 – 2025 Final+Ratified Responses
- NLGA SPS 3 – 2025 Final+Ratified Responses
NLGA Standard Grading Rules For Canadian Lumber
Current Edition – December 2022
Supersedes all previous Editions, Revisions and Supplements
Many of the GR revisions were editorial and/or related to formatting including:
- Edits to clarify text and added references to applicable Interpretations.
- Titles added to all Paragraph numbers and sub-paragraphs consecutively renumbered.
- Tables reformatted and diagrams updated and harmonized.
In addition, the following amendments were made:
- Updates to the NGR paragraphs and NGR Interpretations as per the 2018 NGR edition.
- Ratified responses incorporated into the GR and Interpretations as per the Rat Response TG recommendations.
- New Para. 128a and NLGA Interpretation 2.7.4 with reference to MSR residual lumber.
- Norway spruce updates as per the 2017 NLGA GR – Supplement No. 1
- Inclusion of Supplements Nos. 2 to 5 published since 2017
- Updates to the EU Annex
2022 Edition Supplement
The following Supplement No. 1 to the NLGA Standard Grading Rules for Canadian Lumber (2022 edition) was issued on December 1, 2024. Please click on the applicable link for a PDF copy.
The following Supplement No. 2 to the NLGA Standard Grading Rules for Canadian Lumber (2022 edition) was issued on April 1, 2025. Please click on the applicable link for a PDF copy.
Current Edition – August 2017
This version has been superseded by the December 2022 edition.
This edition incorporates revisions to the species and species groups covered by the NLGA Grading Rules.
2017 Edition Supplements
The following Supplements to the NLGA Standard Grading Rules for Canadian Lumber (2017 edition) were issued on March 1, 2019. Please click on the applicable link for a PDF copy.
Supplement No. 1: add Canadian-grown Norway spruce (Paras. 7, 7a, 7b, 905i, 905j, 905l)
Supplement No. 1 to NLGA Grading Rules (2017 edition) – March 2019
Supplement No. 2: update Machine Graded Lumber provisions (Paras. 128, 128a, 128b)
Supplement No. 2 to NLGA Grading Rules (2017 edition) – March 2019
Supplement No. 3: revise NGR Glossary (Para. 700) and NGR Interpretations
Supplement No. 3 to NLGA Grading Rules (2017 edition) – March 2019
Supplement No. 4: update EU Annex provisions
Supplement No. 4 to NLGA Grading Rules (2017 edition) – March 2019
January 2014 Edition
This version has been superseded by the August 2017 edition. The 2014 revision primarily incorporated changes to the knot and slope of grain grading rules for Beams & Stringers and Posts & Timbers as well as including the errata and other supplements from the December 2010 edition.
December 2010 Edition
This version has been superseded by the August 2017 edition. Listed below are the errata and supplements issued for the December 2010 edition. These errata and supplements are provided for archival information only.
Special Products Standards – Current Editions
The following is a list of the current editions of the Special Products Standards which are available for ordering in the Publications For Sale section or for download in the Publications For Download section of the website.
English Editions
- SPS 1 – Fingerjoined Structural Lumber – current edition June 2025
- SPS 2 – Machine Graded Lumber – current edition June 2025
- SPS 3 – Fingerjoined “Vertical Stud Use Only” Lumber – current edition June 2025
- SPS 4 – Fingerjoined Machine Graded Lumber – current edition November 2024
- SPS 5 – Face-Glued Lumber – Vertical Use Only – current edition November 2015
- SPS 6 – Structural Face-Glued Lumber – current edition November 2015