Roof battens: prices, dimensions and dimensions at a glance

• Why are roof battens standardized "> The dimensions in detail

Roof battens are an essential support element in roof construction. Without the slats of wood, the roof could not be covered, which delays the completion. When choosing the slats, it is not just the wood that matters, but the dimensions. Since roofs have different dimensions, the wooden slats are available in different sizes, which determines the prices for the respective dimensions.

If you are looking for suitable roof battens for refurbishment or refurbishment, you must first know the appropriate dimensions. These are defined according to ISO standards, as they have to carry high loads without failing under them. Due to the importance of standardization, only certain types are used for the roof construction, but they offer high safety and stability and are ideal for your project. The material and the dimensions of the slats define the costs that you have to pay for acquiring the wood. Therefore, it is important to know about the dimensions and prices of the battens.

Why are roof battens standardized?

The standardization of slats is important, so that no wood used in other dimensions for the roof construction. In practice, these sizes have proven themselves and are even protected due to standardization and must be used in professional roof construction. The relevant standard for this is DIN 4074-1, which sorts needle lumber according to its load-bearing capacity and gives information on which thicknesses and dimensions are really available for roofing work. The load bearing capacity is defined by the nature of the wood in the following points:

• Astanzahl
• knot size

Other battens not covered by this standard may not be used for roof construction in Germany. This includes all timbers, which are processed according to the Tegernseer customs and not according to the given dimensions. When selecting the right type of wood, you should therefore make sure that only slats with dimensions according to DIN 4074-1 are selected, as the others are not approved and therefore represent a potential danger.

Tip: in addition to the DIN standard, you should make sure when selecting the slats that they are not impregnated. A few years ago, most of the wooden battens were impregnated, but this is not necessary for the selected species of wood and thus you can do without the environmentally harmful properties of the impregnation.

The dimensions in detail

The use of roof battens depends greatly on the dimensions that are available to you. In order to make the measurement units even clearer, you should know the sizes that are used for the roof battens:

1. Height and width (cross-section): the height and width of the slats describe the two main sides of the batten. These are the only sizes standardized and therefore you will not find any other wooden slats for the roof that are safe enough for the roof construction. The sizes are always given in millimeters, which will make measuring easier for you. The two sizes are called together as a cross section and are usually given in the woods in this format: height / width. An example would be 30/50. This will immediately tell you what the cross section of the slats is.

2. Length: the length of the slats depends on the height and width, so that the heavy weight of the roofing does not break through a wood which is too long in the middle. For this reason, you can not let the slats adjust itself, because the given dimensions work perfectly. A wooden bar ten meters long would not support the roof, except height and width are adjusted, which in turn has a negative impact on the weight and thus the stability. The length range is not standardized, but this is not exceeded or fallen below.

3. Sorting class: The sorting class indicates whether the lumbers are viable laths for the roof construction. They are labeled with the letter S for sorting class and a number for the average bending stress:

• S10: normal load capacity with a bending stress of 10 N per mm³
• S13: high carrying capacity with a bending stress of 13 N per mm³

The higher the bending stress, the heavier is the possible load on the battens by the roofing. These sorting classes are characterized not only by a number, but by a color in the form of a dot. At S10, a red dot is used, at S13 a blue dot is used.

4. Wood moisture: an important point for the implementation of the roof is of course the wood moisture. This is the proportion of moisture in the wood, which in turn describes how the wood can be worked. Roof battens with a wood moisture of 20 percent are easier to bend than eight percent, as the higher water has a positive effect on the ability to bend. The wood moisture for a roof batten should be between twelve and 18 percent and may not exceed 20 percent. The purchase of slats with a higher wood moisture is not recommended, because they must be dried in an emergency so far until this value is reached.

5. Woods: the woods used for the roof battens are abbreviated. Three types of wood are used:

• Pine: AI
• Spruce or fir: FI or TA
• Douglas fir: GL

These shortcuts instantly tell you what type of wood it is, which makes the selection easier.

These dimensions allow you to see exactly what form of lath it is and how it can be used. This is the advantage of the standard, as it not only facilitates the selection of roof battens, but also provides sufficient information about the residual moisture or the maximum load capacity. You can be guided by the cross-section of the selection, as these dimensions are standardized and you can not go wrong with them. Please note that only three dimensions are used for the width: 48, 50, 60 and 68 millimeters. The dimensions including the prices at a glance:

1. 18 x 48 mm: with these dimensions you can choose from a length of 3 to 4 meters. They are rarely used compared to the other measures. The prices per meter for these slats amount to about 50 cents per meter.

2. 24 x 48 mm: with these dimensions you have a length of 1.35 to 5.00 meters. This shape of the batten is used very often because it can be cut to different lengths. The prices per meter amount to 39 to 55 cents.

3. 24 x 60 mm: 4 to 5 meters in length can be selected for these roof battens. They are very stable and can be used for a variety of roof work. The prices per meter amount to about 1 euro per meter.

4. 28 x 48 mm: one of the typical dimensions used alongside 24 x 48 mm. This measure is available in a length of 1.35 to 6 meters and is often made of spruce wood. The prices for this measure vary between 55 and 65 cents per meter, which makes them very inexpensive, as they can easily cut your required size.

5. 38 x 68 mm: this measure is available in a length of 3 to 6 meters and is one of the newer dimensions. For this reason, this wood is rarely found in the hardware store and must therefore be purchased at a timber trade. The prices for this measure are 1.5 to 3 euros per meter.

6. 30 x 50 mm: This measure is very common and is available in a length of 1.35 to 6 meters. This is used for many constructions and is therefore quite cheap despite the cross section and the length up to 6 meters. For one meter you have to pay between 70 cents and 1.5 euros.

7. 40 x 60 mm: just as often this measure is used. It is available for lengths of 3 to 6 meters and prices range from 1.5 euros to 2 euros per meter.
Roof battens are often offered in a length of 1.35 meters. These are mainly used as counter battens and appear cheaper at first glance than longer battens. However, prices may increase with the number of wooden slats, as in many cases they are slightly too long or too short. This means you unnecessarily use a lot of wood that needs to be disposed of at the end. If you want to use this standard length, you should implement the design so that you can use the entire length of the bar. Many "prepackages" on the other hand contain a selection of different lengths that do not always fit perfectly.

Tip: Wooden slats are often specified in a third sorting class: S7 with a bending stress of 7 N per mm³. However, this is not used in the roof construction, as the slats under it are too weak and can not support the roofing.