Our Supervisors are the foundation of the grade service program – they have decades of experience working with manufacturers and lumber products throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe. Their deep knowledge of lumber manufacturing, processing, drying, grading, scanner technology, and quality control is regularly passed on to graders and personnel at our member mills through informal discussion during site visits.

Member organizations may also request on-site training to cover specific topics such as new products they are preparing to produce, or programs designed to help new graders gain proficiency. To learn more, speak with your PLIB Supervisor or contact the main office.

In order to make our wealth of knowledge more freely available to our members, PLIB is working with member mills, consultants, and internal staff to convert some of our current in-person training programs to a digital format. These online training courses will be hosted on PLIB’s new training website, which will launch alongside the courses.

Members will be able to purchase and access grader training courses at any time at a discounted rate, giving them more flexible access to training information beyond just the days their PLIB Supervisor is visiting the facility. This will allow trainees to move through the material at their own pace, and maximize the benefit of their time with their Supervisor by focusing in-person training on any topics or skills the trainee may be struggling with.

Currently four courses are in development, Foundations of Lumber Grading, and three courses that cover grading lumber according to the NGR rules. More courses, covering additional grade rules as well as a variety of other industry topics, are planned for future development. Upon completion of the Foundations course, NGR grade rule courses can be taken independently or as a discounted bundle to cater to the varied training needs of member mills. These courses are a great way to give your graders a comprehensive head-start on their qualifications. Once they have completed the relevant courses, your trainees will be well-equipped to complete the hands-on portion of their training with your PLIB Supervisor – the final step to becoming a qualified lumber grader.

Foundations of Lumber Grading Course

This comprehensive introductory course provides a wealth of knowledge and context necessary for grader trainees to understand and apply lumber grading rules efficiently and consistently.

Trainees will work their way through a variety of lessons and activities that will help them understand how a tree’s growth results in the characteristics seen during lumber grading, and become proficient at identifying and measuring lumber characteristics, navigating and interpreting the language of grading rules, decoding grade stamps, and more. Our practice activities have hundreds of high-quality images that cover a wide variety of characteristics, instructional videos from our experienced Supervisors, and measurement activities using 3D models so that trainees understand how to properly measure each characteristic.

Topics include:

• An introduction to the lumber industry
• History of the lumber trade and grading rules
• Standardization of lumber grading rules
• The basics of tree growth, anatomy, and species identification
• Practical application of fractions, measuring, and board foot calculations
• Natural, manufacturing, and seasoning characteristics
• Navigating lumber grading resources
• Understanding grade rules and stamps

NGR Grade Rule Courses
Required Prerequisite: Foundations of Lumber Grading

Armed with the background, knowledge, and skills honed in the Foundations course, trainees then learn to apply it to specific grade categories produced at their mill. The three initial grade rule courses cover the specifications and various permitted characteristics for each of the four NGR grade categories:

• Light Framing
• Stud
• Structural Light Framing & Structural Joists and Planks

Trainees will learn the grade rules for each category and practice applying them to hundreds of 3D models made from scanner imagery, as well as video practice activities filmed on-site on the grading line at several of our member mills. These activities are designed to help trainees practice identifying grade limiting characteristics and gain confidence assigning grades. The video activities will help them get a feel for the live grading environment as they work their way from grading half-speed clips of the grading line towards making the same capable decisions in real-time clips and on the grading line.

Pacific Lumber Inspection Bureau recognizes the critically important role certified lumber graders play in the successful operation of lumber manufacturing facilities. The moment by moment decisions made by qualified lumber graders impact not only the final quality of the product that is delivered to the customer but also the reputation and profitability of the company. By ensuring that the graded lumber products meet the published grade rules and standards and thereby preventing claims, PLIB-qualified lumber graders protect the interests of both consumers and producers.

In 2022 PLIB developed the Grader Recognition Program to acknowledge the important work the qualified graders at our mills do every day and encourage them to embrace continuous improvement. Each year, qualified graders employed at our member mills who meet the program criteria receive a certificate based on their qualifications. For more details, or to sign up for this program please contact us.