Types of timber and timber products

Check the information below to identify which category applies to the timber/wooden article you wish to import. Then use this term to search the AQIS Import Conditions Database—ICON for the relevant import condition.

Types of timber and timber related products:

Artificial plants on natural stems—are items that have artificial foliage or flowers attached to a natural plant part (e.g. shoot, branch, stem), either with or without bark.

Artefacts, natural forest produce—are items that have not been through a commercial manufacturing process. These products may include (but not limited to) arrows, bows, carvings, driftwood, ornaments, shields, spears, statues, traditional musical instruments (e.g. Sitar), weapon handles, wooden blowpipes and wooden masks.

Balsawood—balsawood is considered to be the finished product that is derived after kiln drying and milling wood from stems of Ochroma pyramidale. Finished balsawood is used for insulation, life–rafts and model making.

Bamboo articles—are any items made from species of Bambusoideae including Bambusa, Dendrocalamus, Phyllostachys and allied genera. These items include (but not limited to) articles that are wholly or partly made of bamboo, including blinds, chimes, chopsticks, fencing, flooring, furniture, kitchenware, and baskets that are covered with cane binding. Bamboo articles mixed with solid wood, cane, rattan or willow, or bamboo used as packaging materials to support a cargo consignment, will be imported under bamboo import conditions.

Cane and rattan—are any items made from Calamus or allied genera. These items may include (but not limited to) cricket bat handles, furniture, kitchenware, mats, etc. This import condition also includes bundles of prepared rattan. If cane or rattan articles contain some bamboo the articles will be imported under bamboo import conditions.

Charcoal—includes timber, or agricultural waste of plant origin that is carbonised at high temperatures and under low oxygen conditions. For products including (but not limited to): briquettes and pellets made from compressed fully carbonised wood, coconut shell briquettes,bamboo, charcoal.

Chestnut bark hoops—are hoops made from Chestnut wood (Castanea species) with bark adhering to the wood. They are used in the wine industry around oak barrels usually to minimise physical damage, as a support, or as decoration.

Cork—Granulated and processed cork and cork products—the outer bark of the cork oak, Quercus suber.

Logs—timber, from stems or branches of trees, that exceeds 200 mm in each dimension (length, width, depth and all diagonals) and is to be imported for further processing. This case excludes logs of the Myrtaceae plant family, and logs that will not be further processed e.g. poles, totem poles etc.

Plywood, laminated veneer lumber (LVL) and veneer sheets—Veneers must not be more than 5 mm thick. Plywood and LVL must be made of veneers that are not thicker than 5 mm.

Laminated veneer lumber (LVL)—an assembly of thin timber veneers laminated with adhesive, in which the grain direction of the outer veneers and most of the other veneers is in the longitudinal direction. LVL is often fabricated as beams.

Plywood—is an assembled sheet made up of two or more veneers bonded together with the direction of the grain in alternate plies usually at right angles. Plywood sheets are usually less than 35 mm thick.

Veneers—are thin sections of timber peeled or sliced from a larger piece of preconditioned timber using a blade (not sawn) and are no greater than 5 mm thick.

Please note that:
This case is only for veneer sheets, plywood, or LVL that have not been further processed into a secondary product. Secondary products made from plywood or LVL include furniture, sporting goods and plywood/LVL products with metal, plastic or reconstituted components will be treated as Wooden articles—manufactured. For packaging material made from plywood and/or veneer see the ICON case for timber packaging and dunnage.

Reconstituted wood and wood plastic products—for products such as chipboard, hardboard, medium and high density fibre board (MDF), orientated strand board and particle board and wood plastics that are free of solid wood.

Reconstituted wood with a wood veneer- this includes products made from a combination of reconstituted wood and wood veneer where the veneer is no more than 3.5mm thick

Wood plastics - are those made with wood fibre, plant flour or wood granules (pallwood), containing a minimum 30% resin; polyethylene; polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride or similar. It has no recognisable signs of the raw plant materials used in their manufacture, and have blending, thermal mixing and extrusion steps incorporated into their manufacturing process.

Reconstituted wood and wood plastic products are not of interest to quarantine as they are deemed to pose minimal quarantine risk and can be released without inspection, however are subject to DAFF Biosecurity surveillance activity. This case does not apply to plywood and veneer products or to strawboard or other boards that include parts of grasses (e.g. bamboo, pasture, straw, corn, sugar cane) or other non timber plant parts.

Reconstituted wood and wood plastic products are not of interest to quarantine as they are deemed to pose minimal quarantine risk and can be released without inspection. This case does not apply to plywood and veneer products or to strawboard or other boards that include parts of species of Poaceae (e.g. bamboo, grass, straw, sugar cane).

Sawdust products—includes sawdust, wood fibre, wood shavings, wood chunks,wood chips, wood flour, wood powder , , items containing sawdust such as animal bedding, door snakes or stuffed toys, pieces of wood used in wine making (excluding staves, headboards and barrels), pieces of wood used in aquariums and terrariums, any other timber by-products. This case does not include driftwood or charcoal.

Timber–Myrtaceae—for timber and timber mouldings (sawn timber) belonging to the Myrtaceae plant family. This also includes glued laminated lumber (Glulam) and solid timber flooring. Refer to ICON for a list of genera under the Myrtaceae plant family. These genera are prohibited entry into Australia from countries that have the disease Guava/Eucalyptus Rust caused by the fungus Puccinia psidii and its related species.

Timber and timber mouldings—for sawn timber (rough and dressed) or glued laminated lumber (Glulam), timber machined into a desired shape but not a final product, solid wood packaging material and dunnage imported as commodity, solid timber flooring, roundwood with a dimension less than 200 mm. This case includes (but is not limited to) solid timber and I–joists. This case excludes timber of the plant family Myrtaceae.

Please note that:
Glued laminated timber product (Glulam)—products formed by bonding together timber laminations (individual laminations may be a single unit or may be formed from several pieces of timber that may be end-jointed, edge–jointed or both) with the grain running essentially parallel to the product’s longitudinal axis are to be imported under this case.

Timber oversize—for timber that exceeds 200 mm in each dimension (length, width, depth and all diagonals) and is not imported for further processing. This may include (but is not limited to) statues, totem poles and oversize furniture.

Timber packaging and dunnage—for any kind of timber used as packaging, including cases, crates, pallets, packaging made from plywood and veneer, bearers and blocks used in supporting, protecting or carrying a commodity/consignment in international trade. This does not include timber packaging and dunnage imported as a commodity.

Packaging made solely from plywood, veneer, particleboard, chipboard, hardboard (masonite), oriented strand board, or medium and high density fibreboard pose minimal quarantine risk and can be released without inspection so there is no requirement to declare them as ‘timber’ on the packing declaration. AQIS will monitor the risks associated with this type of packaging through its Import Clearance Effectiveness surveys and may periodically conduct surveillance of packaging material to verify that quarantine risks are being adequately managed.

Willow and wicker articles—for dried articles made from Salix. This case excludes sawn Salix timber which should be imported under Timber and timber mouldings. This case includes (but is not limited to) items such as baskets, fencing, furniture and mats. Articles that also include solid wood, rattan, cane or bamboo will be treated as if they contain bamboo.

Wine barrels—includes newly manufactured oak wine barrels, used barrels, bourbon barrels, casks, staves, vats and tanks.

Wooden articles—manufactured—are wooden articles that have been commercially manufactured and are a highly processed, finished product (often lacquered, varnished or painted). This case includes (but is not limited to) products made from plywood or veneer or products made from a combination of plywood/LVL, wood, plastic or metal, etc. This case excludes products made entirely from reconstituted wood products.

It is the importer's responsibility to ensure compliance with the requirements of all other regulatory and advisory bodies associated with importing commodities to Australia. Among others, these could include the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service, Department of Health and Ageing, Therapeutic Goods Administration, Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority, Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts and state Departments of Agriculture/Primary Industries.

There are also interstate quarantine requirements that may restrict the movement of goods between states/territories. Information on these restrictions can be obtained from the respective state/territory Departments of Agriculture/Primary Industries.

The importation of timber and timber products is coordinated by the Timber and Timber Products National Coordination Centre. Any timber related enquiries should be directed by email to Timber Imports or by phone on 03 8318 6929.