Wood construction codes issues in the United States

The current wood construction codes find their origin in the 1935 Wood Handbook: Wood as an Engineering Material published by the USDA Forest Service. Many of the current design recommendations can be traced back to statements from this book. Since this time a series of development both historical and recent has led to a multi-layered system for use of wood products in the United States. The following paper will first discuss the wood construction design criterion referenced by model codes used in the United States; second, touch on product standards; third, briefly discuss US model codes and their current status, and finally, discuss potential changes to the fastener design criteria.