Cedar Shake & Shingle Bureau (CSSB)

The Cedar Shake & Shingle Bureau (CSSB) is a non-profit trade association representing producers and installers of cedar shakes and shingles in Canada and the United States. It was established on 9 June 1915, when trustees of the West Coast Lumber Manufacturers Association agreed to set up a branch serving members who made shingles. The bureau has published installation manuals and quality standards for cedar roofing for more than a century. Its website is cedarbureau.org.

History

• 1915 – formed as a shingle branch of the West Coast Lumber Manufacturers Association.
• 1963 – merged with the Handsplit Shake Bureau to become the Red Cedar Shingle & Handsplit Shake Bureau.
• Late 1980s – mill quality-control inspections were contracted out to independent third-party agencies.
• 1988 – members renamed the organisation the Cedar Shake & Shingle Bureau.

Its historical records form part of the BC Archives held by the Royal BC Museum.

Certi-label products

The bureau's member mills produce shakes and shingles under the Certi-label® mark. Products carry labels showing the grade and the standard they are made to, and mills are inspected by independent agencies. Typical grades depend on how much of each piece is clear heartwood and on whether the grain is edge grain (vertical) or flat grain.

Manuals

The CSSB publishes a New Roof Construction Manual and a wall manual. These cover:

• the difference between shingles (sawn, smooth on both faces) and shakes (split, with at least one textured face);
• exposure (the visible length of each course), which varies with roof pitch and product length;
• underlayment and interlayment of felt between shake courses;
• ventilation, fastener type (stainless steel or hot-dipped galvanised), and preservative or fire-retardant treatments.

Context

Western red cedar, mostly from British Columbia and the U.S. Pacific Northwest, is the main species. Cedar roofs are also used in Europe, Australia and Japan. Fire codes in wildfire-prone areas may require treated products or restrict wood roofs.