A guide to BS 8612 from Redland Roof Tiles

50 years ago Redland Roof Tiles patented an alternative to mortar and verge clips along the gable ends of properties. Since then most ventilation and tile manufacturers have brought out their versions, each with their own unique selling point.

In 2011 the NHBC saw claims against its 10-year Buildmark warranty exceed £12million, this became a driving force for BS 5534 to be revised in 2014 and include a code of practice for dry fixing systems. The adverse effect of this was an influx of new dry fixing systems being introduced to the market with no material or specification guidelines and limited testing being made to ensure that the products are fit for purpose.

Fast forward to 2018 and we now see the introduction of BS 8612 which ensures that dry fix ridge, hip and verge systems for slating and tiling are manufactured to a British Standard and will meet specific agreed specifications and pass industry tests such as;

• The dry ridge, dry hip and dry verge components must provide sufficient resistance to wind uplift when used to fix perimeter roof tiles
• The standard tests the ability of dry verge products to shed water from the verge without staining the gable wall
• The specification of the materials used in manufacture are tested for its durability when exposed to UV light as well the freeze-thaw and heat-humidity capabilities
• The ridge-roll is tested to ensure a tight fit to profile tiles without splitting or breaking
• The ventilation performance of the ridge products must meet BS 5250: 2011 and BS 5534: 2014

The information collated in these tests will allow architects, specifiers and contractors to select products that are suitable for the design requirements of their roofing project, as they can assess the wind exposure of the site and building and offer an appropriate solution from a range of tested products.  

Read in more detail in this guide from Redland Roof tiles here