Why are Roof Trusses Engineered and Built with Regular Yellow Pine and Not Treated Wood?

We get this question a lot.

Typically Roof/Floor Trusses under Miami-Dade Building Code / Florida Building Code are not required to be built with Treated Lumber, because simply our code requires the homes to be fumigated for termites during the construction process.

However, all export jobs going abroad do require the Trusses to be built with Treated Lumber. The Treatment that is normally used is Borate

Borate treated wood is on the rise as a safe and long-lasting method to protect homes from wood destroying organisms. There are several types of borate wood preservatives used to treat solid wood, engineered wood composites and other interior building products like studs, plywood, joists and rafters.

Borate treated wood has been used successfully for more than 50 years in New Zealand, for a decade in Hawaii – specifically to combat the voracious and highly destructive Formosan subterranean termite – and increasingly throughout the mainland United States. Borates prevent fungal decay and are deadly to termites, carpenter ants and roaches – but safe for people, pets and the environment. Borates interfere with termites’ metabolic pathways when ingested through feeding or grooming, effectively killing them. Surviving termites avoid the protected wood products

At Deco Truss® we use Sillbor a Borate Treatment done by Robbins Lumber – see attached SillBor_Brochure