Product Description

MicroPro® pressure treated products are treated with Micronised Copper Azole Compounds.

Please note: The final MicroPro treated timber products are produced by independently owned and operated timber treating facilities.

MicroPro® technology provides a way to pressure treat timber for most end uses including landscaping, decks, fences and general construction. MicroPro uses micronised preservatives to penetrate the timber which provides a number of important consumer benefits including:

• Better corrosion performance.
• Lighter colour compared with conventional copper-based treated timber products (allowing improved staining and painting qualities.), and has a more natural wood appearance.
• Improved compatibility with aluminium building components (pending compliance with Koppers recommendations, please contact Koppers direct).

MicroPro can also include a micronised colour pigment system, MicroShades, to produce a warm red-brown colour similar to local and imported hardwoods. (Over the years, the colour of MicroShades will eventually  fade to a driftwood grey. The length of time will vary according to  sunlight exposure and the application.)

MicroPro pressure treated timber products are protected from termites, borers and fungal decay, and are backed by a Limited Guarantee (See limited guarantee document for more details.). MicroPro is approved by the APVMA in Australia and EPA in New Zealand and in both AS/NZS1604 Series and NZS 3640 (relevant timber treatment standards in Australia and New Zealand)

 

Technical and Environmental Benefits

• MicroPro®  is GreenTag GreenRate Level A certified and has a GreenTag Product Health Declaration.
• The use of MicroPro® allows to claim points in various Green Building Rating Systems (Refer to "Green Building Info" tab at top of page).
• MicroPro®  is certified under Scientific Certification System’s EPP based on Life-Cycle Assessment.
• Timber products treated with the MicroPro system result in the release of over 90% less copper into aquatic and terrestrial environments when compared to amine copper preservative treated products.
• Low VOC emissions, as attested by GREENGUARD Children and Schools certification.

MicroPro® treated timber offers many benefits over other preservative technologies including significantly improved corrosion performance. MicroPro treated timber exhibits corrosion rates when in contact with metal fasteners and connectors similar to CCA treated timber and untreated timber. (Always use fasteners and hardware that complies with the manufacturer’s recommendations and building regulations for their intended use. See NZS3604 for specific requirements).

 

Manufacturer Information - Koppers Performance Chemicals Inc.

In 1912 immigrant German engineer Heinrich Koppers founded Koppers Company in Chicago, Illinois. Today, after a varied history, Koppers is an integrated global producer of carbon compounds, chemicals, and treated wood products for the aluminum, railroad, specialty chemical, utility, rubber, steel, residential lumber, and agriculture industries. It serves customers through a comprehensive global manufacturing and distribution network with facilities located in North America, South America, Australasia, China, and Europe.

Koppers Performance Chemicals (Koppers PC) has a dedicated staff of global wood science professionals, and is a global leader in the development and commercialisation of many of the significant advances the timber industry.

Supplier Information - Koppers Performance Chemicals - NZ

Koppers staff are also able to assist you to work with government departments including environmental and regulatory bodies.

Safety, health and environmental (SHE) stewardship is a crucial principle at Koppers and all employees are expected to make excellence in SHE performance a priority, through a comprehensive set of management systems, processes and procedures that clearly outline our SHE policy, expectations, roles and responsibilities, Full compliance with all applicable legal requirements is the minimum level of performance. Each employee is provided with guidance about how they can individually contribute to SHE stewardship.

Koppers SHE Policy is the commitment to:

• Compliance with all applicable safety, health, environmental, and security laws, regulations, and other requirements to which Koppers subscribes;
• Pollution prevention in order to preserve the environment for the health, productivity and enjoyment of future generations;
• Protection of people through the management of product, process and other safety risks;
• Continuous improvement of safety, health, environmental, and security systems and performance;
• Communication regarding business operations and potential risks, both internally and externally to promote openness with stakeholders.

 

Application and Purpose

MicroPro technology is a non-arsenic based preservative treatment process and may be used in most use categories as defined in building codes and New Zealand standards for treated timber in New Zealand.

These uses include:

• Decking, joists, handrails and general construction.
• Landscaping timbers including sleepers and round and sawn posts and fences.
• Building poles and house piles.

 

Installation and Maintenance

•  MicroPro was initially developed in the US following restrictions that were introduced in 2003 that removed CCA-treated wood from residential applications. The first generation alternatives to CCA were soluble copper preservatives such as ACQ and Tanalith E, and in the early years of the move away from CCA, wood treated with these products was noted to be more corrosive to commonly-used fasteners than had been CCA treated wood. When the micronised copper preservatives such as MCA were introduced these were noted to offer improved corrosion performance compared to the soluble copper products. In conjunction with corrections to minimum galvanising specs, fastener corrosion has not been noted to be an issue with MCA-treated lumber in the US in nearly twenty years since it was introduced, however the predominant use in that market is for decking and fencing.

New Zealand does have some quite specific and conservative building requirements, in particular in structural positions there is a requirement that building products to have a minimum service life of 50 years. In that context, there is a greater focus on very long-term performance and NZS3604 takes a conservative position and specifies that where wood treated with a  copper-azole preservative is used in an exposed or sheltered location, a minimum of stainless steel 304 fasteners are required.

Koppers have recently created a fastener technical note to clarify the fasteners required for the different types of treated wood that they provide preservatives for. This is to bring any recommendation into line with NZS3604, which in the case of copper-azole based preservatives requires stainless steel in any exterior position where 50-year service is required. This standard requirement also applies to micronised preservatives MicroPro and Protim Micro. 

• Wear gloves, a dust mask and goggles when working with, cutting or sanding timber. Wash work clothes separately from other household clothing before re-use.

• Only preserved timber that is visibly clean and free of surface residue should be used. If the timber is to be used in an interior application and becomes wet during construction, allow to dry before it is covered or coated.

• When cutting or drilling MicroPro treated wood, it is recommended that a suitable brush-on preservative product is used on the freshly exposed surface, such as Protim Reseal.

• All sawdust and construction debris should be cleaned up and disposed of after construction.

• Preserved timber should not be used where it may come into direct or indirect contact with drinking water, (except for uses involving incidental contact such as fresh water docks and bridges), or may become a component of food, animal feed, or beehives.

• Do not burn preserved timber, or use it as mulch.

• Mould growth can and does occur on the surface of many products, including untreated and treated timber, during prolonged exposure to excessive moisture conditions. To remove mould from the treated timber surface, timber should be allowed to dry. Typically, mild soap and water can be used to remove remaining surface mould.