Attribute Schema Library
Attribute schemabuilding materials & lumber

Decking Attributes

Decking is the walking surface — deck boards and stair treads sold through LBM dealers, deck specialists and two-step distributors to deck builders and remodelers. One taxonomy node holds two unrelated products: pressure-treated softwood and tropical hardwood, bought on species, grade and preservative retention; and capped composite, PVC and mineral-based board, bought on brand, color and code report. A schema tuned for one fits the other badly.

The SKU count is a multiplication: line x color x length (12/16/20 ft) x edge profile x bottom profile. One color launch adds dozens of items. The specs that separate those items — actual thickness, span rating, groove geometry — live in the install guide and the ICC-ES report, not the price list.

Then vocabulary drifts. "Solid edge" means square edge at one brand and non-scalloped bottom at another. Retention arrives as ".06" with no use category. Metric-source composite ships 3.6 m and 4.8 m into a foot-based length filter. And in November 2024 the ipe and cumaru SKUs became CITES Appendix II items, with no field to record it.

Core

Every SKU needs these. Without them the record is not a product, it is a row.

Material Type
enum
Capped wood-plastic composite (WPC)

Splits the node into two schemas that behave differently: wood is bought on species, grade and retention; composite on line, color and code report.

Nominal Size
enum
5/4 in x 6 in

How the trade orders. 5/4x6 and 2x6 are different products with different framing, fastening and span behavior — not two sizes of one board.

Actual Dimensions (Thickness x Width)
text · in
0.94 in x 5.50 in

Nominal lies. Trex Select runs 0.82 in, Enhance 0.94 in, a 2x6 is 1.5 in. Thickness drives riser height, fascia reveal and clip seating.

Board Length
enum · ft
16 ft

Drives waste, butt-joint layout and freight. 20 ft is frequently special-order and will not ride the same truck as 12 and 16 ft.

Board Profile (Edge / Bottom)
enum
Grooved / scalloped

Grooved takes hidden clips; square edge is for perimeters, picture frames and stairs. Scalloped bottoms are lighter but not for stair treads.

Color / Finish Name
text
Spiced Rum

First filter a buyer touches, and the field that decides whether a reorder matches the deck already built. Names are brand-specific, never generic.

Selling Unit of Measure
enum
EA (16 ft board), priced per LF

Decking is quoted per lineal foot and shipped per board. If catalog, quote and invoice disagree on the basis, every line on the order is wrong.

Manufacturer Part Number
identifier
TSS010616CS

The only key that survives a supplier price-list refresh. Distributor SKUs and retailer item numbers do not travel between systems.

GTIN-14 / UPC-A
identifier
00093245018829

Required for retail item setup and GDSN publication. Case GTIN and each-level UPC are different values and both get asked for.

Country of Origin
enum
Brazil

Duty, Lacey Act declaration and CITES exposure all key off it. Tropical hardwood and imported composite both need it stated, not inferred.

Differentiating

What buyers actually compare on. This is where catalogs win or lose the filter.

Maximum Joist Spacing (Span Rating)
enum · in o.c.
16 in o.c.; 12 in o.c. at 45 degrees

The question every builder asks. A board rated 16 in o.c. cannot sit on 24 in framing, and a 45-degree layout usually derates to 12 in.

Cap Coverage
enum
Capped, 4 sides

Decides whether the board can go on a ground-level or low-airflow deck. 4-sided seals the underside; 3-sided leaves it open to wicking.

Hidden Fastener Groove Compatibility
text
Universal groove: Trex Hideaway, TC-G, Camo Edge

Groove depth and shelf geometry vary by line. 'Grooved' does not tell a buyer whether their TC-G, Camo Edge or brand clip will seat.

Warranty Term
text
25-yr limited residential + 25-yr fade & stain

The comparison that closes composite sales. Structural, fade and stain are separate periods and routinely get collapsed into one number.

Compliance & identifiers

Standards, regulatory data, and the identifiers channels reject you for missing.

Code Report Number (ASTM D7032)
identifier
ICC-ES ESR-3168

What the AHJ and architect ask for by number at submittal. 'Meets ASTM D7032' is not an answer; the ESR or CCRR number is.

Flame Spread Index / ASTM E84 Class
enum
Class B (FSI 70)

Class A (FSI 0-25) vs Class B (26-75) gates multifamily and elevated commercial work. Most capped WPC lands at Class B, not A.

AWPA Use Category & Preservative Retention
text
UC3B, MCA-C 0.06 pcf

UC3B is above ground exposed; UC4A is ground contact. A retention number is meaningless without preservative type and use category alongside it.

CITES Appendix II Status
boolean
TRUE — Handroanthus spp., annotation #17

Handroanthus (ipe) and Dipteryx (cumaru) have required permits since 25 Nov 2024 under annotation #17. No flag, no legal shipment.

The fields that aren't in the schema at all

What most decking catalogs are missing.

The table above is the schema most catalogs already have. These are the attributes that usually aren't in it — each one surfaced by a signal from the live market rather than by an audit of what's already there. This is what Anglera's Schema Foundry does on a real catalog, in this category.

Supplier signal
+ Maximum Joist Spacing (Span Rating)

Manufacturer install guides and ICC-ES reports publish span tables at 12, 16 and 24 in o.c. Distributor PDPs carry dimensions and color but no span field, so builders phone the counter to ask.

Board sold onto 24 in o.c. framing that's only rated to 16 in. The deck bounces, the builder blames the distributor, and it gets torn up and re-decked.

Competitor signal
+ Cap Coverage (3-sided vs 4-sided)

Brand sites market 4-sided capping as a headline feature and competitor filter rails expose it. Most distributor catalogs carry a bare 'capped' boolean or no such field at all.

A 3-sided board goes onto a ground-level deck with no airflow, the uncapped underside wicks, the board cups, and it returns as a warranty claim.

Search signal
+ Hidden Fastener Groove Compatibility

Buyers search 'TC-G compatible' or 'Camo Edge grooved' against the catalog and get zero results. Groove depth and shelf geometry vary by line; the record says 'Grooved' and stops.

Clips and boards ship on the same order and don't seat. The crew is on site, the fastener line goes back, and the deck stalls a day.

Competitor signal
+ Code Report Number (ICC-ES ESR / Intertek CCRR)

Competitor PDPs put the report number in a Documents tab with the PDF linked. Most distributor catalogs have no report-number field, only a line of marketing copy about code compliance.

Submittal comes back rejected or delayed, and on commercial work the spec gets substituted to a brand that produced its ESR number on request.

Supplier signal
+ CITES Appendix II Status

Handroanthus (ipe) and Dipteryx (cumaru) entered Appendix II with annotation #17 on 25 Nov 2024. Hardwood decking records still carry species and grade with no listing or permit field.

Container held at import for want of an export permit; ipe quoted against stock that can't legally move, and the RFQ goes to a dealer who can document it.

How Schema Foundry finds these

Messy in, governed out.

The same value, spelled every way building materials & lumber suppliers spell it. A filter only works once they agree.

Board Profile (Edge)
GroovedGroove EdgeGrooved EdgeFastener GrooveHidden Fastener EdgeGrv
Grooved Edge

Square-edge boards arrive as 'Solid Edge', colliding with solid-bottom core. Map it wrong and square boards land in the grooved filter.

AWPA Use Category & Preservative Retention
.06 AGMCA .06Above Ground Use Only0.06 pcf CA-CGround ContactUC4A .15
UC3B / MCA-C / 0.06 pcf

0.06 pcf means different things across MCA, CA-C and ACQ. Store preservative, retention and use category as three fields, never one string.

Board Length
16'16 ft16FT192 in4.8 m16-ft
16 ft

Metric-source composite ships 3.6 m and 4.8 m. Converted blind, they enter a foot-based filter as 11.8 ft and 15.7 ft and match nothing.

Material Type
CompositeWPCCapped CompositePVCCellular PVCMineral Based
Capped wood-plastic composite

Suppliers send 'composite' for capped WPC, uncapped WPC, mineral-based and cellular PVC — four materials, different span and warranty.

What buyers ask

Every one of these should be answerable from the attributes above. If it isn't, that's a gap.

  • Will this span my existing 16-inch on-center joists, or do I have to sister in blocking?
  • It's a grooved board — will my Tiger Claw TC-G clips actually seat in that groove?
  • Is it capped on four sides? This deck sits 10 inches off grade with no airflow underneath.
  • What's the actual thickness? I need my riser height and I need the fascia to cover.
  • Am I buying this by the board or by the lineal foot? The quote and the invoice don't agree.
  • Is this rated for ground contact or above ground only? It's within six inches of dirt.
  • Do you have a Class A board? The job's in a WUI area and the inspector will ask.
  • Can you send the ICC-ES number? The architect rejected the submittal without it.

What channels require

The same SKU, different mandatory fields per destination.

Lowe's & Home Depot item setup (GDSN)
GTIN-14 and each-level UPC-AManufacturer Part NumberNominal SizeBoard LengthColor / Finish NameCountry of Origin
Architect submittal (CSI 06 15 00 / 06 73 00)
Code Report Number (ESR / CCRR)Flame Spread Index / ASTM E84 ClassMaximum Joist Spacing (Span Rating)AWPA Use Category & Preservative RetentionActual Dimensions (Thickness x Width)
Dealer EDI 832 catalog (BisTrack / Agility)
Manufacturer Part NumberSelling Unit of MeasureNominal SizeBoard LengthGTIN-14Color / Finish Name
Distributor's own pro site filter rail
Material TypeColor / Finish NameBoard LengthBoard Profile (Edge / Bottom)Maximum Joist Spacing (Span Rating)Cap Coverage

Decking data, in practice

Is one span rating enough, or do stairs and diagonal layouts need their own fields?

They need their own fields. Composite and PVC boards are rated under ASTM D7032 at a stated on-center spacing — commonly 16 in o.c. for a 1-in nominal board carrying 100 psf residential live load. Running boards at 45 degrees increases the unsupported span by roughly 1.4x, so manufacturers generally derate to 12 in o.c. Stair treads are typically rated at 12 in o.c. as well and often carry a different fastening requirement. Some mineral-based boards go the other way and are rated to 24 in o.c. A single 'span' field forces all of this into one number, and the number that gets stored is almost always the most permissive one.

What's the difference between ASTM D7032, AC174, and an ESR or CCRR number?

ASTM D7032 is the specification that establishes performance ratings for wood-plastic composite and plastic lumber deck boards, stair treads, guards and handrails. It defines the tests. AC174 is the ICC-ES acceptance criteria that says which of those tests and results are needed for code recognition — notably, it does not require slip resistance. An ESR is the ICC-ES evaluation report; a CCRR is Intertek's equivalent Code Compliance Research Report. The AHJ and the architect want the report number, not the standard. Carry the report number as an identifier and the standard as a separate field. 'Complies with ASTM D7032' answers nothing on a submittal.

How should the schema handle pressure-treated retention?

Never as a bare number. Retention is only meaningful as three fields together: preservative type (MCA-C, CA-C, ACQ-D), retention in pcf, and AWPA Use Category. 0.06 pcf MCA is a legitimate above-ground decking retention; 0.06 pcf of a different preservative is not an equivalent product. UC3B is above ground exposed — deck boards, rails, above-grade framing. UC4A is ground contact — posts, joists, and any board close to grade or over poorly ventilated framing. Suppliers send 'GC', 'Ground Contact', '.06 AG', 'Above Ground Use Only'. Only the use category answers what the buyer is actually asking.

Do WUI requirements belong in a decking schema, and does ASTM E84 cover them?

If you sell into California or other WUI-designated areas, yes — and E84 does not cover it. ASTM E84 gives a Flame Spread Index and a Class (A: 0-25, B: 26-75) from a tunnel test on the material. WUI deck walking surfaces are evaluated on their own path: California's WUI provisions (historically CBC/CRC Chapter 7A, now carried in the California Wildland-Urban Interface Code) allow several compliance options, including a listing to CA SFM 12-7A-4 or a Class A roof covering classification per ASTM E108. Passing products are listed by the Office of the State Fire Marshal. That listing is a distinct field from the E84 class.

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