9436- Lumber graders and other wood processing inspectors and graders

Canada NOC: 
9436
Job Title: 

Lumber graders and other wood processing inspectors and graders

Job Description: 

Lumber graders and other wood processing inspectors and graders inspect and grade lumber, shingles, veneer, waferboard and similar wood products to identify defects, ensure conformance to company specifications and classify products according to industry standards. They are employed by sawmills, planing mills, wood treatment plants, waferboard plants and other wood processing companies.

Main Duties: 

Lumber graders perform some or all of the following duties:


Examine lumber visually for knots, holes, splits and other defects and sort for further drying, trimming or remanufacturing
Measure lumber using callipers, gauges and tape measures to ensure specified thickness, length and width
Classify and sort lumber according to industry standards and stamp lumber to indicate grade, wood type, moisture level and other characteristics
Tally lumber
Complete and maintain reports.
Other wood processing inspectors and graders perform some or all of the following duties:


Inspect plywood panels, veneer sheets, panelboards, shingles and similar wood products visually for knots, holes, splits, straightness and other defects
Mark defects and sort for repair or reprocessing
Measure wood products to ensure conformance to specifications using standard measuring instruments
Grade and label wood products according to quality standards
Complete and maintain inspection and grading reports.

Employment Requirements: 

Completion of secondary school is usually required.
On-the-job training and up to two weeks of classroom training are provided for lumber graders.
Previous experience as a sawmill machine operator, other wood processing operator or as a labourer in wood processing is usually required for graders and inspectors in this unit group.
Lumber graders require a lumber grader's licence issued by a provincial lumber association.

Additional Inormation: 

There is some mobility between employers processing similar wood products.

Classified Elsewhere: 

Forest products technologists (in 2211 Chemical technologists and technicians)
Log scalers (in 2223 Forestry technologists and technicians)
Production technologists in sawmills (in 2233 Industrial engineering and manufacturing technologists and technicians)
Supervisors, forest products processing (9215)

Similar O*NET Careers (USA) : 
International Careers(ISCO): 
Source Of Info: 

National Occupation Classification, (2011)

Statistics Canada and Human Resources and Skills Development Canada,

February 2012,

Catalogue no. 12-583-X