Wood chip ISO 17225 Standard
20 September 2022
Testing wood chip for fuel quality purposes
The use of wood chip for fuel under the Biomass Suppliers List (BSL) and Woodsure Registration for Fuel Quality as required by RHI Regulations was amended in 2021.
In order to ensure that wood chip fuel customers can claim their RHI and DRHI payments from OFGEM under the 2021 RHI Regulations, the chip MUST meet the ISO 17225 standard. There is no other standard currently named in the regulation and at this point, no other standard has been deemed equivalent. The withdrawn ÖNORM standard cannot be used for this process.
In the absence of any other relevant standard, Woodsure and BSL now only consider test results for chip using the ISO 17225 standard requirements for RHI and BSL purposes. This change applies to both self-suppliers and producer/producer traders.
In the past, when businesses were struggling to be sure of their compliance with the withdrawn ÖNORM standard and the newer ISO 17225 requirements, we sometimes agreed to undertake some double testing in order to help transition from one to another. With the Regulation now over a year old we as a sector must be certain we have adopted the new standard and achieved compliance with the Regulation. Failure to do this would mean that RHI claims from customers will be refused by OFGEM.
New Standard
Fuel Standards help to provide an accurate description of a fuel’s physical parameters and performance characteristics. The description covers the maximum size; absence of slivers/spears or fines (sawdust;) and maximum moisture content. Also described are the levels of contaminants and ash, along with the reassurance of the biofuel’s origin/source.
The full title of the ISO 17225 wood chip standard is BS EN ISO 17225-4:2021 Solid biofuels. Fuel specifications and classes – Graded wood chips. This can be purchased from the BSI Knowledge website.
Should you wish to discuss the standard in more detail, the Woodsure team will be happy to support your enquiries.
A useful list of woodfuel standards, specifications and classes along with useful links can be found here.
Frequently Asked Questions
Woodsure has also created the following document detailing common FAQs on ISO 17225 requirements.
Woodsure has also created the following document detailing common FAQs on ISO 17225 requirements.
Other Testing
Should you require any other testing e.g. ÖNORM or other standards and for other fuels, please contact the team, who will be pleased to discuss your requirements and costs for the relevant testing. The Woodsure test lab has a range of test equipment and a thorough understanding of the latest standards and fuel quality requirements of various schemes.
