European testing of roofing slate

This paper evaluates the newly introduced European roofing slate standard specification and test methods (BS EN 12326), including comments on the published acceptance criteria. The standard represents a major change from the previous long-established and limited-in-scope British Standard (BS 680-2), with a change of ethos from pass/fail criteria to mainly a means of determining the minimum required thickness of the slate. The European standard overall is judged to be better suited to the modern roofing slate sector, where a wide range of products from diverse countries is now commercially available.