Dose-response functions permit to estimate the moisture and temperature induced decay potential for any wooden building component and exposure, and thus the service life to be expected. In part 1 of this series dose-response functions were established as a result of double layer field trials carried out at 24 European test sites over up to eight years. Using them makes it no longer necessary to conduct field trials as long as decay actually occurs. They allow determining dose-time functions for a certain construction detail over shortened time periods (2 3 years). Within this paper we present the test set up of different studies aiming on quantifying the impact of material, exposure and design details on the service life to be expected for wooden components. Therefore long-term moisture recordings were applied to different wooden commodities, e. g. fence posts, pickets, decking, and facades. Furthermore, the impact of orientation, distance to the ground, and driving rain load on facade panels was studied. Finally dose-time functions will be recorded for ten different wood species used in horizontal and vertical orientation. First results from the various studies including preliminary service life estimation for various components are also presented.

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