Testing biological durability is inherently different for wood-plastic composites (WPC) compared to solid timber. However there is clearly a need for more information on the durability of WPC’s, on the effect of decay on the material properties of WPC’s and on methods for assessing decay of WPC’s. For the emerging European WPC market there has been some discussions on how to work on these topics. Laboratory testing is focussing on using the most appropriate test methods from the wood durability testing. Basidiomycete testing as was developed for wood based panels is proposed and soft rot testing can be done in accordance with laboratory methods for the evaluation of natural durability. There is however concern on the pre-leaching or pre-conditioning required to be in line with the slow water uptake of most modern wood-plastic composites. This is also of concern when dealing with field testing and probably will require out of ground contact testing with extra control of the moisture balance. It is also relevant that testing will become a requirement when dealing with the EU Directives on biocides (BPD) since many wood plastic composites contain fungicides and the one on construction (CPD) when load bearing applications are envisaged. Finally it is considered important to benchmark the WPC products concerning their biological durability with commonly used wood based products for different commodities allowing as such a better prediction of service life.

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