9436 Lumber graders and other wood processing inspectors and graders
Category: Occupations in manufacturing and utilities
Major Group 94 : Processing and manufacturing machine operators and related production workers
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.
Example Titles
grader – wood processing
grader tallyman/woman – wood processing
lumber grader
particleboard grader – wood processing
plywood grader
plywood inspector
veneer grader
wood measurer
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 information
- There is some mobility between employers processing similar wood products.
To submit your assessment application under the 2015 Canadian Immigration quota, click here
CanadianExpressEntry.com