The Cedar Shake and Shingle Bureau has served member mills and manufacturers in the Shingle & Shake industry since 1915. Each year the Cedar Shake and Shingle Bureau answers thousands of technical questions and product selection queries.

The responsibility for educating the public and building code officials falls on the CSSB. Owing to knowledgeable staff, the Cedar Shake & Shingle Bureau has earned the distinction as the recognised industry authority.

The Cedar Shake and Shingle Bureau also monitor and inspect member mills for quality assurance, under the stringent grading rules of the Certi-label registered trademark. Only Cedar Bureau members who adhere to the grading rules are allowed to carry the Certi brand name on their shingle label

Certi-label Western Red Cedar Shingles & Shakes are inspected by legitimate, third party agencies, accredited by the Cedar Shake & Shingle Bureau, ensuring quality and consistency from bundle to bundle.

Not all cedar shake and shingle products are alike. Certi-label products, manufactured by Cedar Shake & Shingle Bureau members, assure you of the highest quality standards. Member mills have committed to consistent quality through independent third-party inspections by accredited agencies. Each bundle of product has the mill's distinctive Certi-label tucked under the bundle strap. Asking for "the blue label" or "number one blue label" is not specific enough.

Be aware that just because a supplier puts a label in a blue colour on its bundles does not mean that it’s on grade or third party inspected. Certigrade Western Red Cedar Shingles are inspected by legitimate, third party agencies, accredited by the Cedar Shake & Shingle Bureau.

Silva Timber are the only member of the Cedar Shake & Shingle Bureau outside of North America. The Bureau monitors and inspects member mills to ensure product quality, grading rules and consistency of Certi-Label cedar shingles and shakes are maintained.

Factors to consider when choosing your Western Red Cedar Shingle & Shake supplier.

• Check for Third Party Inspection Agencies
Despite what labels may say, a phone number and/or post office box address does not constitute a legitimate third party inspection agency. Legitimate agencies hold proper accreditations, with trained, experienced staff with employees, an address, phone number and business office that are different from the manufacturer.

• In-house inspectors are not equivalent to Third Party Inspection Agencies
‘In-house inspectors’ just means the manufacturer’s own staff have inspected their product and declared it fit for sale. Product without third party inspection can often result in a building regulation violation requiring the product to be removed from the build.

• Check label reads “conforms with” as opposed to “in accordance with” grading rules
Always ask your supplier if the product in question actually meet the grading rules, the wording may be misleading.

• A Blue Label isn’t enough
The term ‘Blue Label’ is actually a registered trademark of the Cedar Shake and Shingle Bureau. Just having a blue coloured label doesn’t mean it’s on grade or has been third party inspected.

To specify a Cedar Shake and Shingle Bureau member’s product and grade, ensure ‘Certi-label’ is on the purchase order or specification. Follow this wording with grade, product type, length and width to minimize any ambiguity on the product you want.

Click here to see how to read and check a Certi-label.

• Non-certified shingles can lead to poor quality
Without third party inspections, bundles can often be loose, leading to poor coverage, have defects beyond the exposure line, which can lead to a failed installation or have shingles containing flat grain instead of edge grain. Always ask to see the rules which the shingles and bundles have been graded against.