AWI Standards

Approval of an American National Standard requires verification by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) that the requirements for due process, consensus, and other criteria for approval have been met by the standards developer. An American National Standard implies a consensus of those substantially concerned with its scope and provisions.

Consensus is established when, in the judgment of the ANSI Board of Standards Review, substantial agreement has been reached by directly and materially affected interests. Substantial agreement means much more than a simple majority, but not necessarily unanimity. Consensus requires that all views and objections be considered and that a concerted effort be made toward their resolution.

The existence of an American National Standard does not in any respect preclude anyone, whether they have approved the standard or not, from manufacturing, marketing, purchasing, or using products, processes, or procedures not conforming to the standards.

ANSI does not develop standards and will in no circumstances give an interpretation of any American National Standard. Moreover, no person shall have the right or authority to issue an interpretation of an American National Standard in the name of ANSI. Requests for interpretations should be addressed to the secretariat or sponsor whose name appears on the title page of this standard.

CAUTION NOTICE: This American National Standard may be revised or withdrawn at any time. The procedures of ANSI require that action be taken periodically to reaffirm, revise, or withdraw this standard. Purchasers of American National Standards can receive current information on all standards by calling or writing ANSI.

NOTICE ON FORMAT AND STYLE: The format and style of this document differs from ANSI style as specified by the ANSI Style Manual for Preparation of Proposed American National Standards.

Published by

Architectural Woodwork Institute
46179 Westlake Drive, Suite 120, Potomac Falls, VA 20165

Copyright ? 2024 by Architectural Woodwork Institute

All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form, in an electronic retrieval system or otherwise, without prior permission by AWI.

Printed in the United States of America

Disclaimer

The information provided by the Architectural Woodwork Institute (“AWI”) in this document is intended solely for use by appropriately licensed and experienced professionals who have the necessary background to understand and interpret the information in accordance with generally accepted professional standards and regulations. AWI Standards provide the minimum criteria for the concept, design, fabrication, finishing, and installation of architectural woodwork. Provisions for mechanical
and electrical safety are not included. References to life-safety requirements may be included but are not meant to be comprehensive. Improper application of the standards set forth herein may result in hazards to health and safety of installers, consumers, and others.

Wood products installed outside of climate controlled, interior environments are not governed by this standard.

Illustrations are intended to assist in understanding the standard and may not include all requirements for a specific product or unit, nor do they show the only method of fabrication. Such partial drawings shall not be used to justify improper or incomplete design and/or construction.

The Supplemental Materials are provided as an additional resource to the manufacturer, design professional, educator, user, or certifying organization.

This standard may include citations and quotes from other industry standards and guidelines that are neither developed nor published by AWI, which makes no representation as to the quality or efficacy of such other standards or guidelines.

AWI publishes the information provided in this document after undertaking reasonable inquiry regarding the subject matter. AWI publishes this standard in furtherance of its mission of benefiting the architectural woodwork industry. All or any portion of this standard may be revised or withdrawn at any time. AWI standards are voluntary. AWI is not responsible for any results of use of this standard or performance of products used or created in connection with this standard. AWI makes no representation or warranty regarding the technical accuracy or sufficiency of the standard; nor does AWI represent or warrant that the standard conforms to any statute or regulation. AWI hereby disclaims any warranty of any kind, express or implied, with respect to the information contained herein, including merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

AWI shall not be responsible to anyone for the use of or reliance upon this standard. AWI shall not incur any obligation nor liability for damages, including consequential damages, arising out of or in connection with the use, interpretation of, or reliance upon this standard, except for the refund of any amount paid to AWI for this document by the affected user.

Copyright ? 2024 by Architectural Woodwork Institute—All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reprinted or reproduced in any form without the prior written consent of the Architectural Woodwork Institute.

Additional Information and updates for AWI Standards are posted at awinet.org

ANSI/AWI 0642–2024 – Wood Paneling is intended to provide standards and tolerances for the quality and fit of wall and ceiling surface paneling, components and related interior finishes.

This standard encompasses wall and ceiling surface paneling composed of solid wood, wood veneer applied to core materials, decorative laminate clad panels, solid surface, and solid phenolic. This standard also encompasses matching of veneers and panels within building areas.

This standard is intended for use by individuals and organizations from all aspects of the architectural woodwork industry, including architects, design professionals, manufacturer/suppliers, contractors, installers, and end users. Individuals within the architectural woodwork industry will use this standard to maintain a high degree of control over the aesthetic quality and the structural integrity of their work, ensuring that potential differentiations in the workmanship and implementation of architectural woodwork projects are made uniform.

The requirements contained within this standard are derived from AWI’s Architectural Woodwork Standards that the organization has been publishing in various formats since its inception in 1953. Each requirement has been thoroughly vetted by a committee of leading volunteer professionals in the architectural woodwork industry to ensure that the content is up-to-date and relevant to the current industry requirements.

This standard is meant to function in harmony with all current AWI Standards and is not meant to stand alone.

Effective November 15, 2024, this standard succeeds, replaces, and supplants Section 8 of the Architectural Woodwork Standards, Ed. 2 (2014) as the AWI Standard for Wood Paneling.

Suggestions for the improvement of this standard will be welcome. Suggestions should be sent to:

Architectural Woodwork Institute
46179 Westlake Drive, Suite 120
Potomac Falls, VA 20165

AWI Standards Development
Doug Hague, Chief Executive Officer
Hunter Morrison, Technical Director
Cheryl Dermyre, Technical Project Manager
Jairus Whitley, Editor & Illustrator

This standard was processed and approved for submittal to ANSI by the AWI Technical Committee. Committee approval of the standard does not necessarily imply that all committee members voted for its approval. At the time it approved this standard, the AWI Technical Committee had the following members:

Cory Bittner, Committee Chair
TMI Systems Corporation

Jordan Backs
Pittsburg State University

Jordan Clarke
Palomar College

Randy Jensen
Leonard Peterson & Company, Inc.

Greg Lutz
Lutz Woodworks

Michael McNulty
Architectural Woodwork Institute (AWI)

William Munyan
R&M Group Architects

Greg Parham
AWI Quality Certification Corporation (QCC)

The following organizations, recognized as having an interest in the standardization of Countertops, were contacted prior to the approval of this standard. Inclusion in this list does not necessarily imply that the organization concurred with the submittal of the proposed standard to ANSI.

Afry
Asbury Cabinets & Millwork
AWI Quality Certification Program (QCP)
Bcody, LLC
Brochsteins Inc.
Degips Contracting Company
Deltek/MasterSpec
National Wood Flooring Association (NWFA)
Pinetree Architectural Millworks
SJ Morse Company
TMI Systems Design
US Specialties

a) Provide standards and tolerances for the quality and fit of wall and ceiling surface paneling, components and related interior finishes (henceforth referred to as “Product”).

b) Establish minimum aesthetic and performance standards intended to provide a well-defined degree of control over a project’s quality of materials and workmanship for Product.