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LEED v2009
Schools
Materials and Resources

Certified Wood

LEED CREDIT

Schools-2009 MRc7: Certified Wood 1 point

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Credit achievement rate

XX%

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LEEDuser expert

Terry Campbell

Sustainable NW Wood
Sales & Marketing Director

LEEDuser’s viewpoint

Frank advice from LEED experts

LEED is changing all the time, and every project is unique. Even seasoned professionals can miss a critical detail and lose a credit or even a prerequisite at the last minute. Our expert advice guides our LEEDuser Premium members and saves you valuable time.

Credit language

USGBC logo

© Copyright U.S. Green Building Council, Inc. All rights reserved.

Requirements

Use a minimum of 50% (based on cost) of wood-based materials and products that are certified in accordance with the Forest Stewardship Council’s principles and criteria, for wood building components. These components include at a minimum, structural framing and general dimensional framing, flooring, sub-flooring, wood doors and finishes.Include only materials permanently installed in the project. Wood products purchased for temporary use on the project (e.g., formwork, bracing, scaffolding, sidewalk protection, and guard rails) may be included in the calculation at the project team’s discretion. If any such materials are included, all such materials must be included in the calculation. If such materials are purchased for use on multiple projects, the applicant may include these materials for only one project, at its discretion. Furniture may be included if it is included consistently in MR Credits 3. Materials Reuse, through MR Credit 7: Certified Wood.

Pilot Alternative Compliance Path Available

The following pilot alternative compliance paths is available for this credit. See the pilot credit library for more information. MRpc102 - Legal Wood
See all forum discussions about this credit »

What does it cost?

Cost estimates for this credit

On each BD+C v4 credit, LEEDuser offers the wisdom of a team of architects, engineers, cost estimators, and LEED experts with hundreds of LEED projects between then. They analyzed the sustainable design strategies associated with each LEED credit, but also to assign actual costs to those strategies.

Our tab contains overall cost guidance, notes on what “soft costs” to expect, and a strategy-by-strategy breakdown of what to consider and what it might cost, in percentage premiums, actual costs, or both.

This information is also available in a full PDF download in The Cost of LEED v4 report.

Learn more about The Cost of LEED v4 »

Frequently asked questions

I have supporting manufacturer documentation for the FSC wood used on our project. Is this enough to document this credit, or do I need invoices as well?

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Can products labeled “FSC Recycled” or “FSC Recycled Credit” contribute towards MRc7? What about "FSC Mix" percentages that refer to recycled content?

The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial »

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Does FSC-certified wood automatically contribute to IEQc4.4 as a low-emitting material?

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(If you're already a premium member, log in here.)

We are using a lot of reclaimed wood. Should we include this in our MRc7 calculations? What about wood that is already installed on the project, in a renovation? What about wood products with recycled content?

The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial »

(If you're already a premium member, log in here.)

Does FSC-certified bamboo products count towards this credit?

The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial »

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A product has FSC-certified veneer, but a non-certified core. Can we prorate the MRc7 contribution of this product based on the cost of the veneer?

The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial »

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Should wood used on site features such as benches or a gazebo be included here?

The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial »

(If you're already a premium member, log in here.)

Is there a minimum quantity of wood that must be used on the project to qualify for this credit?

The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial »

(If you're already a premium member, log in here.)

We are pursuing IEQc4.5 from LEED-CI as an ID credit. Are we then required to include the cost of furniture in MRc3–7?

The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial »

(If you're already a premium member, log in here.)

What building components are typically purchased with FSC content to earn this credit?

The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial »

(If you're already a premium member, log in here.)

We’re having trouble getting FSC wood within our budget. Can we use products with another forestry certification?

The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial »

(If you're already a premium member, log in here.)

Do I need to provide invoices for all of the new wood products purchased for the project, or just FSC wood products?

The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial »

(If you're already a premium member, log in here.)

See all forum discussions about this credit »

Checklists

Step by step to LEED certification

LEEDuser’s checklists walk you through the key action steps you need to earn a credit, including how to avoid common pitfalls and save money.

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Documentation toolkit

The motherlode of cheat sheets

LEEDuser’s Documentation Toolkit is loaded with calculators to help assess credit compliance, tracking spreadsheets for materials, sample templates to help guide your narratives and LEED Online submissions, and examples of actual submissions from certified LEED projects for you to check your work against. To get your plaque, start with the right toolkit.

Credit achievement rate

XX%

Upgrade to LEEDuser Premium to see how many projects achieved this credit. Try it free »

LEEDuser expert

Terry Campbell

Sustainable NW Wood
Sales & Marketing Director

Get the inside scoop

Our editors have written a detailed analysis of nearly every LEED credit, and LEEDuser premium members get full access. We’ll tell you whether the credit is easy to accomplish or better left alone, and we provide insider tips on how to document it successfully.

USGBC logo

© Copyright U.S. Green Building Council, Inc. All rights reserved.

Requirements

Use a minimum of 50% (based on cost) of wood-based materials and products that are certified in accordance with the Forest Stewardship Council’s principles and criteria, for wood building components. These components include at a minimum, structural framing and general dimensional framing, flooring, sub-flooring, wood doors and finishes.Include only materials permanently installed in the project. Wood products purchased for temporary use on the project (e.g., formwork, bracing, scaffolding, sidewalk protection, and guard rails) may be included in the calculation at the project team’s discretion. If any such materials are included, all such materials must be included in the calculation. If such materials are purchased for use on multiple projects, the applicant may include these materials for only one project, at its discretion. Furniture may be included if it is included consistently in MR Credits 3. Materials Reuse, through MR Credit 7: Certified Wood.

Pilot Alternative Compliance Path Available

The following pilot alternative compliance paths is available for this credit. See the pilot credit library for more information. MRpc102 - Legal Wood

XX%

Upgrade to LEEDuser Premium to see how many projects achieved this credit. Try it free »

Got the gist of MRc7 but not sure how to actually achieve it? LEEDuser gives step-by-step help. Premium members get:

  • Checklists covering all the key action steps you'll need to earn the credit.
  • Hot tips to give you shortcuts and avoid pitfalls.
  • Cost tips to assess what a credit will actually cost, and how to make it affordable.
  • Ideas for going beyond LEED with best practices.
  • All checklists organized by project phase.
  • On-the-fly suggestions of useful items from the Documentation Toolkit and Credit Language.

In the end, LEED is all about documentation. LEEDuser’s Documentation Toolkit, for premium members only, saves you time and helps you avoid mistakes with:

  • Calculators to help assess credit compliance.
  • Tracking spreadsheets for materials purchases.
  • Spreadsheets and forms to give to subs and other team members.
  • Guidance documents on arcane LEED issues.
  • Sample templates to help guide your narratives and LEED Online submissions.
  • Examples of actual submissions from certified LEED projects.

I have supporting manufacturer documentation for the FSC wood used on our project. Is this enough to document this credit, or do I need invoices as well?

The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial »

(If you're already a premium member, log in here.)

Can products labeled “FSC Recycled” or “FSC Recycled Credit” contribute towards MRc7? What about "FSC Mix" percentages that refer to recycled content?

The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial »

(If you're already a premium member, log in here.)

Does FSC-certified wood automatically contribute to IEQc4.4 as a low-emitting material?

The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial »

(If you're already a premium member, log in here.)

We are using a lot of reclaimed wood. Should we include this in our MRc7 calculations? What about wood that is already installed on the project, in a renovation? What about wood products with recycled content?

The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial »

(If you're already a premium member, log in here.)

Does FSC-certified bamboo products count towards this credit?

The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial »

(If you're already a premium member, log in here.)

A product has FSC-certified veneer, but a non-certified core. Can we prorate the MRc7 contribution of this product based on the cost of the veneer?

The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial »

(If you're already a premium member, log in here.)

Should wood used on site features such as benches or a gazebo be included here?

The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial »

(If you're already a premium member, log in here.)

Is there a minimum quantity of wood that must be used on the project to qualify for this credit?

The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial »

(If you're already a premium member, log in here.)

We are pursuing IEQc4.5 from LEED-CI as an ID credit. Are we then required to include the cost of furniture in MRc3–7?

The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial »

(If you're already a premium member, log in here.)

What building components are typically purchased with FSC content to earn this credit?

The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial »

(If you're already a premium member, log in here.)

We’re having trouble getting FSC wood within our budget. Can we use products with another forestry certification?

The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial »

(If you're already a premium member, log in here.)

Do I need to provide invoices for all of the new wood products purchased for the project, or just FSC wood products?

The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial »

(If you're already a premium member, log in here.)

LEEDuser expert

Terry Campbell

Sustainable NW Wood
Sales & Marketing Director

See all LEEDuser forum discussions about this credit » Subscribe to new discussions about Schools-2009 MRc7