Online Library for Wood Poles
NAWPC is the recognized source for information on preservative-treated wood utility poles. The Wood Poles Technical Library offers a variety of publications detailing key information about preservative-treated wood utility poles and crossarms and their role in carrying electricity to communities across North America. To view or download a publication, click on the thumbnail image or publication title. Please review the Disclaimer concerning this information.
General Information
Coloring book for kindergarten to elementary age children explaining how wood poles are made and used to bring electricity to communities. Click here for information on how to order customized coloring books. NAWPC has developed a Teacher’s Lesson Plan to accompany the book.
16 pages, 04/18
Wood Pole Guide smartphone app
App for smartphones and tablets that provides critical information needed to properly specify and use preservative-treated wood poles. Available for Apple iOS and Google Android smartphones and tablets and can be downloaded from the respective app stores.
Free app
NEW! Pole Principles – Myths and Truths: Wood vs. Alternatives
Review of common myths offered by promoters about the supposed advantages of alternative pole materials such as composite fiberglass, steel and concrete compared to wood poles. Includes reference notes.
4 pages, 01/25
Pole Principles – Checks and Splits in Wood Poles
Overview of checks and splits in wood utility poles, why they occur and how they typically have little impact on the structural or servicability of the pole.
2 pages, 06/23
Pole Principles – Preservatives for Wood Utility Poles
Basic information on the preservatives used in pressure treating wood poles today to protect against decay fungi and insects.
2 pages, 03/23
Technical Bulletin – Preservative Options for Wood Utility Poles
Detailed guide to the preservatives used in pressure treating wood poles today to protect against decay fungi and insects. Also reviews process for confirming effectiveness of preservatives in creating durable, long-lasting poles.
8 pages, 04/21
10 Features About the Extraordinary Wood Pole
10 reasons why wood poles remain the top choice for utilities across the country.
2 pages, 05/14
Wood Crossarms: Six Overlooked Benefits
Key benefits of wood crossarms compared to alternatives based on a century of service and performance.
1 page, 09/18
Technical Bulletin – Estimated Service Life of Wood Poles
Overview of the actual service life of wood poles in use, which is often much longer than what is assumed by utilities and others.
8 pages, 12/21
Statement on Penta-Treated Wood Poles
Statement on the EPA Proposed Interim Decision (PID) to cancel and phase out the use of pentachlorophenol, or penta, used to treat wood utility poles and review of the EPA approvals and long history of performance and safety in use.
1 page, 03/21
Supply Sources
North American Wood Pole Suppliers
Online directory of North American wood pole manufacturers, with sales contact information.
Online
North American Wood Crossarm Suppliers
Online directory of North American wood crossarm manufacturers, with sales contact information.
Online
Engineering & Design
National Wood Pole Standards Video Series
Three-part video presentation on wood pole standards in the NESC, reviewing the standards process, strengths, loads, groundline stresses, transverse loads and other technical data. Presented by ANSI O5 Committee Chairman Nelson Bingel.
Video, 04/20
ANSI O5.1-2022 – Wood Poles, Specifications and Dimensions
FOR PURCHASE ONLY. The minimum specifications for the quality and dimensions of preservative-treated wood poles that are to be used as single-pole utility structures.
Buy for $60 at ANSI eStandards Store
ANSI O5.3-2021 – Solid Sawn Wood Crossarms and Braces
Product technical sheet reviewing checks and splits in timbers, beams, posts and other sawn lumber, why they occur and how they typically have little impact on the structural or serviceability of preserved wood products.
1 page, 06/23
Buy for $50 at ANSI eStandards Store
Technical Bulletin – Sustainable Wood Pole Design for Overhead Systems
Review alternatives to sustainably improve overhead system resiliency without increasing pole sizes to classes that are more difficult and expensive to source. Includes examples for shortening spans between poles to utilize more sustainable and readily available wood pole sizes.
12 pages, 02/20
Technical Bulletin – Unique Overload Capacity of Wood Poles
Reviews how natural variations and recognition of such variations in the National Electric Safety Code allow wood poles to have a much greater overload capacity in extreme weather events compared to poles made from alternative materials.
8 pages, 10/19
Technical Bulletin – Wood Pole Design Considerations
Explores the basics of wood pole design, including the structural criteria that must be considered in determining the proper wood pole for specified loading, wind, ice and other conditions under the National Electric Safety Code.
16 pages, 07/19
Technical Bulletin – Wood Utility Pole Design Values in the NESC
Provides the fiber strength and Modulus of Elasticity (MOE) design values for all species used for wood poles in the U.S. The values are listed in the 2022 edition of ANSI O5.1 Wood Pole, Specifications and Dimensions.
4 pages, 08/24
Technical Bulletin – “Wood Equivalent” Poles and the NESC
Discussion of issues in marketing thin walled steel poles, prestressed concrete poles, and fiber-reinforced polymer poles as “wood equivalent.” Includes details on how the NESC applies different strength and load factors for each material, which means there can be no true “wood equivalent” poles.
8 pages, 05/17
ANSI Dimensions for Wood Poles
Excel spreadsheet that calculates the minimum circumference of a wood pole 6 ft. from the butt, based on selection of species, class and length. Requires Excel 2007 or higher.
ZIP file (151KB), 03/14
Get this tool for your smartphone or tablet!
Download the free Wood Pole Guide app.
Excel spreadsheet that calculates range of pole weights for shipping based on selection of species, class and length. Includes estimators for single poles and multiple pole selections. Requires Excel 2007 or higher.
ZIP file (115KB), 03/14
Get this tool for your smartphone or tablet!
Download the free Wood Pole Guide app.
Verification of ANSI O5.1 Southern Pine Wood Pole Strength Values
A 2014 research paper on research verifying published ANSI strength values for Southern Pine utility poles, confirming that poles with higher summerwood percentages are as strong as slower growing trees. Published in the 2014 AWPA Annual Meeting Proceedings.
12 pages, 06/15
Juvenile Wood Concerns in Southern Yellow Pine Poles
Statement addressing juvenile wood concerns and the impact on strength of treated Southern Yellow Pine poles.
1 page, 04/04
Environment & Wildlife
Tech Bulletin – Calculating Carbon in Wood Utility Poles and Crossarms
Review of how to calculate the amount of carbon sequestered in a utility’s inventory of wood utility poles and crossarms.The calculations take into account of the volume and mass of the wood, as well as the mass of carbon dioxide removed from the atmosphere while the wood is in service For use with Excel-based Wood Utility Pole & Crossarm Calculator available below.
8 pages, 07/20
Wood Utility Pole & Crossarm Carbon Calculator
Excel spreadsheet that calculates the volume and mass of the wood, as well as the mass of carbon dioxide removed from the atmosphere for a utility’s inventory of wood utility poles and crossarms. Includes links to online EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator that can convert carbon data into real world examples of the environmental benefits.
ZIP file (85KB), 07/20
Technical Bulletin – Preserved Wood Utility Poles and the Environment
Overview of current studies on the amounts and minimal impacts of preservatives in wood utility poles migrating into the surrounding environment.
12 pages, 02/20
What is Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)?
Review of the elements needed for a proper, science-based life cycle assessment on products such as utility poles.
3 pages, 09/11
Summary Report on LCA of Penta-Treated Utility Poles
Conclusions and summary of an LCA on Penta-treated wood poles vs. steel and concrete.
6 pages, 03/12
Summary Report on LCA of CCA-Treated Utility Poles
Conclusions and summary of an LCA on CCA-treated wood poles vs. steel, concrete and fiber-reinforced composite poles.
6 pages, 03/13
Technical Bulletin – Raptor Electrocutions and Distribution Pole Types
Review of pole material choices and design elements to mitigate raptor electrocutions, minimizing the potential fines levied by the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service.
20 pages, 10/00
Specifiers Guide – Best Management Practices
Overview of the industry’s Best Management Practices (BMP) program and guidelines for specifiers to ensure BMP-compliant preserved wood products are produced and installed in a manner which minimizes any potential for adverse impacts to aquatic environments.
16 pages, 12/17
A U.S. Forest Products Laboratory overview of calculating the carbon footprint of wood products.
4 pages, 01/13
Performance
Technical Bulletin – Wildfire Mitigation: Materials Science & Wood Pole Protection
Overview of wildfire impacts on pole materials, including wood, composite fiberglass, steel and concrete, and new technologies available to protect wood poles from fire.
8 pages, 09/24
Technical Bulletin – Performance of Utility Poles in Wildland Fires
Review of research on the performance of wood and steel utility poles in wildland fire hazard areas.
12 pages, 05/14
Weather-Related Power Outages and System Resiliency
Congressional Research Service report on weather-related outages, the economic cost of such outages and recommendations on minimizing power disruptions.
18 pages, 08/12
Undergrounding
Technical Bulletin – Undergrounding: Hidden Lines, Hidden Costs
Overview of the costs and other challenges placing utility lines underground. Includes cost comparisons of underground lines vs. overhead systems with utility poles.
8 pages, 04/17
Out of Sight, Out of Mind 2012
2012 update of Edison Electric Institute study of the costs of undergrounding overhead power lines.
71 pages, 01/13
Original 2003-06 Edison Electric Institute study of the costs of undergrounding overhead power lines.
32 pages, 07/06
Florida Utilities Research: Undergrounding Electric Lines
Three-part report analyzing the costs of placing utility lines underground vs. the marginal benefits in protecting distribution systems.
Phase 1 – Literature Review and Analysis – 40 pages, 02/07
Phase 2 – Case Studies – 40 pages, 08/07
Phase 3 – Ex Ante Cost and Benefit Modeling – 97 pages, 05/08
Cost-Benefit Analysis of Hardening Utility Lines
Report by Public Utility Commission of Texas analyzing costs and benefits of placing utility lines underground.
10 pages, 03/09
Cost-Effectiveness of Undergrounding Utility Lines
Presentation by Kevin Mara, PE, of HiLine Engineering on the trends and economic costs in placing utility lines underground.
16 pages, 10/06
Maintenance & Disposal
Technical Bulletin – End of Service Life Disposal of Preserved Wood Utility Poles
Scientific paper reviewing the history and projections of end-of-life removal of wood products treated with waterborne preservatives, highlighting the declining volue of wood containing arsenicals being disposed.
23 pages, 02/20
Wood Pole Purchasing, Inspection and Maintenance
Reprint from the Forest Products Journal reviewing utility practices on purchasing, inspecting and maintaining treated wood poles.
8 pages, 11/02
Management of Used Treated Wood – West
Synopsis of state disposal regulations for preserved wood products in the West.
6 pages, 02/10
Preserved Wood Management – A Case for Reuse for Energy
Summary of the energy and greenhouse gas ramifications of end-of-life management options for preserved wood products.
7 pages, 11/10