Results of the recently approved machine control grading settings for Douglas fir in the Republic of Ireland and the UK have shown that the species can be graded to C18, and higher strength classes, and while there is a relatively high proportion of low strength
timber, useful yields of grades up to C35 can be achieved. Large differences were found between subsamples, but it is believed that this is not a geographical difference between Ireland and the UK, but a feature of the representative sampling, and consequence of much more localized variation in timber quality.