This Malaysian Standard prescribes requirements for boron timber preservatives consisting essentially of either disodium octaborate tetrahydrate or a mixture of borax and boric acid and these being designated as Type I and Type II, respectively. This specification covers the composition, sampling, safety in handling and disposal of the preservatives.
Type I: A sodium borate with a composition corresponding approximately to that of disodium octaborate tetrahydrate (Na2B8O13.4H2O) with minimum amount of 65 % w/w B2O3 content and 14 % w/w of Na2O.
Type II: A mixture of sodium borate decahydrate (Na2B4O7.10H2O) or pentahydrate
(Na2B4O7.5H2O) and boric acid (H3BO3) with minimum amount of 42 % w/w B2O3 content and 7 % w/w of Na2O.
