or more than a decade-and-a-half, the DW/142 Specification for Sheet Metal

Ductwork published by the Heating and Ventilating Contractors’ Association

has gained national and international recognition as the industry standard

against which the quality of ductwork manufacture and installation can be judged.

In recent years, however, it has become increasingly evident to the members of

the HVCA Ductwork Group that the developments in technology and working

practices which have taken place since the drafting of DW/142 have rendered

obsolete significant parts of the document.

It was an acknowledgement of this state of affairs which led the Technical Sub-

Committee of the Ductwork Group, ably chaired by Edgar Poppleton, to undertake

the task of producing a radically revised specification which would promote best

practice and quality standards well into the next Millennium.

This new publication — designated DW/144 — represents the direct result of

that initiative.

The new specification recognises the computer age — with special reference to

CAD/CAM procedures and techniques — and the international performance stan-

dards established by the Committee for European Normalisation (CEN), as well as

the need to update and consolidate much of the information contained in the origi-

nal DW/142 publication and its Addendum A companion volume.

During the drafting process, the Technical Sub-Committee has consulted widely

with individuals and organisations throughout the building services and construc-

tion sectors in order to ensure that the new specification fully reflected the current

the “state-of-the-art” in terms both of technical expertise and industry best practice.

I firmly believe that this process has resulted in a publication which clearly

demonstrates the high level of professionalism which exists within the ductwork

community — and I take this opportunity of thanking all those who have con-

tributed to its production.

In particular, my thanks go to Edgar Poppleton and his colleagues on the

Technical Sub-Committee, to Keith Elphick for the provision of invaluable techni-

cal consultancy, and to Ductwork Group secretary Gareth Keller for overseeing the

project as a whole.