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AS 3660.3: how termite management products are assessed

AS 3660.3:2014 sets the pass/fail criteria and test methods for assessing termite management systems, the path products like Kordon are proven under.

By Chalkline. Last updated 26 May 2026. Verified 26 May 2026.

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AS 3660.3 is the part of the AS 3660 termite-management family that sets the criteria and test methods for assessing termite-management systems. Where AS 3660.1 governs the system you build into a new house and AS 3660.2 governs managing it over the building’s life, AS 3660.3:2014 is the standard a product is tested against to prove it works (verified 2026-05-26, Standards Australia). It is why “assessed to AS 3660.3” means something when a manufacturer makes a claim about a termite barrier.

Where it sits in the AS 3660 family

The AS 3660 termite-management standard has three parts (verified 2026-05-26):

  • AS 3660.1 (new building work): the system designed and installed during construction, and the part the NCC calls up for a new home (verified 2026-05-26, ABCB NCC 2022 Housing Provisions).
  • AS 3660.2 (existing buildings): the in-service inspection and maintenance regime after handover.
  • AS 3660.3 (assessment criteria): how termite-management products and systems are tested and assessed, the subject of this article.

Parts 1 and 2 tell you what to install and how to maintain it. Part 3 sits underneath both: it is the testing backbone that lets a product be trusted in the first place.

What Part 3 does

AS 3660.3:2014 specifies the criteria for assessing the effectiveness of termite management systems and the procedures to assess a system and its components against termite activity (verified 2026-05-26, Standards Australia). The 2014 edition replaced the 2000 version and introduced clearer pass/fail criteria, so a manufacturer can put a system through a defined assessment and demonstrate it meets the bar (verified 2026-05-26, AEPMA).

It is written for the people who make, assess, and approve termite products: manufacturers, assessors, and regulators, with the NCC as the destination. For a builder it is the standard that gives the assessment claims on a product datasheet their meaning.

What it covers

Part 3 sets out the test methods used to assess termite-management systems. Among them (verified 2026-05-26, Standards Australia):

  • Service-life prediction: assessing how long a system will keep performing, which is what underpins the label life a chemical carries and the design-life claim on a barrier.
  • Chemical systems: test procedures for soil-applied termiticides and their application.
  • Treated-sheet applications: the assessment path for sheet systems like Kordon that carry a termiticide in a membrane.
  • Reticulation to soil systems: assessment of reticulation (re-fill) systems that let a soil chemical be replenished.

The pass/fail outcomes from this testing are what a certifier and a product certification scheme rely on.

Why it matters to a builder

A builder does not test products, but Part 3 is the reason a builder can specify a termite system with confidence:

  • It is the proof behind the product. When a termite barrier (a treated sheet, a chemical, a mesh) is described as assessed to AS 3660.3, that is a claim it was tested against defined criteria, not just a marketing line.
  • It feeds product certification. Independent certifications such as CodeMark draw on AS 3660.3 assessment when a proprietary system is certified for use in a building.
  • It links to the system you install. A product proven under AS 3660.3 is then installed as part of an AS 3660.1 system on the actual job. Part 3 proves the product; Part 1 governs how you build it in.

For a builder

  • Look for the assessment, not the claim. A system “assessed to AS 3660.3” or carrying a CodeMark certificate has been through a defined process; an unsupported “termite proof” claim has not.
  • Match the product to the system. A product proven under AS 3660.3 still has to be installed per AS 3660.1 and the manufacturer’s method to actually protect the building.
  • Keep the certification with the job file. The product’s assessment or certification documents sit alongside the installer’s certificate and the durable notice in the building’s records.

See also

Last updated: 2026-05-26. Verified: 2026-05-26. Quarterly review for currency.

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