Guide · AS 3660

Three parts. None of them is reprinted here.

The standard is sold by Standards Australia. This page uses the public scope statements and QBCC’s description of how the series is used in Queensland. It is not a substitute for the standard, and it is not a licence to build a system from a summary.

Part 1 — new building work

AS 3660.1:2014 sets requirements for the design and construction of subterranean termite management systems for new buildings and new building work. The preview says it includes physical and chemical solutions, alone or combined, and methods to deter concealed entry from the soil into the building above an inspection zone. It does not cover existing buildings, drywood termites, or durability, maintenance and inspection procedures. It says a system can be bridged or breached, and that installation does not remove the need for later competent inspections. Landscaping, paving and turf can compromise the clearances.

QBCC says this part is referenced in the Building Code of Australia, alongside Part 2 for existing buildings and Part 3 for assessment of systems. For houses and Class 10a buildings, QBCC points to Part 3.1.4 of Volume 2, read with the Queensland variation, including a 50-year design life and replenishable chemicals where the chemical will not last that long.

Part 2 — existing buildings

AS 3660.2:2017 is a guide for subterranean termites in and around existing buildings. The preview says it covers detection, physical and chemical systems, the extent of infestation, colony control, resistant materials, reinfestation risk and certification of a treatment. It does not apply to drywood or dampwood termites, and it is not the pre-purchase document. The application clause says the risk is regarded as significant throughout Australia except Tasmania, where it is negligible. That is a national statement in the standard. It is not a western Brisbane infestation rate.

Part 3 — assessment criteria

Both previews describe AS 3660.3 as the part on assessment criteria for termite management systems. QBCC names it the same way. This site has not quoted a test method from Part 3, because the public product page does not set those methods out in the text we used. If a salesperson says a product is “AS 3660.3 tested”, ask for the assessment and who issued it. Do not treat the sentence as checked.

How the parts sit next to a quote

• New slab or extension: the conversation is Part 1 and the Queensland variation, plus a durable notice.
• House you already live in, with or without a system: Part 2 is the management guide. An annual inspection is QBCC’s recommendation, not a clause we are copying out of Part 1, because Part 1 says it does not set inspection procedures.
• House you are about to buy: AS 4349, on the pre-purchase page.