ASTM Committee Week in Dallas Marks Major Progress for Hemp Construction Standards

By Alex Escher, USHBA Board Member

Published June 2026

Alex Escher recently attended ASTM Committee Week in Dallas, Texas, representing the U.S. Hemp Building Association and participating in discussions related to standards development for hemp-based building materials.

ASTM Committee Week in Dallas, Texas, brought together industry leaders, researchers, manufacturers, builders, and standards experts from across the country to advance one of the most important initiatives currently underway in the hemp building sector: the development of a comprehensive standards framework for hemp-based construction materials.

USHBA Board Member Alex Escher serves as one of the co-leaders of the Hemp-lime Subcommittee, working alongside Kiko Thébaud, Subcommittee Chair, Tai Olson, former USHBA Board Member, and Hunter Buffington, Chair of ASTM Committee D37.07 on Industrial Hemp. Together with more than three dozen active participants representing academia, testing laboratories, manufacturers, builders, and other key stakeholders, the committee is undertaking one of the most ambitious technical efforts in the history of hemp construction.

The committee currently has more than 29 standards projects in development, covering nearly every aspect of hemp-based construction. These projects include raw material specifications, laboratory testing procedures, fire and thermal performance standards, quality assurance protocols, and implementation standards for emerging applications such as spray-applied hempcrete and prefabricated building systems.

The importance of this work cannot be overstated. ASTM standards often become the technical foundation for building codes, engineering specifications, product certification programs, insurance acceptance, financing, and commercial adoption.

Establishing these standards is a critical step toward creating a reliable and widely accepted framework that allows hemp-based building materials to compete alongside conventional construction products.

The committee's work is expected to move through ASTM's rigorous drafting, review, and balloting process over the next two to three years. Completion of these projects will help provide the technical foundation necessary for future code development efforts and position hempcrete for consideration during the 2030 International Residential Code (IRC) review cycle, including expanded opportunities for commercial applications.

For an industry that is still in the early stages of growth, the scale and scope of this effort are remarkable. The work being done today will help establish the standards, credibility, and technical data needed to support broader adoption of hemp-based construction materials across North America. The outcome of these projects has the potential to shape the future of hemp building for decades to come.