Deck & log-deck chain
BS standard conveyor chain, hollow or solid stud, with deep-link for the heaviest decks.
Industry — Sawmills & Timber
Chain for sawmills & timber processing
Deck, transfer, sharp-top and conveyor chain built to take shock loads, bark and wet, from UK stock, or built up to suit your machine.
Built for a punishing environment
Timber lines are hard on chain. Spec it right and it lasts
A sawmill is one of the toughest homes a chain can have. Logs land on the deck with real impact, bark and grit chew at pins and rollers, and the whole line runs wet, cold and rarely perfectly aligned.
Under-specified chain doesn't just wear. It elongates, climbs the sprocket teeth and takes the sprockets with it, and a failure in the wrong place stops the whole mill. The right construction, hardness and attachment for each part of the line is what keeps a mill running.
We supply the chain families that timber processing needs, hold the common ones in UK stock, and build the specials in-house when there's no off-the-shelf answer.
Sawmill chain families
The chain for every part of the line
From the log deck to the waste conveyor: held in stock, matched with sprockets, or built to your drawing.
Transfer chain
BS / ISO conveyor chain with welded “K” attachments for moving cants and boards.
Sharp Top
Sharp-top chain for positive grip on inclined feeds (80F / 100F, ST3 & ST4).
Double Flex (DF)
Two-plane sawmill chain: DF3498 / 3500 / 3910, tensile to ~18,400 kgf.
Welded steel
WR / WH drag chain for the heaviest timber and residual conveying, with heat-treated options.
Waste & drag / scraper
Forged-link chain with scraper attachments for bark, sawdust and residuals.
Dog & spike chain
Dog and spiked chains for pushing and gripping logs on the deck.
Custom timber-handling
Bespoke attachments, flights and pitches built to your drawing in Malvern.
The sharp-top family is held in Malvern stock (see the rack photos below). Deck, transfer, waste, double-flex, welded-steel and dog/spike chains are supplied to order — they are normally built to suit the machine they run on, so send the drawing or the worn chain and we will match it.
Photographed in the racks
Sawmill chain, in Malvern
Not stock imagery: this is sawmill chain photographed in our own racks. Held in UK stock: quad saw-tooth and rounded saw-tooth (1″ pitch), twin-spike (1″), double sharp top (1½″) and a straight-edge inverted deep-link sharp top in 2″ pitch — a chain rarely found ex-stock in the UK. If the profile on your line matches one of these, send a photo of yours and we'll match it.
Serrated sharp top
The ST tooth profile that grips boards on inclined feeds — MAXTOP-stamped plates, photographed in the box.
Single-tooth profile
One dog point per plate for positive board feed — these plates are stamped MAXTOP 16BF.
Smaller pitches too
The same tooth idea at finer pitch for lighter boards and feeds. Pitch and profile matched from a photo of your chain.
Along the sawmill line
Where each chain earns its keep
A typical flow. Every mill differs, and we'll match chain and sprockets to yours.
01
Intake & log deck
Logs delivered, debarked and moved onto the deck. Sharp-top, deck and debarker chains take the impact.
02
Breakdown
Logs broken down at the headrig or bandmill. Heavy infeed and feed chains under high load.
03
Transfer & edging
Cants and boards moved between saws and edgers. Transfer and conveyor chains with attachments.
04
Trimming & sorting
Boards trimmed and graded along the green chain. Round-top and conveyor chains.
05
Residuals & waste
Bark, sawdust and offcuts cleared out. Drag and waste conveyor chain, deep or forged link.
MAXTOP® — Merley Chains, sole UK distributor
Premium sawmill chain you can rely on
MAXTOP is the premium chain brand of Ming Chang (MCC), a Taiwanese manufacturer established in 1977. We're its sole UK distributor.
- Made in MAXTOP's ISO 9001:2015-certified factories
- Dedicated Double Flex (DF) and Sharp Top sawmill chain series
- Consistent, batch-to-batch quality control
- Fatigue- and corrosion-tested chain ranges
- Held and supported in the UK from our Malvern warehouse
Chain assembled in-house in Malvern
Custom timber-handling chain
When a machine needs something that isn't in any catalogue, we build it: chain, attachments and matched sprockets.
- Bent & welded attachments
- Special flights & slats
- Extended & hollow pins
- Non-standard pitches
- Deep-link & forged-link builds
- Bespoke sprockets
- Chain modification & matching
- Repair to worn samples
How it works
From worn part to running line
Send us what you've got and we'll take it from there.
- Send it over. A drawing, a photo, or the worn chain itself.
- We spec it. Our specialists confirm design, material and tolerances.
- We assemble and deliver. Built up in Malvern, matched and dispatched.
Sawmill chain reference
Specifications
The chain that carries a sawmill line, with real figures from our own catalogue and the MAXTOP range. Full selection and pitch data on request.
| Family | Series / reference | Key figures | Construction | Typical sawmill use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BS standard conveyor chain | Series 0–5 | Breaking load 26.7–400 kN; +200% options | Hollow / solid stud, deep-link, “K” attachments, scrapers | Deck, transfer & general conveying |
| Forged-link chain | F-series (+ alternatives) | Pitch 101.6–260 mm; avg breaking load 10,000–100,000 kg | Carbon / Mn-chrome / Ni-chrome steel; scraper attachments | Waste, drag & residuals |
| MAXTOP Sharp Top | 80F / 100F (ST3, ST4) | Pitch 25.4–31.75 mm; tensile to ~23,400 kgf | Sharp / staked top plates, single–triple strand | Inclined feeds, positive grip |
| MAXTOP Double Flex | DF3498 / 3500 / 3910 | Pitch 44.45–76.2 mm; tensile 17,400–18,400 kgf; flex radius from 457 mm | Two-plane, induction-hardened plates | Two-plane timber conveying |
| MAXTOP Welded steel | WR / WH series | Pitch 66–156 mm; tensile to ~92,700 kgf | Heat-treated / induction-hardened; cotter or rivet pins | Heavy drag, debarking & residuals |
| MAXTOP Dog & spike | 160-X series / spiked | 2″ pitch (dog); tensile to ~22,750 kgf | Dog attachments / spiked plates | Pushing & gripping logs |
For wet or corrosive lines, chains are also available zinc-plated, in stainless steel, or with plastic rollers to cut corrosion and noise.
Technical resources
Keep the line running
Practical guidance for the conditions a sawmill runs in.
Guide
Measuring chain wear
Check elongation and know the replacement threshold before it reaches the sprockets.
Guide
Lubrication in wet & dirty conditions
Keeping chain protected where bark, grit and water are constant.
Guide
Replacing chain & sprockets together
Why a worn drive takes new chain with it if the sprockets aren't changed too.
Down a chain, or planning a rebuild?
Send a drawing, photo or part number and a sawmill specialist will identify the right chain, usually the same day.