Dimensional lumber is a term used for lumber that is finished/planed and cut to standardized width and depth specified in inches. Examples of common sizes are 2×4 (also two-by-four and other variants, such as four-by-two in the UK, Australia, New Zealand), 2×6 (pictured), and 4×4. The length of a board is usually specified separately from the width and depth. It is thus possible to find 2×4s that are four, eight, or twelve feet in length. In the United States and Canada the standard lengths of lumber are 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, and 24 feet. For wall framing, "stud," or "precut" sizes are available, and commonly used. For an eight, nine, or ten foot ceiling height, studs are available in 92 5/8 inches, 104 5/8 inches, and 116 5/8 inches. (Because the term "stud" is used inconsistently when referring to length, care should be taken to always specify the exact, actual length required.)
| Nominal (in) | Actual | Nominal (in) | Actual | Nominal (in) | Actual |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 × 2 | 3⁄4 in × 1 1⁄2 in (19 mm × 38 mm) | 2 × 2 | 1 1⁄2 in × 1 1⁄2 in (38 mm × 38 mm) | 4 × 4 | 3 1⁄2 in × 3 1⁄2 in (89 mm × 89 mm) |
| 1 × 3 | 3⁄4 in × 2 1⁄2 in (19 mm × 64 mm) | 2 × 3 | 1 1⁄2 in × 2 1⁄2 in (38 mm × 64 mm) | 4 × 6 | 3 1⁄2 in × 5 1⁄2 in (89 mm × 140 mm) |
| 1 × 4 | 3⁄4 in × 3 1⁄2 in (19 mm × 89 mm) | 2 × 4 | 1 1⁄2 in × 3 1⁄2 in (38 mm × 89 mm) | 6 × 6 | 5 1⁄2 in × 5 1⁄2 in (140 mm × 140 mm) |
| 1 × 6 | 3⁄4 in × 5 1⁄2 in (19 mm × 140 mm) | 2 × 6 | 1 1⁄2 in × 5 1⁄2 in (38 mm × 140 mm) | 8 × 8 | 7 1⁄4 in × 7 1⁄4 in (184 mm × 184 mm) |
| 1 × 8 | 3⁄4 in × 7 1⁄4 in (19 mm × 184 mm) | 2 × 8 | 1 1⁄2 in × 7 1⁄4 in (38 mm × 184 mm) | ||
| 1 × 10 | 3⁄4 in × 9 1⁄4 in (19 mm × 235 mm) | 2 × 10 | 1 1⁄2 in × 9 1⁄4 in (38 mm × 235 mm) | ||
| 1 × 12 | 3⁄4 in × 11 1⁄4 in (19 mm × 286 mm) | 2 × 12 | 1 1⁄2 in × 11 1⁄4 in (38 mm × 286 mm) |
Solid dimensional lumber typically is only available up to lengths of 24 ft. Engineered wood products, manufactured by binding the strands, particles, fibers, or veneers of wood, together with adhesives, to form composite materials, offer more flexibility and greater structural strength than typical wood building materials.
Pre-cut studs save a framer a lot of time as they are pre-cut by the manufacturer to be used in 8 ft, 9 ft & 10 ft ceiling applications, which means they have removed a few inches of the piece to allow for the sill plate and the double top plate with no additional sizing necessary.
In the Americas, two-bys (2×4s, 2×6s, 2×8s, 2×10s, and 2×12s), along with the 4×4, are common lumber sizes used in modern construction. They are the basic building block for such common structures as balloon-frame or platform-frame housing. Dimensional lumber made from softwood is typically used for construction, while hardwood boards are more commonly used for making cabinets or furniture.
Lumber's nominal dimensions are given in terms of green (not dried), rough (unfinished) dimensions. The finished size is smaller, as a result of drying (which shrinks the wood), and planing to smooth the wood. However, the difference between "nominal" and "finished" lumber size can vary. So various standards have specified the difference between nominal size, and finished size, of lumber.
Early standards called for green rough lumber to be of full nominal dimension when dry. However, the dimensions have diminished over time. In 1910, a typical finished 1-inch- (25 mm) board was 13⁄16 in (21 mm). In 1928, that was reduced by 4%, and yet again by 4% in 1956. In 1961, at a meeting in Scottsdale, Arizona, the Committee on Grade Simplification and Standardization agreed to what is now the current U.S. standard: in part, the dressed size of a 1 inch (nominal) board was fixed at 3⁄4 inch; while the dressed size of 2 inch (nominal) lumber was reduced from 1 5⁄8 inch to the current 1 1⁄2 inch.
Read more about this topic: Lumber
Famous quotes containing the words dimensional and/or lumber:
“I don’t see black people as victims even though we are exploited. Victims are flat, one- dimensional characters, someone rolled over by a steamroller so you have a cardboard person. We are far more resilient and more rounded than that. I will go on showing there’s more to us than our being victimized. Victims are dead.”
—Kristin Hunter (b. 1931)
“In externals we advance with lightening express speed, in modes of thought and sympathy we lumber on in stage-coach fashion.”
—Frances E. Willard 1839–1898, U.S. president of the Women’s Christian Temperance Union 1879-1891, author, activist. The Woman’s Magazine, pp. 137-40 (January 1887)