Lumber & Wood Terminology:
Hardwoods and Softwoods
These terms are misleading. The term
“hardwood” has no bearing on the actual
hardness of the wood. Hardwoods come from
deciduous flowering broadleaved trees.
Softwoods come from coniferous trees with
needle like leaves. Most are evergreen,
but a few are deciduous such as Larch.
Some “hardwoods,” Aspen and Balsa for
example, are much softer than some hard
“softwoods” such as Yew and Larch.
Lumber Measurement
The thickness of lumber is read in
quarters of inches.
Four-quarters 4/4
Five-quarters 5/4
Six-quarters 6/4
Eight-quarters 8/4
Etc.
In rough lumber (also called
nominal thickness or size) that has not
been surfaced (planed smooth)
4/4 rough = 1” board thickness
5/4 rough = 1-1/4” board thickness
6/4 rough = 1-1/2” board thickness
8/4 rough = 2” board thickness
But surfaced lumber that has been
planed smooth may vary slightly in
thickness.
4/4 surfaced = ¾” to 13/16”
5/4 surfaced = 1” to 1-1/8”
6/4 surfaced = 1-1/4” to 1-3/8”
8/4 surfaced = 1-3/4” etc.
Commercial Lumber sizes in 4/4
lumber are as follows
1 x 2 = ¾” x 1-1/2”
1 x 4 = ¾” x 3-1/2”
1 x 6 = ¾” x 5-1/2”
1 x 8 = ¾” x 7-1/4”
1 x 10 = ¾” x 9-1/4”
1 x 12 = ¾” x 11-1/4”
A Board Foot
One Board Foot is a unit of measurement
that is
1 foot square by 1 inch thick
or
144 cubic inches
Either multiply the length in feet times
the thickness in inches times the width in
inches and then divide by 12
Length’ x thickness” x width” / 12 =1 bf
or
Multiply the length in inches times the
thickness in inches times the width in
inches and then divide by 144
Length” x thickness” x width” / 144 = 1 bf
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