For reference, redwood boards that are used for fence posts require that the board be at least 4 inches wide & 4 inches thick. As an example, you can imagine how much more difficult it would be to remodel a house if the wall studs had irregular dimensions.Īnother reason for a wood species being produced in nominal sizes is to fit the needs of a certain application. Additionally, the use of standard dimensions enables architects & designers to have some degree of predictability when designing a structure. For people living in an earthquake zone, this should offer some reassurance. The reason for this is that standardization ensures some level of quality control & consistency. With that being said, it’s still worth discussing the other factors since they can be more influential than affordability.įor instance, wood species that are frequently used in highly regulated industries like construction tend to be available in nominal sizes. There are definitely a few other factors at play, but the affordability of a given wood species often dictates whether or not it can be purchased as dimensional lumber. Nowadays all the lumber you get is still called a 1×4, 2×4, 2×8 etc but they arent really that size. Generally speaking, the cheaper the wood species, the more likely it is to be available as dimensional lumber.
Thus, there isn’t any additional shrinkage involved once a board has reached this stage in the refinement process. The reason for this is that boards typically aren’t cut to length until after they’ve been cured & planed. The measurement for length is the same for any given board’s nominal size as it is for its actual length. Buy Low True Value Hardware, Rockmart, GA. Now that we’ve clarified the measurements for thickness & width, it’s time that we drop another twist into the story. Common treated lumber dimensions are available through most building. That means a 2x10 is actually 1 1/2 inch in thickness by 9 1/4 inches. The larger 2x boards (2x8, 2x10, etc.) lose 3/4 inch in width. That means a 2 x 4 board is actually 1-1/2 inches by 3-1/2 inches. Once a 2×4 has finished the refinement process, its actual dimensions shrink to 1.5″ thick & 3.5″ wide. 2x4 and 2圆 boards lose 1/2 inch in thickness and 1/2 inch in width before leaving the mill. Instead of calling a 2×4 the actual measurements of 1 x 3 inches, the measurement was.
After drying the wood now measures 1 x 3 inches, and no longer has the 2×4 dimensions. The wood is roughly cut to 2×4 inches, but after drying they no longer measure to 2×4 inches. Rather, those were the dimensions for the board prior to being cured & planed. A 2×4 does not actually measure to a 2×4. The misleading part is…those aren’t the actual measurements for a 2×4’s thickness & width. The most notable example would be a 2×4, which is a board of any length that has a thickness of 2 inches & a width of 4 inches (hence 2×4). Dimensional lumber is a classification for wood boards that are sold in predetermined sizes that have been standardized across the lumber industry.