Each piece of lumber is riddled with clues to the past, all factoring in to every piece’s unique appearance. Hot summers and frigid winters, a gambit of elements: rain, snow, and wind, and even the abuse of forest fires, insects, and harvesting can present itself in each piece. Each grade is more of a story than anything else.
Many factors determine the grade of a piece of lumber including: the location, size and placement of knots, holes, checks, machining defects, skips, slope of grain, species, twisting, unsound wood, wane, warp and white spec. Defects are allowed to become larger and more frequent as the grades go lower.
Selecting the right kind of grade and species is a critical factor
in lumber purchasing.
Understanding the grading process is the key to getting the
piece best suited for the job.
Selecting the right grade of lumber helps you determine the overall
cost of a project.
Are you considering the amount of
waste, labor and time costs
associated with each grade of lumber you work with?