Timber
For the musical term timbre, see timbre.For the arcade game by Bally Midway, see Timber''.
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Timber in storage for later processing at a sawmill |
Timber is a term used to describe
wood, either standing or that has been processed for use—from the time trees are felled, to its end product as a material suitable for industrial use—as structural
material for
construction or
wood pulp for
paper production. In the
U.K. and
Australia, "timber" is a term also used for sawn wood products (that is,
boards), whereas generally in the
United States and
Canada, the product of timber cut into boards is referred to as
lumber. In the United States and Canada sawn wood products of five inches diameter or greater (4 1/2" nominal size) are sometimes called "timbers".
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Mountain ash logs at a sawmill in Australia |
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Wood cut from Victorian Mountain Ash |
Lumber is supplied either rough or finished. Rough lumber is the raw material for
furniture making and other items requiring additional cutting and shaping. It is available in many species, usually
hardwoods. Finished lumber is supplied in standard sizes, mostly for the construction industry, and is primarily one of a few
coniferous needle-bearing species such as
pine,
cedar,
hemlock,
fir or
spruce.
Lumber was one of the first industries in the United States.
Maine and
New York were early leading producers; however, later expansion led to Michigan and later
Oregon,
Washington, and
California assuming the lead in domestic lumber production.
Logging, the felling and preparation of trees for lumber was a related frontier industry; various tales of
lumberjacks were a substantial portion of a certain chapter in North American folklore.
Rough lumber comes from the
sawmill without further cutting or shaping. It is usually sold in random lengths and widths and measured in the USA and Canada in
board feet, a unit of 1 foot × 1 inch × 1 foot. It is available air-dried or
kiln-dried. Air-dried lumber is carefully stacked and allowed to dry for several months, depending on thickness. It is used for some outdoor purposes, such as building sheds and fences. Kiln-dried wood is stacked and dried in moisture- and temperature-controlled kilns built for the purpose. It is then ready to be used for furniture-making or other woodworking uses.
Finished lumber is usually kiln-dried, then planed and cut to predetermined sizes, primarily for use by the construction industry. When using
Imperial or
U.S. customary measurements, the widths given are from before planing, whereas the piece actually sold is smaller; a 2×4, for example, is actually only 1½ by 3½
inches after planing. Other stock is sized similarly. The lengths are actual sizes and are multiples of 2
feet. Sizes from 8 to 16 feet (8, 10, 12, 14, 16) are commonly available, and larger sizes (18, 20, 22, 24) are sometimes available. When using measurements, lumber is measured in actual sizes.
In the
United States, timber is cut in the forest in 24 foot lengths. At the mill it is again cut into 3â€"8 foot lengths, an 8 foot and a 16 foot length, a 10 foot and a 14 foot length or two 12 foot lengths.
Lumber is also used to refer to
plywood and other composite wood products.
Dimensional lumber
Dimensional lumber is a term used in
North America for
lumber that is cut to standardized width and depth specified in
inches.
Softwoods
| Softwood Dimensional Lumber Sizes | | Nominal | Actual | Nominal | Actual |
|---|
| 1 × 2 | ¾″ × 1½″ (19×38 mm) | 2 × 2 | 1½″ × 1½″ (38×38 mm) |
| 1 × 3 | ¾″ × 2½″ (19×64 mm) | 2 × 3 | 1½″ × 2½″ (38×64 mm) |
| 1 × 4 | ¾″ × 3½″ (19×89 mm) | 2 × 4 | 1½″ × 3½″ (38×89 mm) |
| 1 × 6 | ¾″ × 5½″ (19×140 mm) | 2 × 6 | 1½″ × 5½″ (38×140 mm) |
| 1 × 8 | ¾″ × 7¼″ (19×184 mm) | 2 × 8 | 1½″ × 7¼″ (38×184 mm) |
| 1 × 10 | ¾″ × 9¼″ (19×235 mm) | 2 × 10 | 1½″ × 9¼″ (38×235 mm) |
| 1 × 12 | ¾″ × 11¼″ (19×286 mm) | 2 × 12 | 1½″ × 11¼″ (38×286 mm) |
| 3 × 4 | 2½″ × 3½″ (64×89 mm) | 2 × 14 | 1½″ × 13¼″ (38×337 mm) |
| 4 × 4 | 3½″ × 3½″ (89×89 mm) | 6 × 6 | 5½″ × 5½″ (140×140 mm) |
| 4 × 6 | 3½″ × 5½″ (89×140 mm) | 8 × 8 | 7¼″ × 7¼″ (184×184 mm) |
Examples of common sizes are
2×4 (also
two-by-four and other variants),
2×6, 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 the standard lengths of lumber are 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, and 24 feet.
In
The Americas,
two-bys (2×4s, 2×6s, 2×8s, 2x10s, and 2×12s) 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.
The nominal size of a board varies from the actual size of the board. This is due to
planing and shrinkage as the board is dried. This results in the final lumber being slightly smaller than the nominal size. Also, if the wood is surfaced when it is green, the initial dimensions are slightly larger (e.g. 1/16″ bigger for up to 4″ nominal lumber, 1/8″ for 5″ and 6″ nominal lumber, 1/4″ bigger for larger sizes). As the wood dries, it shrinks and reaches the specified actual dimensions.
Non-North American sizes
| Examples of Dimensional Lumber Sizes (Softwood and Hardwood) | | Inch name | Sawed | Swedish | Australian |
|---|
| 2 × 4 | 50 x 100 mm | 45 × 95 mm | 45 x 90 mm |
| 1 × 3 | 25 × 75 mm | 22 × 70 mm | 19 x 70 mm |
| 3 × 3 | 75 × 75 mm | 70 × 70 mm | 70 x 70 mm |
| 2 × 7 | 50 × 175 mm | 45 × 170 mm | Not used |
| 2 × 3 | 50 × 75 mm | 45 × 70 mm | 45 x 70 mm |
| 1 × 4 | 25 × 100 mm | 22 × 95 mm | 19 x 90 mm |
| 1 × 5 | 25 × 125 mm | 22 × 120 mm | 19 x 120 mm |
| 2 × 5 | 50 × 125 mm | 45 × 120 mm | 45 x 120 mm |
Outside North America sizes of timber vary slightly. Sizes are, in some cases, based on the imperial measurement and referred to as such; in other cases the sizes are too far removed from the imperial size to be referred to by imperial measurement. Lengths are sold every 300 mm (a metric approximation of 1'). Common sizes are similar to the North American equivalent; 2.4, 2.7, 3.0, 3.6, 4.2, 4.8, 5.4, 6.0.
Hardwoods
| Hardwood Dimensional Lumber Sizes | | Nominal | Surfaced 1 Side (S1S)! Surfaced 2 sides (S2S) |
|---|
| 3/8″ | 1/4″ | 3/16″ |
| 1/2″ | 3/8″ | 5/16″ |
| 5/8″ | 1/2″ | 7/16″ |
| 3/4″ | 5/8″ | 9/16″ |
| 1″ or 4/4 | 7/8″ | 13/16″ |
| 1-1/4″ or 5/4 | 1-1/8″ | 1-1/16″ |
| 1-1/2″ or 6/4 | 1-3/8″ | 1-5/16″ |
| 2″ or 8/4 | 1-13/16″ | 1-3/4″ |
| 3″ or 12/4 | 2-13/16″ | 2-3/4″ |
| 4″ or 16/4 | 3-13/16″ | 3-3/4″ |
In North America sizes for dimensional lumber made from hardwoods varies from the sizes for softwoods. Boards are usually supplied in random widths and lengths of a specified thickness, and sold by the
board-foot (144 cubic inches). This does not apply in all countries, for example in Australia many boards are sold to timber yards in packs with a common profile (dimensions) but not necessarily of consisting of the same length boards.
Also in North America hardwood lumber is commonly sold in a "quarter" system when referring to thickness. 4/4 (four quarters) refers to a one-inch thick board, 8/4 (eight quarters) is a two-inch thick board, etc. This system is not usually used for softwood lumber, although softwood decking is sometimes sold as 5/4 (actually one inch thick).
Trivia
Due to its positive connotations to
blue-collar work, the 2×4 has been adopted by
World Wrestling Entertainment entertainer
"Hacksaw" Jim Duggan as his weapon of choice in the
ring.Timber or lumber may be treated with a
preservative that protects it from being destroyed by
insects,
fungus or exposure to
moisture. Generally this is applied through combined
vacuum and
pressure treatment. The preservatives used to pressure-treat lumber are classified as
pesticides; due to potential hazards to humans and the environment, some are being phased out. Treating lumber provides long-term resistance to organisms that cause deterioration. If it is applied correctly, it extends the productive life of lumber by five to ten times. If left untreated, wood that is exposed to moisture or soil for sustained periods of time will become weakened by various types of fungi,
bacteria or insects.
Timber framing is a style of construction which uses heavier framing elements than modern
stick framing, which uses dimensional lumber. The timbers originally were tree boles squared with a broadaxe or adze and joined together with joinery without nails. A modern imitation with sawn timbers is growing in popularity in the United States.
The term
TIMBER! is used as a
warning call to alert others working in the area that a
tree is being felled and that they should take care to be out of the way. People may also use the term in this way to refer to other objects that are about to fall.
*
British timber trade*
Forestry*
Illegal logging*
List of Indian timber trees*
List of woods*
Logging*
Non-timber forest products*
Plank*
Sodium silicate's use as a timber treatment*
Timber, a
1941 Disney animated short.
*
Timber decking*
Timber treatment*
United States-Canada softwood lumber dispute*
Wood*
Woodworking*
CPSC Test coatings to reduce arsenic emissions from pressure treated wood*
TRADA: Timber Research And Development Association*
The Forest Products Laboratory. US main wood products research lab. Madison, WI (E)*
International Wood Collectors Society*
Xiloteca Manuel Soler (One of the largest private collection of wood samples)
