Wood

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 Building Materials-Lumber

• Definitions:
– Boards: Wooden members less than 1 inch thick.
– Lumber: Wooden members that measure from 1 to 6 inches thick,
2 to 12 inches wide and 6 to 16 feet long.
– Timbers: Wooden members greater than 6 inches thick.

❖ Finished lumber and boards are

sized by “nominal” sizes.
➘ The actual size is less than
the nominal size.

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 Lumber-cont.

Rough sawn—nominal size Finished—Actual size

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Wood Terminology

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 Wood terms

• Hard wood • Plain (flat) sawn

• Soft wood • Quarter sawn
• Heart wood • Board wood
• Sap wood • Nominal sizing
• Growth rings • Board foot

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 Wood Terminology
Hard wood—Soft woods

• All native species of trees are

divided into two classes.
– Hard wood have broad leaves and are deciduous
– Soft woods are conifers

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 Wood Terminology--
cont.
Heartwood and sapwood
• Sapwood is the outer portion
Sap wood
that conducts sap and has the Bark
living cells.
– The thickness will vary, but
usually from 1-1/2 to 2 inches
on a mature tree.
• Heartwood is the inactive cells
in the inner portion.
– Mineral deposits may cause
darker color.
Heart wood
– Deposits make wood more
durable.

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 Wood Terminology--
cont.
Growth rings
• Because the rate a tree grows Summerwood
change with the seasons, a
cross section will show
distinctive rings.
• Springwood
– Inner part of the growth ring
– Usually larger cavities and thin
walls
• Summerwood
– Outer part of growth ring
– Smaller cells and thicker walls.
• A tree grows one springwood and
one summerwood ring each year.
– Used to age trees Springwood

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 Wood Terminology--
cont.
Sawing Direction
• Plain sawn (Flat sawn)
– Board is sawed “parallel” to growth rings
– Most common boards.

• Quarter sawn
– Log is first quartered
– Boards are cut
“perpendicular” to the grain.
Were have you seen
– Usually must be special ordered.
quarter sawn boards
used?

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 Wood Terminology--
cont. Nominal sizing
• Dimensioned finished lumber is sized using what is called an
nominal sizing.
• The nominal size is not the finished size of the lumber—it is the
rough cut size.
• The finished size, what you buy, is always less than the rough
cut size.

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 Cut Size — Actual Size
Lumber Sizes
Rough Size Actual Size Board Feet
(in) (in) per Foot of
Length
1 x 4 3/4 x 3-1/2 1/3
1 x 6 3/4 x 5-1/2 1/2
1 x 8 3/4 x 7-1/4 2/3
1 x 10 3/4 x 9-1/4 5/6
1 x 12 3/4 x 11-1/4 1
2 x 4 1-1/2 x 3-1/2 2/3
2 x 6 1-1/2 x 5-1/2 1
2 x 8 1-1/2 x 7-1/4 1-1/3
2 x 10 1-1/2 x 9-1/4 1-2/3
2 x 12 1-1/2 x 11-1/4 2
4 x 4 3-1/2 x 3-1/2 1-1/3
6 x 6 5-1/2 x 5-1/2 3 11
 Softwood Construction
Lumber Standard
Dimensions
Thickness (inches) Width (inches)

Nominal Dry

1 3/4

1-1/4 1

1-1/2 1-1/4

2 1-1/2

2-1/2 2

3 2-1/2

3-1/2 3

4 3-1/2

1/2 4

5+ 1/2 “ less

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 Wood Terminology--
Board Foot

• In a store lumber, boards and

timbers are usually sold as
$/piece, but the listed price is
based on a $/bf.
• Large volumes of lumber can also
be purchased on a $/bf bases.
• Board foot is a volume
measurement.
• Board foot is calculated using the
nominal size, not the actual size.

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 Wood Terminology--cont.
Board Foot

• A board foot is a volume of lumber for a board that is one (1) inch thick,
twelve (12) inches wide and twelve (12) inches long.
• One board foot = 144 in3
• Nominal sizes are used to calculate board feet when calculating costs.
• Actual sizes are used when calculating loads or strength.

length (ft) x width (in) x depth (in)

Bf =
12
Equations:
or

length (in) x width (in) x depth (in)

Bf =
144

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 Wood Terminology--cont.
Board Foot Example

• Determine the number of board feet for the following list of

dimensioned lumber.
– 2 - 2 x 4 x 12
– 3 - 1 x 4 x 10 Bf =
length (ft) x width (in) x depth (in)
– 2-4x4x8 12
12 x 4 x 2
= 2 x = 16 Bf
12
10 x 4 x 1
= 3 x = 10 Bf
12
8 x 4 x 4
= 2 x = 21.33 Bf
12

16 + 10 + 21.33 = 47.33 Bf

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Wood Characteristics

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 Eight (8) Characteristics of wood

1 Defects
2 Grain orientation
a) Stiffness
b) Load bearing capabilities
c) Fastener holding ability
3 Ease of working
4 Paint holding ability
5 Decay resistance

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 Characteristics—Defects--
Structural

Wane
(Bark)
Knot

Shake

Split

Cross grain
crack
Sloping
grain
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Characteristics—Defects--
Dimensional

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 Characteristics—Grain
Orientation

• Grain orientation is important for three reasons.

1 The direction of the grain affects the amount of deflection that
occurs when loads are applied.
2 Load bearing ability.
3 The orientation of fasters with the gain can increase or decrease
splitting when installing fasteners.

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 Characteristics - Grain Orientation - Stiffness

• Stiffness is a measure of the amount of deflection that occurs

when a load is applied.
• The amount of deflection for a load is determined by the
dimensions of the member and the grain orientation.
• Amount of acceptable deflection is different for each building
member.

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 Characteristics - Grain Orientation -- Load Bearing

Wood is stronger when

forces are applied parallel to
the grain than when force is
applied perpendicular to the
grain.

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 Characteristics – Load Bearing – cont.

Load bearing ability of wood is determined by 6

additional factors.
1. Number of defects
2. Size of defects
3. Type of defects
4. Location of defects
5. Species
6. Density and moisture content

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 Characteristics - Grain Orientation - Splitting

Fasteners installed
parallel to the grain of
the wood will increase
the chance of splitting
the wood compared to
fasteners installed
perpendicular to the
grain of the wood.

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 Wood Characteristics-cont.
• Ease of working
– Tree species vary on workability and machineability.
• Paint holding ability
– Paint holds better on edge grain that on flat train
– Knots do not hold paint well
– The bark side of a flat sawed board will usually hold paint
better than the inner side.
• Decay resistance
– Wood that is continuously dry or continuously wet does not
decay.
– Ideal decay conditions are 21-24% moisture
– The heartwood of some species is very decay resistant.

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Summary Tables of
Characteristics.

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 Wood Characteristics
Soft Woods
Characteristic Strength

Heartwood
Ease of Paint Nail Decay
Kind of Wood Working Holding Holding Resistance Bending Stiffness

Softwoods

Cedar, inland red B A C A C C

Cedar, western red A A C A C C

Fir, Douglas C C B B A A

Fir, white B B C C B B

Hemlock, western B B B C B A

Larch, western C C A B A A

Pine, western white A A A B B B

Pine, lodge pole A A B B B B

Pine, Ponderosa A B B B C C

Pine, Southern yellow C C A B A A

Pine, sugar A A A B C C

Redwood B A B A B B

Spruce, Engelmann B B C C C C

Spruce, Sitka B B C C B A

Tamarack C B B B B B

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Structures and Environment Hand Book, MWPS-1
 Wood Characteristics
Hard Woods
Characteristic Strength

Heartwood
Ease of Paint Nail Decay
Kind of Wood Working Holding Holding Resistance Bending Stiffness

Hardwoods

Ash, white C C A C A A

Birch, yellow C B A C A A

Cottonwood B B C C C B

Elm, rock C C B B A A

Hickory, true C C A C A A

Maple, hard C B A C A A

Oak, red or white C C A A A A

Walnut B C B A A A

Structures and Environment Hand Book, MWPS-1

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 Selecting Wood For Common Home
and Farm Use
(Fact Sheet F903)

Concrete Forms Good stiffness, easy to nail and cut, resists

bending, warping, or splitting during installation
and reuse
Exposed Platforms and High decay resistance, good stiffness and
Porches strength, good wear and splinter resistance.

Feed Racks and Feed Hardness and freedom from splitting, medium
Bunks decay resistance, ease to work.

Fence Posts High decay resistance and little or no sapwood

for untreated posts, good bending strength,
straightness, and high nail holding.

http://ohioline.osu.edu/for-fact/pdf/0009.pdf

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 Selecting Wood For Common
Home and Farm Use--cont.
(Fact Sheet F903)

Flooring and Steps Good decay resistance, wear resistant,

and resists warping and shrinking.
Framing, Joists, Rafters, High strength properties in stiffness,
etc. hardness, and bending, good nail, screw,
and glue holding properties, free of warp
and medium weight.
Gates and Fences Good bending strength, decay resistant,
paints well, holds nails, resists
weathering, free of warp and splitting,
lightweight.
House Trim For exterior uses look for woods that are
decay resistant with good painting and
weathering characteristics, is easy to
work and resists warping and shrinking,
good nail holding ability and easy to
work.
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 Selecting Wood For Common
Home and Farm Use--cont.
(Fact Sheet F903)

Poles and Posts for Pole High stiffness and strength, free of
Barn Construction crook, minimum taper, good nail
holding qualities, decay resistance.
Pressure treat poles and posts in
direct ground contact.
Posts and Beams for Post High stiffness and strength, easy to
and Beam Barn work, moderate weight, and free of
Construction crook.
Roof Boards Good nail or screw holding
properties, easy work, low shrinkage,
high stiffness and free of warp, free of
splits.
Scaffolding High bending strength, high stiffness,
high nail holding, medium weight, and
free of compression failures and
cross grain.
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 Selecting Wood For Common Home
and Farm Use--cont.
(Fact Sheet F903)

Shelving Good stiffness and free of warp

with good finishing properties.

Siding Good paintability, good

Storage Bins, Tanks, Vats,
etc.
Studs and Plates
weathering qualities, decay
resistant and resistant to warp
and shrinkage.
High decay resistance and low
shrinkage.
Medium stiffness and strength,
good nail holding, medium free
of warp, and moderately easy
to work.

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 Pressure Treated Wood

• Pressure treating is a process that forces a chemical

preservative deep into the wood.
• Chemicals
– Until 2004, the preservative most commonly used in residential
pressure-treated lumber was chromated copper arsenate (CCA).
• Lumber or poles light green in color
• Now limited to commercial uses.

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 Pressure Treatment-cont. Approved chemicals for residential use:

• Ammoniacal cooper zinc arsenate • Creosote

(ACZA) - Oil based
– Primary marine use - No exposure to humans
– Olive to bluish green or animals
• Alkaline copper quat (ACQ) - Dark brown black color
– Many variations • Pentachlorophenol
– Not standardized for marine applications - Oil based
– Dark greenish brown color - No direct contact with
• Copper azone (CBA) humans or animals
- Not resistant to marine
– Several variations
borers
– Light brown color
- Light brown to dark
• Borate preservatives brown color depending
– Several different salts on the oil used
– Effective, but preservatives are water
soluble
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Questions

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