What Is The Best Grade Of Hardwood Lumber

A brief description of the basic grades are.

What is the best grade of hardwood lumber.

Never buy a higher grade lumber than is recommended as it will affect the overall cost of your project. Highest grade of hardwood lumber. The grading of sawn wood into categories as it is processed helps to determine to a large extent the value and potential use possible for each board of sawn lumber worldwide hardwood lumber producers grade their lumber assuring downstream consumers of the lumber of the lumber s quality for the intended use. The grading system is based therefore on the measurable percentage of clear wood that is defect free for each of the grades.

Strong lumber with fewer knots or cosmetic blemishes gets a higher grade and price. Boards 6 and wider 8 and longer. The grades are based on the two faces alone. Grades are listed from highest to lowest.

The standard hardwood lumber grades are summarized below. Grading designation depends on the number of defects in a board. A lower grade can be perfectly acceptable depending on placement and usage. The best grade is fas and it must be 83 clear or clearer on the poorest side.

The value of this lumber and thus of the log is determined in part by the lumber grade. Yields 83 1 3 percent of clear face cuttings with minimum sizes of 4 x 5 or 3 x 7. Lumber is graded based on the quality and appearance of the wood. Board is graded from the poorer face.

Lumber thickness 4 4 6 4 etc is not considered when grading hardwood. Although this grade is the most uniform because it comes from such a small. Relation to lumber grading most hardwood logs are sawn into lumber. Hardwoods are graded by the national hardwood lumber association.

Suitable for fine furniture cabinetry and applications where. Firsts and seconds fas the best and most expensive grade. These depend on various factors like the type of wood used and the number and types of defects if any. The grade of hardwood lumber is determined by a visual inspection of each board according to rules developed by the national hardwood 3information on prices trends in log and lumber.

Hardwood grading for lumber considers the size and number of pieces or cuttings which may be yielded during the creation of a hardwood product. 1 common which must be 67 clear on the poor side etc. 6 x 8 in 83 defect free on best side. Taken from the heart center of the tree this is the highest grade of hardwood and clearest meaning it has few to no blemishes at all no knots or wormholes and has the most uniformity between the planks in regards to color and grain lines.

Clearness is measured in large rectangular areas called cuttings. Take a look at this article understanding hardwood lumber grading. Here s a chart to help explain the grading system. The next grade is no.

The basic concept of grading is that the grade of all lumber is determined from the poorest face or side of the lumber with a few cases considering the better face as well.