20 Construction Lumber Actual Dimensions New

Typical length of lumber.

Construction lumber actual dimensions. So a framed wall built using 2 x 6 lumber measures 5 1 2 inches thick but with a 1 2 inch piece of drywall attached to the wall it then becomes a 6. Commercial lumber sizes chart table. Voluntary product standard ps 20 05 american softwood lumber standard. Dimension lumber can be purchased as dry or.

Usually refers to sawn carcassing that is ordinarily used for building and construction ie joists beams etc. Why a 2 4 is not always a 2 4 lumber sizes are usually given in nominal measurements. The nominal measurements are a board s size before it has been planed smooth surfaced on all 4 sides. Dimensional lumber is cut to a specific length width and depth.

The following data is standard reference and size data for commercially available lumber within the usa. They purposely milled lumber smaller than its nominal dimensions in order to standardize those dimensions and this practice continues today. Most lumber for residential construction comes from 8 feet 244 centimeters to 16 ft. At the same time length of lumber normally does not have nominal dimensions and only actual size determine.

Dimensional lumber and modern building. But typically 8 10 and 12 are common length. 488 cm long with 24 71 mm increment. All data is in imperial units inches.

Mechanical tolerance variations of lumber. The term dimensional lumber came into popular use around the beginning of the 20th century to distinguish lumber cut to pre determined sizes from other types of wood such as corded wood for fireplaces during this period the building industry sought to control costs and minimize waste by developing standard sizes and grades for building timber. The reasons why the nominal dimension of this lumber what the lumber is called is larger than the actual dimensions involves historical practices in the lumber industry. The actual measurements are the final size.

Keep in mind that dimensional softwood lumber that is sold at your home center or hardware store is expected to be used primarily for construction projects rather than fine woodworking pieces. However there is a difference between the nominal size what the lumber is referred to and the actual size. The tables below provide both the nominal and actual sizes so many common north american lumber sizes. Dimensioned lumber standard dimensions for construction lumber include thicknesses of one by and two by and widths from two inches to 12 inches.

The term dimension lumber is used with softwood species such as pine or fir that are used in the building trades for framing and other carpentry uses. The most popular width and height measurements for dimensional lumber which is commonly used for framing houses are 1 5 inches by 3 5 inches a cut known as the two by four.