Complete
Guide To
Lumber
Thickness
What Does 4/4 Mean In Lum ber & O ther
Q uestions
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Guide To Lumber Thickness
Hardwood lumber comes in thicknesses measured in quarters of an inch. 1″
lumber is called 4/4 (four quarters). 2″ lumber is called 8/4 (eight quarters).
What do these lumber fractions mean? 4/4, 5/4,
6/4, 8/4, 10/4, 12/4
In short, these fractions refer to the thickness of hardwood lumber. The
thickness is expressed as a fraction, and goes in increments of quarters of an
inch.
Why those funny fractions? I’m used to standard
sizes like 1×6, 1×12, 2×8 etc.
While you might be used to seeing sizes like 1×6 or 2×8 in lumberyards for
softwoods (fir, pine, cedar, etc.), the hardwood industry takes a different
approach.
That’s because the primary users of hardwoods (red oak, cherry, maple, etc.)
build custom or made-to-fit products – like furniture and cabinetry – where
uniform sizes in the raw m aterial is unnecessary and m ore
troublesom e.
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Guide To Lumber Thickness
For example, there’s no standard size for kitchen tables, you can make one
any size you want. So sawmills cut hardwood logs to get the best yield from a
log, which means all boards will be various in width rather than the same
width. If sawmills were to cut logs to specific sizes or uniform widths, that
process would incur more waste and require more labor. Therefore the
resulting boards would cost you m ore m oney. Who wants that?
Softwoods that get sold in “standard” sizes like 1×6 and 2×8 are cut for
particular applications that require those sizes. In building construction you’ll
find standard and uniform sizes from building to building. Door jambs and
wall studs for example.
So, the hardwood industry standard for indicating the size starts with
lum ber thickness, and it ’s expressed as a fraction: 4/4, 5/4, 6/4, 8/4
and so on.
This system of naming lumber thickness by quarters was established by the
National Hardwood Lumber Association. The organization was founded in
1898 to establish a uniform system of grading rules for the measurement
and inspection of hardwood lumber.
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Guide To Lumber Thickness
Let’s explain more, starting with the most
common, 4/4
If we were talking you’d hear me say it as “four quarters,” which is short for
four quarters of an inch. If you’re pretty snappy with numbers, you’ve
already put together that 4/4 is equal to one inch.
4/4 = 1″ thick
5/4 = 1-1/4″ thick
6/4 = 1-1/2″ thick
8/4 = 2″ thick
12/4 = 3″ thick
But there’s more.
There are two other designations to know about: S2S and RGH. S2S means
“surfaced two sides,” and RGH means “rough” and they describe the stage
the lumber is in, surfaced or rough. But all lumber starts out rough.
A saw that cuts lumber from a log is very large and aggressive, so the
resulting lumber is known as “rough sawn” and the surfaces of the boards
are . . . yes, rough. This lumber needs to be planed smooth and flat before
being sized for the project at hand.
Enter S2S. Lumber that is S2S was rough at one time, but now it’s been
planed smooth and flat. Naturally, that process removes some thickness and
answers the age old question, “Why isn’t 4/4 lumber a full one inch thick?”
Actual measured thickness on 4/4 lumber that’s S2S is 13/16″. According to
the NHLA rules, 13/16″ is the standard acceptable thickness of surfaced 4/4
lumber.
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Guide To Lumber Thickness
Rough lumber needs to be dressed with a planer and/or jointer and this is
where a lumber dealer like Woodworkers Source has to make a tough
decision. Have the lumber surfaced smooth and clean, or sell it rough? There
are benefits to both, but it’s impractical to stock both.
Rough VS Surfaced Lumber
Pros:
Usually costs less
Most of the time you can yield more thickness than the standard
surfaced thickness
Cons:
Difficult to inspect grain, figure, and color
Often cupped or distorted from the drying process
Requires time and labor to plane and flatten before moving on to final
sizing
Heavier, therefore costs more per board foot to ship
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Guide To Lumber Thickness
Surfaced Lumber (S2S)
Pros:
Usually easier for the less-equipped woodworker to use and get
started
Easy to see the grain, figure and color
Uniform in thickness
Lighter, therefore costs less per board foot to ship
Cons:
Less control over final thickness
Surfacing adds cost
One difference between rough and surfaced lumber might not be very
obvious, which is the weight . It’s commonly thought that rough lumber is
cheaper because it doesn’t have the added cost of surfacing. But that’s not
the end of the story. While there is a charge for surfacing lumber, surfaced
lumber weighs a lot less, and this plays a big role when we
transport truckloads or container loads from suppliers.
For example, a flat bed truck will haul 45,000 lbs. The cost to move that
load doesn’t change if load of lumber is rough or surfaced – 45,000 lbs is
45,000 lbs. But what does change is how m uch lum ber will fit on the
truck.
You can fit about 11,000 board feet of rough lumber or 14,000 board feet of
surfaced lumber. In the end, it just makes more sense to pay the wholesaler
the marginal fee for surfacing (which is about $0.10 per board foot) in favor
of fitting more lumber on the truck or container.
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Guide To Lumber Thickness
Photos of Each Lumber Thickness
Here are some pictures to help you out:
4/4 lumber that’s S2S measures 13/16″ thick
5/4 lumber that’s S2S measures 1-1/16″ thick
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Guide To Lumber Thickness
6/4 lumber that’s S2S measures 1-5/16″ thick
8/4 lumber that’s S2S measures 1-13/16″ thick
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Guide To Lumber Thickness
12/4 lumber that’s S2S measures 2-13/16″ thick
Thin lumber is a little different because lumber mills do not cut anything
thinner than 4/4. Instead, thin material like this 1/2″ thick red oak is planed
down from 4/4. Therefore, if it’s called 1/2″, then it’s 1/2″ — and it’s sold by
the square foot.
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Guide To Lumber Thickness
Here’s a stack of 4/4 lumber. There are no standard sizes other than in
thickness. With hardwoods, you get to pick boards that suit you and your
needs.
The National Hardwood Lumber Association defines the uniform system of
grading rules for the measurement and inspection of hardwood lumber. This
book contains all the rules.
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