Note that the Sheet Metal Gauge only appears when you select the “Rectangular” shapes. It’s all presented in a handy calculator that lets you figure weights and costs. Simply put, it has the standard sizes for all the standard shapes you can obtain various materials in. Standard Weights Calculator? What’s all this then? It’s accessed by clicking the “Lumber Sizes” button from within our standard Weights Calculator… Lumber Sizes in the G-Wizard Machinist’s Calculator… This inexpensive software has built-in lumber size information that’s extremely easy to use: We’ll present all the lumber size data in tabular form below, but before we do that, we wanted you to know about our G-Wizard CNC Calculator. Access Lumber Sizes More Conveniently With a Special Calculator The good news is lumber became easier to handle because it was off a standard size and planed lumber was far less likely to leave splinters in the carpenter’s hands.Įven so, it wasn’t until as late as 1969 (!) that the US Department of Commerce once and for all unified lumber sizes across the country, and that’s how we came to have 2 x 4’s that are 1.25 by 3.5 inches. Competition and the demands of consumers led from rough sawn lumber to desire for surface planing the lumber, which (literally) shaved a bit more off that 2 inches by 4 inches. In addition, they soon realized it was costlier to ship green lumber than dry lumber because they were shipping the water in the green lumber which made it heavier.ĭrying the lumber led to shrinkage, which was the first cause of a 2 x 4 being less than (ahem!) 2 inches by 4 inches. That forced increasing degrees of standardizing as mills tried to accomodate the needs of markets that were further away. Nevertheless, 2″ evolved over time as the most common thickness for structural lumber like joists, rafters, and studs while 1″ evolved as the most common thickness for boards.ĭuring the second half of the 19th century, the railroad system made it possible for these mills to broaden their markets. There weren’t any standards for grading or sizing lumber until as late as 1895. The sizes were based on local customers and demand. As a result, lumber sizes varied considerably from one region (and mill) to the next. This lumber was not kiln dried (hence it was green) and it was supplied strictly rough sawn from the mill. There’s some history involved (most of the time we blame either history or marketing when obvious things are obviously wrong!).ĭuring the 18th and 19th centuries, local sawmills were there to satisfy demand using lumber felled nearby. Because of that, any given piece of lumber might vary considerably in terms of strength, utility, and value for any given use.īe sure to keep all that in mind for your projects, You’ll want to select the lumber you’re using carefully if feasible! So Then Why Isn’t a 2 X 4 Actually 2 Inches by 4 Inches? That’s per the American Softwood Lumber Standard PS 20-05, which BTW is a voluntary product standard.Ī particular piece of lumber can have a wide range of quality and appearance due to knots, shakes, slope of grain, and other natural characteristics. Green lumber is any lumber whose moisture content is greater than 19%.When purchased, rough lumber can’t less than 1/8″ thicker or wider than the actual size specified, except that 20% of a shipment can be up to 2/32″ thicker or wider. Lumber can be purchased as dry or green, where dry lumber has been seasoned or dried to a moisture content of 19% or less. Well, 2×8 nominal size has 2×8 lumber actual size of 1.5 x 7.25 inches. The sizes presented are based on commercially available lumber within the USA, so the data shown is in Imperial (Inches) units. The Actual Size is the actual measured size of the lumber. The Nominal Size is how we refer to the lumber, for example, a “2 X 4”. Knowing the actual lumber dimensions is obviously very helpful! Terminology, Grades, and Tolerancesīefore we dive into the data, a quick word about lumber size terminology, grades, and tolerances. Instead its actually 1.5 inches by 3.5 inches. For example, a “2 x 4” isn’t 2 inches by 4 inches. This page is all about knowing the actual dimensions of commercial lumber sizes versus the nominal size used to refer to them. (Scroll Down if You Need the Chart Right Away)
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