Lumber Sizing Chart and Dimension Information

When making your lumber purchase for your next project, big or small, make sure you are knowledgeable about the different sizes of lumber you may be working with.  If you are not familiar with the basic sizing and dimensions of lumber available, it could cost you money and time on your job.  Hiawatha Lumber has put together this helpful page on lumber sizes to make your lumber buying experience easier.

There are two basic ways to buy lumber, finished and rough sawn.  You may be the most familiar with finished lumber, as it is featured in most home improvement stores and lumber yards.  It is widely used for construction and framing purposes, as well home improvement projects.  For sizing purposes, it is generally referred to as dimensional lumber and is cut to a standard depth, and width, in inches.  There are standard lengths as well, but the distinctions and naming of dimensional lumber come from depth and width.  A common example is the 2x4, which is widely used for many applications.

Finished lumber has been planed and dried, giving it a smooth exterior and clean look.  It is important to note that because of this drying process, the actual size of a 2x4 is 1.5 inches x 3.5 inches.  The wood will shrink from its original size during the finishing process and this must be accounted for when making your plans.  Please see our charts below for softwood and hardwood lumber dimensions.

Another option is rough sawn lumber and it is measured a little differently.  Rough sawn lumber is not finished, so therefore is not planed or dried, just cut and shipped.  This type of lumber is much cheaper than finished wood and can be used to create very custom touches to homes or furniture. 

Rough sawn lumber can be measured in two ways, by the board foot and quarter sizing.  The most common way that rough sawn lumber is measured is by the board foot.  A board foot is equivalent to a section of wood 12 inches long x 12 inches wide and 1 inch in thickness, or 144 total cubic inches.  To calculate the board foot measurement of a particular segment of wood, multiply the length x width x thickness of the wood in inches and then divide by 144.  The other measuring method called quarter sizing reflects the number of quarters of an inch thick the lumber is, with length and width varying dependant upon the type of wood.  Rough sawn lumber comes in "true" thicknesses and a "4/4" board is four quarters, or 1 inch thick.

It is important to determine what type of wood you will be using and exactly what measurements are required before starting any job or project.  Please use the tables as a resource for sizing lumber.  Thanks for reading our blog and please visit our website for more information about lumber in the Minneapolis area.

Softwood Lumber Dimensions
Nominal (in)	Actual	Nominal (in)	Actual	Nominal (in)	Actual
1 × 2	3⁄4 in × 1 1⁄2 in (19 mm × 38 mm)	2 × 2	1 1⁄2 in × 1 1⁄2 in (38 mm × 38 mm)	4 × 4	3 1⁄2 in × 3 1⁄2 in (89 mm × 89 mm)
1 × 3	3⁄4 in × 2 1⁄2 in (19 mm × 64 mm)	2 × 3	1 1⁄2 in × 2 1⁄2 in (38 mm × 64 mm)	4 × 6	3 1⁄2 in × 5 1⁄2 in (89 mm × 140 mm)
1 × 4	3⁄4 in × 3 1⁄2 in (19 mm × 89 mm)	2 × 4	1 1⁄2 in × 3 1⁄2 in (38 mm × 89 mm)	6 × 6	5 1⁄2 in × 5 1⁄2 in (140 mm × 140 mm)
1 × 6	3⁄4 in × 5 1⁄2 in (19 mm × 140 mm)	2 × 6	1 1⁄2 in × 5 1⁄2 in (38 mm × 140 mm)	8 × 8	7 1⁄4 in × 7 1⁄4 in (184 mm × 184 mm)
1 × 8	3⁄4 in × 7 1⁄4 in (19 mm × 184 mm)	2 × 8	1 1⁄2 in × 7 1⁄4 in (38 mm × 184 mm)
1 × 10	3⁄4 in × 9 1⁄4 in (19 mm × 235 mm)	2 × 10	1 1⁄2 in × 9 1⁄4 in (38 mm × 235 mm)
1 × 12	3⁄4 in × 11 1⁄4 in (19 mm × 286 mm)	2 × 12	1 1⁄2 in × 11 1⁄4 in (38 mm × 286 mm)

Hardwood Lumber Dimensions
Nominal	Surfaced 1 Side (S1S)	Surfaced 2 sides (S2S)
1⁄2 in	3⁄8 in (9.5 mm)	5⁄16 in (7.9 mm)
5⁄8 in	1⁄2 in (13 mm)	7⁄16 in (11 mm)
3⁄4 in	5⁄8 in (16 mm)	9⁄16 in (14 mm)
1 in or 4⁄4 in	7⁄8 in (22 mm)	13⁄16 in (21 mm)
1 1⁄4 in or 5⁄4 in	1+1⁄8 in (29 mm)	1+1⁄16 in (27 mm)
1 1⁄2 in or 6⁄4 in	1+3⁄8 in (35 mm)	1+5⁄16 in (33 mm)
2 in or 8⁄4 in	1+13⁄16 in (46 mm)	1+3⁄4 inches (44 mm)
3 in or 12⁄4 in	2+13⁄16 in (71 mm)	2+3⁄4 in (70 mm)
4 in or 16⁄4 in	3+13⁄16 in (97 mm)	3+3⁄4 in (95 mm)

Rough Sawn Quarters
Nominal	Actual
2/4	1⁄2 in (13mm)
4/4	1 in (26 mm)
6/4	1 1⁄2 in (39 mm)
8/4	2 in (51mm)
10/4	2 1⁄2 in (64mm)

An Introduction to Different Types of Wood and Lumber

Hiawatha Lumber wants to help you make the most informed decision possible when it comes to your next home or building project, so in this post we have provided an introduction to different types of wood and lumber.  We plan to keep offering more detailed information on this and other subjects as we continue to grow our new blog.  We hope you find the following articles helpful and please don’t hesitate to contact us with any questions or comments.

Choosing the right wood for the right job is crucial.  Like any building material, it is a good idea to do your research and avoid any costly mistakes.  Plus, the better you understand the wood your working with, the better your final product will be.

There are many different types of wood, over 1000 in the US alone, and about 100 of these are used for lumber.  All wood can be categorized into two basic groups, hardwood and softwood.  Hardwood comes from deciduous (or leaf bearing) trees and softwood comes from coniferous (or cone bearing) trees.  Don’t let the names confuse you, as a hardwood may actually be very soft and softwood may be quite hard.  This is why it is important to know the specific characteristics of the wood you plan to work with and what you want to use it for.

Hardwood is commonly used in flooring, doors, window & door frames and mouldings.  Wood is porous, and has microscopic openings on its surface.  In this regard, there are two types of hardwood; one with smaller pores called closed grain, and one with larger pores called ring porous.  Examples of hardwood include Oak, Maple, Cherry, and Mahogany.

Softwood is widely used for framing and finishing depending on where you live.  All softwood is a closed grain and is the most commonly used wood for timber around the world.  Some examples of softwood are Cedar, Pine and Redwood.

Now that you know a little bit about the types of wood and lumber available, let’s take a look at some the different grades of lumber.  Standard grade, or construction lumber, is rough, but quite sturdy and is broadly used for framing. The grade 1 common refers to wood that has small, tight knots that won’t fall out. 2 common is similar and has slightly larger knots, and 3 common will have the largest knots in this group.  These types of woods are good for paneling, shelving, and other general woodworking projects.  A clear grade has no knots on its surface and is considered top of the line when compared to other grades.

In our next article we will explore the different types of wood in more detail, as well as breaking down how lumber is sized.  If you would like more information about lumber in Minneapolis, please visit our website.

Welcome to Hiawatha Lumber's New Blog!

Hello and welcome to Hiawatha Lumber's new blog!  We are very excited about starting our new blog and plan to bring you some great posts, pictures and videos.  Hiawatha Lumber is a full service lumber yard located in Minneapolis, MN.  We specialize in lumber, millwork and replacement windows.  Our customer service and quality product set us apart, and delivery is always available to the metro area.  We handle remodeler, builder, industrial and homeowner accounts.  Basically, we are a traditional lumber yard servicing modern needs.  To learn more about us and the products we offer, please visit www.hiawathalumber.com.  Thank you and we look forward to helping you with your next project!