The "nominal" cross-section dimensions of a piece of lumber, such as 2 X 4 or 1 X 6, are always somewhat larger than the actual, or dressed, dimensions. The reason is that dressed lumber has been surfaced or planed smooth on four sides (called S4S). The nominal measurement is made before the lumber is surfaced.
The 2x4 refers to the rough-cut green wood: it shrinks during drying, then the dried wood is planed smooth, so the finished lumber is supposed to end up at 1.5"x3. 5". While it doesn't really shrink that much, the mills get more usable finished 2x4's from a given tree if they cut them slightly smaller to begin with.
Nominal vs. Actual Lumber Size Chart for Softwoods*
| Nominal Depth x Length | Actual Depth x Length |
|---|
| 2×4 | 1½" × 3½" |
| 2×6 | 1½" × 5½" |
| 2×8 | 1½" × 7¼" |
| 2×10 | 1½" × 9¼" |
Nominal vs. Actual Measurements of Dimension Lumber
| Nominal Size | Actual Size |
|---|
| 2 x 3 | 1 1/2 x 2 1/2 inches (38 x 64 mm) |
| 2 x 4 | 1 1/2 x 3 1/2 inches (38 x 89 mm) |
| 2 x 6 | 1 1/2 x 5 1/2 inches (38 x 140 mm) |
| 2 x 8 | 1 1/2 x 7 1/4 inches (38 x 184 mm) |
2x Board Sizes2x4 and 2x6 boards lose 1/2 inch in thickness and 1/2 inch in width before leaving the mill. That means a 2 x 4 board is actually 1-1/2 inches by 3-1/2 inches. The larger 2x boards (2x8, 2x10, etc.)
Pre-Cut Stud: 92 5/8â€Sometimes called a “pre-cut stud,†it's a little shorter than a full 8′ board, which makes it perfect for building an 8′ wall (hmm?).
Dimensional lumber is commonly S4S. S4S finished lumber and dimensional lumber are labeled according to nominal size, or the size of the rough board before it was planed smooth.
The actual thickness is just like it sounds – the actual thickness of the plywood panels you buy, after sanding. Typically, the actual thickness of plywood is 1/32 inch less than the nominal thickness.
Thickness in millimeters.
| Thickness (inch) | Thickness (milimeter) |
|---|
| 1/2†| 12.7mm |
| 5/8†| 15.9mm |
| 3/4†| 19mm |
| 1-1/8†| 28.6mm |
Most of you already know that Lowe's offers free wood cutting. Apparently it takes up too much of employee's time to make all these small cuts (project cutting, as they put it), so now the policy is to only cut wood to fit into cars.
It simply refers to how many 1/4-inches thick the rough stock is. For example, 4/4 (read out loud as four-quarters) is 1-in. thick in the rough. 5/4 is 1-1/4-in.
Common Dimensional Lumber Sizes
| Dimensional Lumber: Nominal Size vs. Actual Size |
|---|
| Two-by-six or 2 x 6 | 1 1/2 inches x 5 1/2 inches |
| Two-by-eight or 2 x 8 | 1 1/2 inches x 7 1/4 inches |
| Two-by-ten or 2 x 10 | 1 1/2 inches x 9 1/4 inches |
| One-by-two or 1 x 2 | 3/4-inch x 1 1/2 inches |
Nominal thickness is “in name only†used solely for identification. The nominal size may not match any dimension of the product, but within the domain of that product. The nominal size may correspond to a large number of highly standardized dimensions and tolerances.
Two-by-six and two-by-four are the most common dimensions of wall studs. Standard walls of 8 feet have wall studs that are 92 inches. The studs are 104 1/2 inches in homes with 9-foot walls.
The price of lumber on the futures market has given up all of its gains for this year, falling by more than 50% in just the last few months. Homebuilders, homebuyers and homeowners looking to remodel, however, are not seeing savings yet.
The Graphics' industry standard is width by height (width x height). Meaning that when you write your measurements, you write them from your point of view, beginning with the width. That's important. When you give us instructions to create an 8×4 foot banner, we'll design a banner for you that is wide, not tall.
The first number (2) refers to the thickness of the board in inches. The second number (4) refers to the width of the board in inches. The third number (8) refers to the length of the board in feet.
It is primarily one of a few needle-bearing species such as pine, hemlock, fir or spruce. Rough lumber comes from the sawmill without further cutting or shaping. It is usually sold in random lengths and widths and measured in board feet, a unit of 1″x 1″ x 1′. It can be available air-dried or kiln-dried.
Timber is measured in board feet and linear feet. You can find the board foot measurement by multiplying length x width x thickness in inches, and then dividing by 144. Calculate linear feet by simply measuring the length of the board.
Dimension lumber is softwood lumber that is nominally 2 inches thick and of various lengths and widths. It is the structural softwood lumber used in most wood-based housing construction (2x4 platform-frame construction) in North America.
Lumber Prices
| Board | 6' | 8' |
|---|
| 1x6 | $5.18 | $6.91 |
| 1x8 | $6.98 | $9.66 |
| 1x10 | $9.88 | $13.17 |
| 1x12 | $12.84 | $18.44 |
Wood products prices typically fluctuate more than most goods, because homebuilding can move up or down much faster than sawmill capacity can. Lumber and plywood prices are so high now because of the short-run dynamics of demand and supply. Wood demand shot up in the summer of pandemic.
