Principal Systems of Grading Lumber

PRINCIPAL SYSTEMS OF GRADING LUMBER The principal associations of lumber manufacturers in the United States which have adopted standard grading rules for their products and for the woods which the members of each organization chiefly manufacture, are as follows: California Sugar and White Pine Association, San Francisco, Cal.—Sugar pine, California white pine, Western yellow pine.

Georgia-Florida Sawmill Association, Jacksonville, Fla.— Yellow pine (chiefly longleaf, shortleaf, and Cuban pine).

Hardwood Manufacturers Association of the United States, Cincinnati, Ohio.—Ash, basswood, beech, buckeye, butternut, cherry, chestnut, cottonwood, elm, gum, hickory, maple, walnut, poplar, sycamore, tupelo.

Maple Flooring Manufacturers Association, Chicago, 'IL— Maple, beech, and birch flooring.

Michigan Hardwood Manufacturers Association, Cadillac, Mich.—Hemlock. Hardwood rules the same as the National Hardwood Lumber Association.

National Hardwood Lumber Association, Chicago, 111.—Ash, basswood, beech, birch, buckeye, butternut, cherry, chestnut, cottonwood, sassafras, elm, gum, hickory, locust, magnolia, maple, oak, pecan, poplar, sycamore, walnut.

Northern Hemlock and Hardwood Manufacturers Associap tion, Wausau, Wis.—Hemlock. Hardwood rules the same as the National Hardwood Lumber Association.

Northern Pine Manufacturers Association, Minneapolis, Minn.—White pine, Norway pine, spruce, tamarack.

North Carolina Pine Manufacturers Association, Norfolk, Va. —North Carolina pine (mostly loblolly; some shortleaf pine).

Oak Flooring Manufacturers Association, Detroit, Mich.— Oak flooring.

Redwood Manufacturers Association, San Francisco, Cal.— Redwood.

Southern Cypress Manufacturers Association, New Orleans, La.—Cypress, tupelo.

Spruce Manufacturers Association, New York, N. Y.—Eastern spruce.

West Coast Lumber Manufacturers Association, Tacoma, Wash.—Douglas fir, Western spruce, cedar, and hemlock.

Western Pine Manufacturers Association, Spokane, Wash.— Western pine, Idaho white pine, fir, and larch.

Yellow Pine Manufacturers Association, St. Louis, Mo.Longleaf pine, shorties! pine.

Copies of their complete grading rules are supplied by these associations upon application, free of charge, or at a nominal price. The associations are generally anxious to make their grades as widely known and used as possible.

Diversity of Grades

A few illustrations will suffice to show the extent to which the lumber manufacturers have gone in establishing grades suitable for a wide diversity of purposes. The rules of the Northern Pine Manufacturers Association provide for 7 grades of thick finishing lumber in thicknesses of inches, inches, and 2 inches.

There are also 9 grades of inch finishing lumber, 5 grades of siding and flooring, 3 grades of shiplap, 5 grades of shop lumber, 3 grades of factory select lumber, 6 grades of thick common lumber, 5 grades of common boards, 4 grades of fencing, 3 grades of dimension, and 2 grades of lath. Under these rules the upper grades in the various classes are designated by letters as A, B, C, D, and the lower grades by numerals as No. 1, No. 2, No. 3, No. 4, and No. 5.

The rules for hardwoods adopted by the National Hardwood Lumber Association and the Hardwood Manufacturers Association provide in most cases for the following grades, beginning with the highest: Firsts and Seconds, No. 1 Common, No. 2 Common, and No. 3 Common. No. 4 Common is also provided for many woods. In addition to these general grades, there are a large number of special grades for the various hardwoods, covering box lumber, vehicle and wagon stock, furniture stock, flooring stock, quarter-sawed lumber, panel material, etc.

In

the softwoods most largely used for general building purposes, there are usually three grades of common lumber generally known as No. 1, No. 2, and No. 3, or by terms of equivalent value. For example: No. 1 Dimension, Boards, etc., consist of sound, strong lumber suitable for first-class, all-round building purposes. The defects allowed in this lumber are not of a character which will materially impair the strength of the piece for the purpose intended. No. 2 stock contains more defects than No. 1, but is useful for the same general purposes in places where less strength is required.

For example, studding of No. 2 Dimension is often as satisfactory as of No. 1 Dimension, while No. 2 Boards make excellent sheathing, under-floors, roof-boards, etc. The No. 3 stock in Dimension and Boards is the lowest grade generally used for building purposes. It is mostly employed for very cheap, light, or temporary structures, and for these purposes affords a very economical building material.

Special grades in any item are put up by the manufacturers whenever ordered; but they cost more than regular grades, depending upon quality and handling charges.

Any large user of lumber will be well repaid if he familiarizes himself wtih the principal grades of the leading kinds of timber. By so doing he will be able to build better and more cheaply than if he specifies material without a full knowledge of its character and value.