H A R D W O O
D L U M B E R G R A D E S
| Hardwood Lumber Grades | Hardwood Veneer Plywood Grades | Softwood Lumber Grades | Lumber Abbreviations |
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L U M B E R G R A D E S
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H A R D W O O D V E N E E R P L Y W
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S O F T W O O
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L U M B E R G R A D E S
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L U M B E R A B B R E V I A T I O N
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The table below summarizes common abbreviations that may be seen stamped on lumber or used to describe lumber at a lumberyard. This includes hardwood and softwood lumber and millwork. Some of the terms are self-descriptive, and to some, I've added a brief description in parenthesis of the term's context. Further clarification should be easily gained by doing a quick search on Wikipedia, or another online encyclopedia; at least until I get the Lumberyard 101 page completed.
AD |
air dried | LL |
longleaf pine (species) |
AF |
alpine fir (species) | LNG, Lng |
lining |
ALS |
American Lumber Standard | LP |
lodgepole pine (species) |
AST |
anti-stain treated | Roman numeral thousand | |
AV, avg |
average | MBM, M.BM, MBF |
thousand feet board measure, thousand board feet |
AW&L |
all widths and lengths (grading) | MC, M.C. |
moisture content (percentage) |
B1S, B2S |
see EB1S, CB1S, E&CB1S, EB2S, etc. | MERCH, Merch |
merchantable (meaning "of like kind") |
B&B, |
B and Better (lumber grade) | MFMA |
Maple Flooring Manufacturer's Association |
B&S |
beams and stringers | MG |
medium grain or mixed grain (grading) |
BD |
board | MH |
mountain hemlock (species) |
BD FT, b.f. |
board foot or board feet | MLDG, Mldg |
moulding |
BDL |
bundle | Mft |
thousand feet |
BEV |
bevel or beveled (millwork) | M-S |
mixed species |
BH |
boxed heart (sawing method) | MSR |
machine stress rated (grading) |
BM |
board measure | nosed (millwork) | |
BSND |
bright sapwood, no defect (grading) | NBM |
net board measure |
BTR |
better (grading) | NOFMA |
National Oak Flooring Manufacturers Association |
CB, CB1S, CB2S |
center beaded, one side, two sides (millwork) | No. |
number |
CC |
cubic content (volumetric measure) | N1E, N2E |
Nosed on edge, two edges |
cft, cu.ft. |
cubic foot or feet | PAD |
partially air dried |
CG2E |
center groove on two edges (millwork) | PART, Part |
partition |
C/L |
carload (train car) | Pcs. |
pieces |
CLG |
cieling | PE |
plain end (millwork) |
CLR |
clear (grading) | PET |
precision end-trimmed |
CM |
center matched (millwork / flooring) | PP |
ponderosa pine (species) |
Com |
Common (lumber grade) | P&T |
posts and timbers |
CONST |
construction (grading) | P1S, P2S |
see S1S, S2S |
CS |
caulking seam (millwork / flooring) | RDM |
random |
CSG |
casing (millwork) | REG, Reg |
regular |
CV, CV1S, CV2S |
center V, one side, two sides (millwork) | Rfg. |
roofing |
DB Clg, DB Part |
double-beaded cieling, partition (millwork) | RGH, Rgh |
rough (un-surfaced lumber) |
DET |
double end-trimmed | R/L, RL |
random lengths |
DF |
Douglas fir (species) | R/W, RW |
random widths |
DF-L |
Douglas fir and larch (species / trade group) | RES |
resawn |
DIM |
dimension | SB1S |
single bead one side |
DKG |
decking (millwork / flooring) | SDG, Sdg |
siding |
D/S, DS, D/Sdg |
drop siding (millwork) | S-DRY |
surfaced dry; lumber at or below 19% MC for softwoods |
D1S, D2S |
see S1S, S2S | SE |
square edge (millwork) |
D&M |
dressed and matched (millwork) | SEL, Sel |
Select (grade) |
D&CM, D&SM |
dressed and center matched, dressed and standard matched (millwork) | SE&S |
Square edge and sound (grading) |
D2S&CM, D2S&SM |
dressed two sides and center matched, dressed two sides and standard matched (millwork) | SG |
slash (flat, cathedral) grain (grading) |
| edge | S-GRN |
surfaced green, lumber greater than 19% MC for softwoods | |
EB1S, EB2S, SB2S |
edge bead one side, two sides (millwork) | SGSSND |
sapwood, gum stains, streaks, no defect. (grading) |
EE |
eased edges (rounded corners) | SIT.SPR |
Sitka spruce (species) |
EG |
edge (vertical or rift) grain (sawing method) | S/L, SL, S/Lap |
shiplap (millwork) |
EM |
end matched (millwork / flooring) | SM |
surface measure |
EV1S, SV1S, EV2S, SV2S |
edge V one side, two sides (millwork) | SP |
sugar pine (species) |
E&CB1S, E&CB2S, DB2S, BC&2S |
edge and center bead one side, two sides (millwork) | SQ |
square |
E&CV1S, DV1S, V&CV1S, E&CV2S, DV2S, V&CV2S |
edge and center V one side, two sides (millwork) | SQRS |
squares |
ES |
Engelmann spruce (species) | SRB |
stress-rated board (grading) |
Fb, Ft, Fc, Fv, Fcx |
allowable stress (MPa or psi) in bending, tension, compression and shear parallel to the grain, and in compression perpendicular to the grain, respectively. (grading) | STD, Std |
standard |
FA |
facial area | Std.lgths. |
standard lengths |
FAS |
Firsts and Seconds (lumber grade) | STD.M |
standard matched (millwork) |
FAS1F |
FAS one face (lumber grade), often synonymous with Select grade | SS |
Sitka spruce (species) |
FBM, |
feet board measure (board feet) | SSE |
Sound square edge |
FG |
flat (slash, cathedral) grain (sawing method) | SSND |
Sap stain, no defect (grading) |
FJ |
finger jointed (lumber built up from short end-jointed lengths) | STK |
Select tight knot (lumber grade), or stock |
FLG, Flg |
flooring | STPG |
stepping |
FOHC |
free of heart center (sawing method) | STR, STRUCT |
structural |
FOK |
free of knots (grading) | SYP |
Southern yellow pine (species / trade group) |
FT, ft |
foot or feet | S&E |
side and edge (surfaced lumber) |
FT.SM |
feet surface measure (square feet) | S1E, S2E |
surfaced one edge, two edges (surfaced lumber) |
| girth | S1S, S2S, S4S |
Surfaced one side, two sides, four sides (surfaced lumber) | |
GM |
grade marked | S1S&CM, S2S&CM |
surfaced one side and center matched, two sides and center matched (millwork) |
G/R |
grooved roofing (millwork) | S4S&CS |
surfaced four sides and caulking seam (millwork) |
HB, H.B. |
hollow back (millwork) | S1S1E, S1S2E |
Surfaced one side and one edge, two edges (surfaced lumber) |
HEM |
hemlock (species) | S2S1E, S3S |
surfaced two sides and one edge, or surfaced three sides (surfaced lumber) |
H-F, Hem-Fir |
hemlock and fir (species / trade group) | S2S&SL |
surfaced two sides and shiplapped (millwork) |
Hrt |
heart (grading) | S2S&SM |
surfaced two sides and standard matched (millwork) |
H&M |
hit and miss (surfaced lumber) | TBR |
timber |
H or M |
hit or miss (surfaced lumber) | T&G |
tongued and grooved (millwork) |
IC |
incense cedar (species) | UTIL |
utility |
IN, in. |
inch, inches | VG |
vertical (edge) grain (grading) |
IWP |
Idaho white pine (species) | V1S, V2S |
see EV1S, CV1S, E&CV1s, EV2S, etc. |
J&P |
joists and planks | WC |
western cedar (species / trade group) |
JTD |
jointed (surfaced lumber) | WCH |
West Coast hemlock (species / trade group) |
KD |
kiln dried (to a specified MC) | WCW |
West Coast woods (species / trade group) |
KDAT |
kiln-dried after treatment | WDR, Wdr |
wider (grading) |
| western larch (species) | WF |
white fir (species) | |
LBR, Lbr |
lumber | WHAD |
worm holes are defect (grading) |
LCL |
less than carload (see C/L) | WHND |
worm holes no defect (grading) |
LGR |
longer (grading) | WT |
weight |
LGTH |
length | WTH |
width |
Lft, Lf |
lineal foot, feet | WRC |
western redcedar (species) |
LIN, Lin |
lineal | WW |
white woods (species / trade group) |
References:
The Encyclopedia of Wood, U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Skyhorse Publishing, 2007.