Lumber

Lumber

Lumber refers to a range of wood products collectively. Wood is used as a major building / structural material in North America and Europe. This article will focus on types, uses and properties of Lumber. Read about the global trends and relative costs for the Lumber industry.

Types of Wood

There are 2 types of trees -- hardwood trees and softwood trees. The wood obtained from them is hardwood and softwood respectively.

• Softwood comes from trees like fir, pine, spruce, cedar etc. This type of wood is used for strutural applications.
• Hardwood comes from trees such as beech, oak, elm etc. This type of wood is used for decorative purposes and for furniture, millwork, doors, panelling etc.

Types of Lumber

Lumber is created from softwood primarily. Various types of lumber are available:

• Visually Graded Lumber is checked visually by inspectors for their quality
• Machine Graded Lumber is checked and graded by machines for quality. This process is more efficient than visual grading.
• Finger Jointed Lumber is used to manufacture studs. This type of lumber is better suited for tolerating structural stresses compared to sawn timber logs.
• Decking is the name given to planks of wood
• Timber describes lumber which is 140 mm (5-1/2") or more in its smallest dimension. Tis includes 2 categories -- beams and stringers, and posts and timbers.

Understanding Lumber Grades

Here are some explanations of the labels you see on lumber and the process involved in the grading of lumber. These are helpful in getting information about the mill which produced it, the species etc. Different grades are used for varied purposes. Learn more about them Lumber grades in use in New Zealand.

Costs and Trends in the Lumber Trade

Read about some trends across the world that reflect the lumber markets and usage.

A detailed analysis of the cost structure of the lumber trade.

The best way to understand these bonds is to see them graphically. A visual aid to Bonds will help, and further some terminology

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