Dimensional lumber
is the most commonly used type of lumber in residential and commercial wood-framing construction today.
Dimensional lumber is the wood that is used to construct the roof, wall and floor framing of houses. It comes in standardized sizes and lengths and can be cut from most types of wood. Does this Spark an idea?
Material
Dimensional lumber is usually hewn from woods such as spruce and pine, but it can also be taken from cherry, mahogany and other more decorative woods. The lumber made from spruce and pine is most commonly used in the construction of homes and other structures, where the lumber is eventually covered by insulation, wall material or other finish wood products.
Sizes
The most commonly used and referenced size of dimensional lumber is the "2 by 4." Wood products with the "2-by" naming convention can be as small as "2 by 1" or as large as "2 by 14." The rule of thumb for figuring out the actual size of the lumber is to subtract 1/2 inch from the numbers used to name the lumber for numbers up to the number 7 and to subtract 3/4 inch from the number used in the name if it is above the number 8. For example, a 2 by 4 actually measures 1 1/2 inches by 3 1/2 inches, and 2 by 8 actually measures 1 1/2 inches by 7 1/4 inches.
Specialties
Current advances in technology have allowed for dimensional lumber, as described above, to be made from plastics, bamboo and other more sustainable materials instead of the traditional pine, spruce or other woods.
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