

If all of this is still a little muddy, don’t worry! Generally, any associate at a lumberyard or home improvement store will have a full understanding of the individual nuances between measurements and the different types of lumber. There are so many different specifics to mention, but let’s stick to the basics for now. Softwood Lumber Dimensions: Softwood lumber is measured in a number of different standard sizes. Hardwoods are rarely sold in standard dimensions, like softwoods, but are sold in board foot or in quarters. Hardwood Lumber Dimensions: Hardwood lumber is sized based on how many sides are surfaced, or smoothed (to remove saw marks).

To make things more complicated, hardwood sizing standards are different from softwood standards. If you’re confused if your lumber is a hardwood or softwood, be sure to check out this article for clarification. There is also some shrinkage that occurs as the wood dries out, both naturally and from the kiln. refer to the wood size before it has been planed smooth (or surfaced) and squared up on all four sides. The nominal names that we’re familiar with (1×2, 2×4, 1×12, etc). Why are actual lumber dimensions different?
2X4 ACTUAL SIZE HOW TO
You will walk away with a comprehensive understanding of the different measurements of lumber and how to buy the right measurements with confidence after reading this article. I would imagine there are a lot of people get confused when they try to figure out lumber dimensions, so I thought I’d break it down and lay out the differences and how they can affect woodworking projects. What makes it even MORE confusing is the fact that the for 2×4 actual size is not 2 inches by 4 inches and a 1×2 is not 1 inch by 2 inches.
