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Sawn lumber is the primary product of the American hardwood industry, which is fragmented and comprises many thousands of sawmills spread throughout the eastern USA. A small percentage is also produced in the Pacific Northwest. These processing units vary from very small 'circular saw' forest operations through to larger integrated wood processing factories which harness the latest technologies. Most of the industry is privately owned, comprising small to medium sized companies.

The USA is the largest sawn hardwood producer in the world with a current production of around 30-32 million m3 per annum. The American domestic market consumes around 90%, with about 10% exported to more than 50 countries world-wide. The industry has always been committed to export, and in recent years the number of exporters in all regions has increased significantly. This has helped improve the export availability of a wider range of commercial species.

Hardwood lumber industry

Service 02

Sizes and specification

Service 04

The approach to the primary conversion of hardwood logs varies to some extent, both by sawmill and by species. The industry works on principles designed to achieve maximum lumber yields, by cutting boards from around the log to optimise volume. As export demand grows, production techniques are being used to further improve yields of higher grades and to offer special cuts, such as rift and quarter sawn.

American hardwoods are produced in non-metric measure - lengths in feet, widths in inches, and thickness expressed in quarters of an inch. Therefore 1 inch (1") is expressed as 'four quarter', written as 4/4".

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Thickness
The standard thicknesses produced are:

• 3/4" (3/4" = 19.0mm)
   
• 4/4" (1" = 25.4mm)
   
• 5/4" (11/4" = 31.8mm)
   
• 6/4" (11/2" = 38.1mm)
   
• 8/4" (2" = 50.8mm)
   
• 10/4" (21/2" = 63.5mm)
   
• 12/4" (3" = 76.2mm)
   
• 16/4" (4" = 101.6mm)

Width
Lumber is produced in random widths (measured to the nearest inch) usually 3" (76.2mm) and wider. Width specification will vary from producer to producer, by geographic region and by species, although ultimately it is the size of the tree that will be the determining factor. Generally, widths over 12" (304.8mm) are rare. Some producers do cut fixed widths as special requirements, but this tends to be part of further processing (described on pages 14-15 in the dimension and components section).

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Length
Lumber is produced in random lengths (measured to the next lowest foot) usually 4' (1.22m) and longer up to a maximum of 16' (4.88m), depending on the grade. As a general rule lengths over 12' (3.66m) are relatively rare. Some producers offer fixed lengths although availability tends to be limited.

 

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