Is 2x4 sawn timber really 2x4?

What is the size of 2x4 sawn timber? If your answer is 2inch x 4inch then that is a completely wrong answer. 2x4 timber is actually 1.5inch x 3.5inch (1inch = 2.54cm). Similar to other logs, all sizes are smaller than their names. And here's why.

Mark Stephens, vice president of Woodworkers Source (Arizona-based), said the 2x4 size is a popular nomenclature because 2x4 is easier to pronounce than its actual size. But the origin of 2x4 wood is more complicated than that.

To create beams or wooden planks, people have to cut trees, cut trees into pieces, called wood billets and "wood billets are the biggest part you can get from a log".

2x4 timber is actually 1.5inch x 3.5inch (1inch = 2.54cm).

Wood embryos are still moist after being cut from trees. These moist wood embryos, or "green sawn timber," are prone to bending and buckling. Therefore, the manufacturer will cut the wood out. A standard wooden plank is a wooden board that is dried, broken into sheets and dried again. Sometimes, these logs are taken to a wood kiln. Soft wood panels such as pine wood, which is commonly used to produce beams and wooden planks, are usually dried at temperatures below 115 degrees C.

Wood cannot keep dry forever. Wood absorbs moisture and regulates internal moisture to match moisture outside the environment. However, according to Stephens, "drying helps eliminate many problems." By accelerating the drying process, manufacturers cut the time needed to turn a tree into a board. Moreover, by accelerating the natural warping process of wood , the wood industry can handle any warping before it is delivered to consumers. In addition, the temperature helps remove termites and other debris in the wood.

Through the drying process, these boards will contract naturally when moisture is removed from the beam. However, the shrinkage of the wood grain actually occurs when these "raw materials" are taken to the planer to smooth the surface of the board. Without rough edges, 2x4 lumber panels will actually be only 1.5x3.5 inches, losing about 1/4 inch in all sides through smooth and dry process. According to Stephens, wood blocks are now smaller, more beautiful and better resilient to the environment at the time of sale.

Today, wood blocks are smaller, more beautiful and better resilient to the environment at the time of sale.

Obviously "2x4 size" is an incorrect way of saying, but the difference is negligible.

In the 1920s, Trade Minister Herbert Hoover introduced the first rules for wood size in the United States. Previously, the size of the timber was determined by the state, that is, consumers might not be able to buy equal-sized wooden planks if one came from Maine, and another came from Minnesota. . Hoover's standards were issued nearly a century ago and improved over every decade. In addition, big companies like Home Depot and Lowe's are definitely benefiting the most from maintaining these standards in their stores.