Wanna guess? If you said 8/4, you’re right. Then you might find some maple lumber that measures 1-13/16” thick. Next to it, there’s maple lumber that measures 13/16”. You might find maple lumber “in the rough” (blanked, not surfaced yet) that measures 15/16”. Here at Valencia Lumber and Panel, we have signs and labels in the racks to indicate the nominal thickness. (It used to be 1”, and it’ll always be a value of 1 for measurement purposes, no matter how thin you plane it down). So, you measure a board with a tape measure (not how we do it, but more on that later), and it’s 13/16” thick and 6” wide and 8 feet long. And when you buy it, that “4/4” lumber is only 13/16”, or maybe 3/4” (*see below). Then it was surfaced again and it got even thinner. But then they surfaced it and it got thinner. When the sawmill sliced up the log, they cut some to a true 1” thickness (4/4). We call it a 2×4, but the actual measure is less. You know that thing we call a “Two-by-Four”, and it’s not two inches by four inches, it’s only 1-1/2×3-1/2? Well “2×4” is the nominal measure. You tryna trick us?” Okay, here’s the deal: nominal means “in name only” or “what we call it”. OR- ( Nominal Thickness x Width in Inches x Length in FEET) divided by 12 You: What’s this Nominal B.S.? ( Nominal Thickness x Width in Inches x Length in Inches) divided by 144 Now go back to your gaming, we’re building stuff here).Īll of these boards measure One Board Foot (with the formula):ġ” thick x 3” W x 48” L (1x3x48)/144=1 Got it? Let’s have some fun:Ĥ” thick x 4” W x 9” L (4x4x9)/144=1 OK, HERE’S THE REAL FORMULA, AND OUR FIRST TWIST: (For you math majors, that’s 144 cubic inches. ![]() ![]() And that volume is the equivalent of a board that is 1 inch thick by 12” wide by 12” long. Not length (linear foot), not area (square foot). Pay attention, ’cause it gets a little goofy. (Oh sure, it’s all fun until somebody gets hurt). Okay, okay, more: most people think Board Foot sounds simple and don’t think they need it explained. Thickness in Inches x Width in Inches x Length in Inches, divided by 144. WE ASSUME EVERYBODY KNOWS WHAT A BOARD FOOT IS. actual customer quote (except he didn’t say HE’S GOT A POINT.
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