Domestic hardwood grades
have traditionally been codified by the National Hardwood Lumber
Association. Most hardwood lumber sold today is sold under the NHLA grading
rules. There is, however, a trend towards "custom" grades and grades based
on what is agreeable between buyer and seller.
The NHLA grading rules are broad and
arcane and leave a good deal of room for "interpretation". It is
very important when specifying a grade for a product to include minimum
expectations for the product. These expectations may include, color, average
width if buying a random width product, minimum lengths, how clear the
product needs to be ( e.g. clear one face and one edge). Keep in mind that
the more constraints put on the product, the more expensive it will be.
On the other hand, a product that is not of the quality desired can have
disastrous results on a project.
Domestic hardwood
pricing for rough lumber, that is lumber as it comes from the sawmill,
generally follows the pricing structure in the HARDWOOD MARKET REPORT.
This is a weekly report used by sawmills, wholesalers, brokers and secondary
manufacturers to buy and sell rough lumber. The price that the end user
pays will be somewhat higher than HMR prices depending on the quantity
and specification of the product.
Notwithstanding special grades, the
most expensive grade in hardwoods is FAS. FAS is an acronym for firsts
and seconds. There is a somewhat lower grade called F1F which means FAS
one face. The next lower grade (and price ) is #1 common. Next is 2A common,
then 2B common, then 3A&3B common ( usually sold as a combined grade).
For architectural purposes FAS is the grade of choice unless a distressed
look is desired. Discussion of the details of the grades is way beyond
the scope of this article. For those not of faint heart, a grading rules
book can be obtained from the National Hardwood Grading Association in
Memphis, TN.
Price also increases with thickness.
The thicker the wood the longer it takes to dry and the more risk of developing
defects in the drying process. Also the market thins as the wood thickens.
Far fewer details are run from 8/4 (pronounced - "eight quarter") which
is a nominal 2" in the rough than 4/4 which is a nominal 1" in the rough.
Prices for species vary by region.
For red oak the further north the more expensive. Along with the high price
comes shorter lengths and narrower widths. True northern red oak is sought
after for its color and texture. The color is referred to as "wheat" color.
Due to its slow rate of growth, there is very little sapwood and the growth
rings vary from 1/8" to 1/32". This lack of sap wood contributes to a uniformity
of color that is considered highly desirable in the cabinet trade.
The much maligned southern red oak
is substantially less expensive than true northern red oak but suffers
from an excess of sap wood and a great variety of differently colored heart
woods. Nonetheless, far more southern red oak is produced and used than
northern red oak, a testimony to the versatility of the wood and the imaginative
marketing techniques of the industry.
The above north to south pricing scenario
plays out for other hardwoods such as cherry and maple with a notable
exception of ash. Ash lumber from the northern states is called "baseball
bat" ash. It is very hard and not particularly well colored. Ash from the
deep south is soft and white and, again, sought after by the cabinet trade.
Choosing
a detail thickness is sometimes but not not always obvious.
There are cases where the gap to be covered requires a certain thickness.
Other cases it may be a matter of artistic design that determines the thickness.
Some details are designed with very deep cuts that require a thick piece
of wood. If the detail is to be purchased as an off the shelf product,
there is little that can be done about the thickness without incurring
significant additional cost. If the detail is in the design stages, however,
there are several factors to consider if cost is an issue.
Hardwoods, in general, are not produced
at the same thickness as an equivalent softwood would be produced. Softwoods
are usually sawn thicker than hardwood. This difference should be kept
in mind when specifying detail thickness. For example a detail that may
easily be produced from 4/4 (nominal 1") white pine might require 5/4 (
nominal 1 1/4") in red oak.
When designing and specifying details it is often best
to produce a preliminary design and then ask for input from the manufacturer
concerning any economies that may be garnered by slight changes.
Some expensive hardwood sizes to avoid
if possible are details that are on or only slightly below a multiple of
1/4". The reason for this is the thickness that the lumber is expected
to clean up at is approximately 1/4" less than its nominal thickness. For
example a detail called out at 1" exactly or even 15/16" will require the
use of 5/4 lumber. Above a detail thickness of 1 3/4" it will be necessary
to either glue up the thickness or go to a 9/4 or 10/4 thickness. In general
the thicker the lumber the more expensive it becomes. The percentage increase
varies from species to species but in hardwoods it always goes up. Thickness
above 2" nominal in the rough are specialty items and become very expensive.
Gluing up for thickness is also an expensive alternative.
Choosing a detail width is a no brainer in hardwoods. The narrower the piece the less expensive the detail. Exceptions to this rule exist but they are rare. Conversely the wider the detail the more expensive. In some species such as white hard maple 8" is considered wide. To produce any meaningful quantities of wider detail an edge glue would be required.
Regional differences in a hardwood species can make a great deal of difference in the qualities of the finished detail. Color, texture, character marks, average widths, average lengths and price can vary dramatically from region to region. There are four generally recognized regions of hardwood growth ( these are non inclusive of the west coast ): Southern, Appalachian region I, Appalachian region II, and northern.
Cherry is considered an Appalachian or Northern hardwood although some is harvested in the south. Cherry is a hardwood that is valued for its heartwood. The color of the heartwood can vary from a pale pink to a dark red. The cherry from Pennsylvania and New York is considered the most desirable because cherry from these regions develops fewer of the undesirable character marks called "gum pockets".
Hard maple or sugar maple is considered a northern hardwood although it can be found in the Appalachian and southern regions. Hard maple, as an architectural wood, is valued for its sapwood. The sap wood varies in color from a pale tan to a slightly yellowish white. The general rule of thumb is the further north the whiter the sapwood, however, there are many reasons for exceptions to this rule. In general one would be hard pressed to identify the region in which a particular board was produced based on the color alone.
Poplar is an extremely versatile hardwood that grows well in the Appalachian and Southern regions. Southern poplar is generally longer on average than Appalachian poplar and has a great deal more purple and dark brown heartwood. Appalachian poplar, like its southern cousin, has excellent widths but a much lighter heartwood than southern poplar. Poplar is usually considered a paint grade hardwood, but, the sapwood is frequently used as a low cost stain grade wood.
Red oak is produced in all four regions.
In general the more northerly the origin of the log from which the lumber
was produced the more uniform the color and the narrower the growth rings.
True northern red oak is sought after for its color and texture. The color
is referred to as "wheat" color. Due to its slow rate of growth, there
is very little sapwood and the growth rings vary from 1/8" to 1/32". This
lack of sap wood contributes to a uniformity of color that is considered
highly desirable in the cabinet trade.
The much maligned southern red oak
is substantially less expensive than true northern red oak but suffers
from an excess of sap wood and a great variety of differently colored heart
woods. Nonetheless, far more southern red oak is produced and used than
northern red oak, a testimony to the versatility of the wood and the imaginative
marketing techniques of the industry.
Lumber produced from logs in the Appalachian
regions has a pink colored heart wood and a non contrasting sapwood color.
All of these descriptions are generalizations.
There are many exceptions to the rule. In addition to the normal botanical
differences that occur even between two trees of the same species growing
next to each other there is a trend in the industry toward blending different
regional oaks. The purpose of this marketing ploy is two fold, price point
and volume.
The Mystery of Northern Red Oak is that so much is sold yet so little is harvested. True northern red oak is the lumber produced from red oak trees that grow in the northern states and Canada. The species Northern red oak grows as far south as middle Mississippi but will have much more sapwood and much wider growth rings than any species of red oak that grows in New England.