Wood has been used for centuries as a building material due to its availability, structural properties, versatility and appearance. A renewable resource, wood continues to make sense in our modern world as an economical and environmentally sound choice in building materials.

Treatment of wood with a range of technology options improves its properties and performance characteristics, expanding its use to a variety of applications. Making wood last longer and perform better saves trees and optimizes the use of the world’s most valuable renewable resource, our forests.

Graded Lumber (#1 & #2)
Lumber has traditionally been graded by visual inspection. The grade of a given piece of lumber is based on visual observation of such characteristics as slope of grain and the location of knots. Most softwood lumber is assigned either an appearance grade or a structural grade based on visual review by a lumber grader who is an integral part of the lumber manufacturing process.

Based on correlation between appearance and strength, lumber graders are trained to assign a strength grade to lumber based on appearance criteria such as the presence of wane (bark remnant on the outer edge), presence, size and location of knots, the slope of the grain relative to the long axis and several others.

Dimension lumber is generally grade stamped about 600mm (2') from one end of each piece so that the stamp will be clearly visible during construction. (Specialty items such as lumber manufactured for millwork or for decorative purposes are seldom marked).

There is an appearance difference between No. 1 and No. 2 dimension lumber but not a strength difference. No. 2 is commonly used where the appearance of No.1 grade lumber is not required, as in the case of joists and rafters or trusses.