WHAT IS STRUCTURAL LUMBER?
Structural lumber is wood used in projects that require high strength values. This heavy timber is minimally two or more inches thick and four or more inches wide. Its moisture content should be around 20% or less.
Structural lumber manufacturers typically use softwood lumber to engineer this product. Common examples of tree species they use include:
- Southern Yellow Pine
- Douglas Fir
- Ponderosa Pine
- Western Red Cedar
- White Fir
There are several structural grades of lumber and classifications when exploring structural lumber products, such as:
- Finger-jointed
- Light framing
- Machine Stress-Rated (MSR)
- Structural joists and planks
- Structural light framing
- Stud
- Structural joists and planks
- Timbers
Within these classifications, there are also various types of structural lumber, such as:
- Laminated Strand Lumber (LSL)
- Laminated Veneer Lumber (LVL)
- Parallel Strand Lumber (PSL)
- Oriented Strand Lumber (OSL)