Decking, Siding and Dimensional Lumber Sizes

Decking, Siding and Lumber Sizes

Wood lumber, siding, and deck board sizes can be confusing for many. A “1x6” doesn’t measure 1” x 6”. Here’s a simple way to understand actual lumber sizes and decking sizes and why.

Wood lumber sizes, especially finished lumber, are usually expressed in terms of nominal thickness and nominal width in inches, then the actual board length in feet. For example, a 1x6x10 would be 1 inch (nominal) thickness x 6 inches (nominal) width by 10 feet (actual) length.

Dimensional Lumber Sizing

Nominal sizing is how decking, siding and lumber is bought and sold. When you visit a lumber yard or home improvement store, you will see lumber sizes expressed as 1x4, 2x4, 2x6, 4x4 and more. These measurements refer to the “nominal” thickness and width of boards, dimensional lumber, posts, beams and other common solid sawn lumber products.

The actual lumber sizes are different than the nominal description of the wood. For example, a 2x6 does not actually measure 2” x 6” when it is finished. 2x6 is the actual size of the raw lumber before it is processed. It measures approximately 1.5 inches thick by 5.5 inches wide.  The lumber keeps this nominal size name throughout the process. After the logs are harvested and cut into raw lumber boards, the boards are kiln dried or air dried. this changes the sizing a little. Then the dried board is planed and milled until it reaches its industry accepted finish size of 1-1/2” x 5-1/2”. Because of the original size of the lumber, including all the wood fiber in the board, and all the costs of cutting, planing, and drying, the board is still called a 2x6.

Here’s a list of the most common decking, siding and dimensional lumber sizes we carry in stock:

DOWNLOAD THE LUMBER DIMENSIONS SIZES CHART HERE

Decking, siding and lumber are all sold by the linear feet. For example, a 1x6x10 board would be sold as 10 lineal feet.

Please feel free to contact us with any questions you may have relating to any Mataverde products or an upcoming lumber, decking or siding project requiring our assistance.

Other helpful related information:

Decking and Siding Stock Lists here

Glossary of Lumber, Decking and Siding Terms