NHLA Grading Rules for North American Hardwoods
The NHLA grades are based on the percentage of clear-defect free wood on a board. The measurements of this percentage are referred to as clear-cuttings. Other than the FAS grades, the grade of the board is determined from the percentage of these clear cuttings and do not consider defects outside of the clear areas.
MEASUREMENT
The NHLA grades are determined on an imperial measurement system using inches and feet. Additionally, the rules were developed with random width and length lumber in mind. A board foot is the unit of measurement.
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Board Foot (B.F.):
- One board foot is one foot long, one foot wide, one inch thick (One foot = 0.3025 meters; one inch = 25.4 mm)
- To determine the board feet in a board:
- Multiply the width in inches by the length in feet and divide by 12. If the lumber is thicker than one inch, multiply by the thickness.
- Surface Measure (S.M.): Surface measure is the surface area of the board in square feet. The percentage of clear wood required for each grade is based on the surface measure (S.M.) not the board feet, thus all boards, no matter the thickness, are graded the same.
- To determine S.M.:
- Multiply the full width of the board by the standard length of the board and divide by 12, rounding to the nearest whole number.
- Examples of determining S.M.:
- 6 ½” x 8’ / 12 = 4 1 /³ = 4’ S.M.
- 8” x 12’ / 12 = 8’ S.M.
- 10” x 13’ / 12 = 10 10/12 = 11’ S.M.
- Once grade is established, multiply S.M. x thickness to get board feet.
Example: 6 ½” W x 8’ L x 2” TH = 8 BF - Note: The grade is based on S.M., not board feet.
METRIC CONVERSIONS
- 1” = 25.4mm
- 1m = 3.281 feet
- 1m3 = 424 board feet (B.F.)
- 1m3 = 35.315 cubic feet (Cu. Ft.)
- 1,000 B.F. (MBF) = 2.36 cubic meters (m3 )
STANDARD THICKNESS FOR ROUGHSAWN & SURFACED LUMBER
Thickness of rough sawn lumber is expressed in quarters of an inch. When grading rough sawn lumber, defects such as checks, stain, and warp are not considered if they will surface out at standard surfaced thickness (S2S). The standard thicknesses and surfaced thicknesses with their metric equivalent are shown below.
| Rough | S2S | |
| 3/4 | 19mm | 14.2mm |
| 4/4 | 25.4mm | 20.6mm |
| 5/4 | 31.8mm | 27mm |
| 6/4 | 38.1mm | 33.3mm |
| 8/4 | 50.8mm | 44.4mm |
| 10/4 | 63.5mm | 57.2mm |
| 12/4 | 76.2mm | 69.8mm |
| 16/4 | 101.6mm | 95.2mm |
MEASUREMENT OF KILN DRIED LUMBER
| Net Tally: | Actual board feet after kiln drying |
| Green Tally: | Actual board feet before kiln drying |
| Shrinkages: | Widths can be ¼” below minimum required. Thickness can be 1 /16” below minimum required. |
THE STANDARD GRADES
All boards are graded from the poor face. The clear face percentage for each grade is determined by measuring the width of the clear area in inches multiplied by the length of the clear area in feet. The total is referred to as cutting units.
FAS
Minimum percentage clear: S.M. x 10 or 83 1 /³% (10/12)
Minimum size board: 6” x 8’
Minimum size clear cuttings: 4”x 5’ or 3” x 7’
| Example: | Determine S.M. Determine poor face Measure clear cutting available Compare with required clear percentage |
| 12’ | ||
| 8 ¼” | 8 ¼” x 10’ | |
| 8 ¼” x 12’ / 12 = 8’ S.M. | ||
Clear cutting: 8 ¼” x 10’ = 82 cutting units
Required cutting units = S.M. x 10 = 80 cutting units
Grade of the board is FAS
| Note: | Both faces must meet this Minimum Requirement. FAS = FAS on two faces. |
FAS ONE FACE (F1F) AND SELECTS
Minimum size board: F1F: 6” x 8’ Sel 4” x 6’
These two grades combine the standard grades of FAS (on the better face) and No. 1 Com (on the poor face).
NO. 1 COMMON
- Minimum percentage clear: S.M. x 8 or 66 ²/³ % (8/12)
- Minimum size board:3” x 4’
- Minimum size cuttings: 3” x 3’ or 4” x 2’
| 14’ | |||||
| 6’ | 6” x 4’ | 6” x 7’ | |||
| 6” x 14’ / 12 = 7’ S.M. | |||||
2 clear cuttings = 6” x 4’ = 24 c.u.
6” x 7’ = 42 c.u.
66 cutting units total
Required cutting units = S.M. x 8 = 56 c.u.
Grade of board is No. 1 Common.
Note: Both faces must meet this Minimum Requirement. No. 1 Com. = No. 1 Com. on two faces.
NO. 2A COM
Minimum percentage clear: S.M. x 6 or 50% (6/12)
Minimum size board: 3” x 4’
Minimum size cuttings: 3” x 2’
Note: When No. 2A Com. on poor face, the better face does not matter.
NO. 3A COM
Minimum percentage clear: S.M. x 4 or 33 1 /³ % (4/12) Minimum size board: 3” x 4’
Minimum size cuttings: 3” x 2’
| FAS | F1F | SEL | 1Com | 2ACom | 3ACom | |
| Minimum Board | 6” x 8’ | 6” x 8’ | 4” x 6’ | 3” x 4’ | 3” x 4’ | 3” x 4’ |
| Minimum Size Cuttings | 4” x 5’ 3” x 7’ |
3” x 3’ 4” x 2’ |
3” x 2’ | 3” x 2’ | ||
| % Clear | SM x 10 (83 1/3%) |
SM x 8 (66 2/3%) |
SM x 6 (50%) |
SM x 4 (33 1/3%) |
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| # Clear Cuttings | SM / 4 | SM + 1/3 | SM/2 | Unlimited |
When specified for export, a comparison can be made respectfully between export grade names of Prime and Comsel with the NHLA grades of FAS and No. 1 Com. It is necessary to consult with your supplier as to the exact specifications being applied to these export grade names.