UIDE TO SOUTHERN PINE LUMBER EXPORT GRADES

1 A GUIDETOSOUTHERNPINELUMBEREXPORTGRADESCON TENTSL umber GRADES , grade Marks,Dense Lumber1 Construction GRADES , Kiln Drying,Timber Conservation2 Select Structural3No. 14No. 1 Construction Grade5No. 26No. 2 & Better Construction grade 7No. 38No. 3 & Better Construction grade 9 Saps10 Prime11 Merchantable Timbers12 Moulding Shop Grade14No. 2 Shop Grade15 Radius Edge Decking16V-Groove Pattern17 Double-Beaded Pattern18 Flooring19 Boards20 Additional Information,Reinspection Availability21 The SOUTHERN pine council does notgrade or test LUMBER . Informationcontained herein is taken from the 2002 Standard Grading Rules for SouthernPine LUMBER , 2002 Edition,and theExport Grading Rules, 1982 Edition,both published by the SOUTHERN PineInspection Bureau (SPIB).

2 The conditions under which LUMBER isused in construction may vary widely,as does the quality of the SOUTHERN pine Council norits members have knowledge of thequality of the workmanship or construc-tion methods used on any constructionproject, and accordingly, do not warrantthe design or performance of the lum-ber in completed publication includesphotographs of SOUTHERN Pinelumber, illustrating a range oftypical LUMBER GRADES . Thesamples shown are representativelumber mill production primary characteristic ofeach grade are defined, alongwith the typical applications.

3 This publication is not a lumbergrading manual. The informationpresented here is intended as aguide for buyers, users, andspecifiers to properly identify thegrade of SOUTHERN pine that bestmeets their requirements. LUMBER production practicesvary from mill to of rough, kiln-dried SOUTHERN pine destined forexport markets have thecapability to produce LUMBER todifferent specifications andvariances, depending on thespecific needs of a customer, orthe intended application. SOUTHERNPINELUMBERS outhern pine grows in a widegeographic belt, stretching fromEast Texas through name SOUTHERN pine , orSouthern pine Yellow pine , isrepresentative of a group of fourprincipal tree species: longleaf,shortleaf, loblolly, and from all four species ismarketed as SOUTHERN pine andgraded in accordance with thegrading rules of SOUTHERN PineInspection Bureau (SPIB),approved by the AmericanSoftwood LUMBER StandardsCommittee.

4 The naturalcharacteristics that distinguishSouthern pine as a mostversatile and durable buildingmaterial are:High Strength Designvalues assigned for SouthernPine are among the highest ofall softwoods. SOUTHERN pine hasearned a reputation as the Supreme Structural Wood ofthe World . Durability SOUTHERN pine ishighly resistant to wear. It isideally suited for high-trafficapplications such as boardwalks,decks, and Holding SOUTHERN pine s ability to holdnails and other fasteners isamong the highest of allsoftwoods. Drying (or seasoning)of SOUTHERN pine lumberenhances fastener-holdingcapability.

5 Treatability SOUTHERN Pinehas long been a preferred specieswhen pressure treatment withpreservatives is required. Theunique cellular structure ofSouthern pine permits deep,uniform penetration ofpreservatives, rendering thewood useless as a food source forfungi, termites and wood species do notreadily accept preservatives, andmust first be incised, orperforated with a series of smallslits along the grain of thewood s surface. Incising allowssufficient penetration of thepreservative to meet AmericanWood Preservers Association(AWPA) Standards. SouthernPine is one of the few woodspecies that does not requireincising prior to 2002 SOUTHERN Forest Products Association.

6 All rights density is another characteristicthat affects the strength of a piece oflumber. Density is related to a tree srate of growth; the more annual growthrings per inch, the greater the densityof the purposes of LUMBER grading, andas defined with the SPIB StandardGrading Rules for SOUTHERN pine Lum-ber, density is divided into two classifi-cations:Dense six or more annual growthrings per inch and at least one thirdsummerwood, or four rings per inchand at least 50% fewer rings and lesssummerwood than in dense : 2x4 Dense Select Structural (top);2x4 No.

7 1 NonDense (bottom)Dense LUMBER , which is stronger thannondense LUMBER , may be specifiedwhen higher design values arerequired. For this publication, nondense gradesare pictured. Certain SOUTHERN Pinemills produce dense GRADES , thoughavailability of all dense GRADES may belimited. grade designations for denselumber are:Dense Select StructuralNo. 1 DenseNo. 2 DenseSPECIFYGRADE-MARKEDSOUTHERNPINELUMB ERGRADESS outhern pine LUMBER isproduced in different GRADES , aswell as different sizes. Eachlumber grade limits certaincharacteristics such as knots,checks and splits.

8 Along withmanufacturing imperfections,these characteristics willcontribute to the overallappearance of a piece of LUMBER . At the mill, LUMBER GRADES areassigned by visual inspection ofeach piece. For LUMBER destinedto be used in constructionmarkets, this inspection is morea judgement of the relativestrength properties within apiece than of its appearance. Formaterial to be exported,appearance considerations aswell as relative strength propertiesof a piece are often a decidingfactor in assigning a LUMBER grade . The samples pictured in thispublication include examples ofallowable characteristics withineach grade , as described in SPIB s2002 Standard Grading Rules,and SPIB s EXPORT Grading Rules,1982 Edition, approved by theAmerican Standards Committee,in accordance with ProductStandard PS complete LUMBER gradedescription should be includedwith any buyer s order.

9 And isconsidered an agreement betweenbuyer and seller of specificcharacteristics allowed withineach grade SOUTHERN pine LUMBER isgraded in accordance with thegrading rules of the SOUTHERN PineInspection Bureau (SPIB). SPIB,Timber Products Inspection, Inc.(TP), Renewable ResourceAssociates, Inc. (RRA) and otherorganizations are accredited byAmerican LUMBER StandardCommittee, Inc. (ALSC) to inspectand grade mark SOUTHERN Pinelumber in accordance with SPIB grading authorized grade mark oneach piece of SOUTHERN Pinelumber assures the buyer that theproduct specified is beingreceived.

10 The inspection agency isidentified (SPIB, TP or RRAamong others**) along with thegrade of the piece, its moisturecontent, and a mill numberidentifying the members can include theassociation s logo in the grademark, but this logo is optional.**NOTE:Other agencies are accredited by ALSC to inspect and grade all or selected SOUTHERN pine products according to SPIBG rading Rules, including : California LUMBER Inspection Service (CLIS); Northeastern LUMBER Manufacturers Association (NELMA);West Coast LUMBER Inspection Bureau (WCLIB); and Western Wood Products Association (WWPA).