Lumber
What is lumber?
The name kind of gives it away: lumber is wood for carpentry. You use this wood to manufacture structures, from modest baseboards inside to impressive carports outside. Softwoods such as spruce, pine and Douglas fir are very popular because of their suitable properties for use as lumber. Softwood trees are widely available. At the same time, their wood is strong and durable, yet easy to work with.
Discover below all applications of lumber and Stevens Hout’s wide range of products. Need a custom quote or more information? Click the button below and contact us. We are happy to put our more than 80 years of experience at your service.
Our range of lumber
At Stevens Wood you can make your choice from a wide range of lumber. Choose the wood species that meets all the requirements of your project and discover the various designs and dimensions in the table below. Feel free to click through for more information. Not found what you were looking for? Click the button below the table and explain to us what you need, and you will receive a custom quote without obligation.
Applications of lumber
Lumber is a broad denominator that includes a wide range of lumber. These are just some of the possible uses:
- Construction timber, such as lumber for timber frame construction or battens, valley planks, rafters and purlins for roof structures.
- Interior construction, for example, furniture such as cabinets, tables and chairs, finishes such as baseboards and trim, and stairs and railings.
- Outdoor structures, such as terraces, fences, gates, garden furniture, carports and playground equipment.
Stevens Wood specializes in thermally modified wood or ThermoWood. This is as durable and sturdy as tropical hardwood, but much more environmentally friendly.
Types of lumber
In Europe, softwoods such as pine, spruce and Douglas fir are mostly used as lumber. That wood comes from Scots pine, Norway spruce and Douglas fir respectively, trees that are abundantly available in Europe. As a result, their wood has an excellent price-to-quality ratio. At Stevens Wood, you’ll find mainly northern European woods from Scandinavia and the Baltic states. Southern trees grow faster, so they have wider annual rings and their wood is less stable.
Spruce
Spruce is derived from the Norway spruce, light in color and easy to work. Spruce lumber is used for such things as canopies, window frames and bookcases.
Douglas
The wood of European Douglas fir is ideally suited for load-bearing structures and cladding, among other things. The finer the growth rings, the easier it is to work lumber douglas.
Pine
The popular pine wood comes from the Scots pine. The external characteristics and technical specifications differ according to the origin of the wood. Lumber pine can be found everywhere from posts over floors to roofs.
Gradings for lumber
Lumber for load-bearing applications is graded by strength. Wood species with strength classes C18 or C24, such as spruce C24, SLS C18 and SLS C24, are most common. For other lumber applications, appearance is important. One then grades according to the Nordic Timber Grading Rules. The most important parameter for this is the number of healthy and dead knots or knots. These are the places where side branches grew on the wood. This creates seven classifications, which we simplified for the overview below:
- Classification I: maximum 1 knot larger than 7 millimeters per side on the worst 1 meter
- Classification II: maximum 2 knots larger than 7 millimeters per side and 1 per edge on the worst 1 meter
- Classification III: maximum 3 knots larger than 7 millimeters per side and 1 per edge on the worst 1 meter
- Classification IV: maximum 4 knots larger than 10 millimeters per side and 2 per edge on the worst 1 meter
- Classification V: maximum 5 knots larger than 10 millimeters per side and 3 per edge on the worst 1 meter
- Classification VI: maximum 6 knots larger than 10 millimeters per side and 4 per edge on the worst 1 meter
- Classification VII: not used for export
Stevens Hout is one of the few wood importers that sorts Scandinavian wood not only by strength, but also by appearance itself. Thus, you are sure to find the perfectly suited wood for your carpentry needs in our wide range, both technically and aesthetically.
Stevens Wood, your partner in sustainable lumber
Stevens & C° has more than 80 years of experience importing, treating and selling all types of lumber, including spruce, pine and other lumber. We are your expert in lumber for carpentry. Questions about your choice or your order? Do not hesitate to contact us, we will help you as soon as possible.