Green Building Terms

Lumber gradeⁱ

Term used in veneer coreⁱ plywood. The top layer of the plwyoodⁱ is applied at a 90 degree angle to the material below it. This creates a stronger panel through the use of the concept of cross banding. Two pieces of material with the grainⁱ running parallel is weaker than two pieces of material with the grain running perpendicular.

A gradeⁱ face. #1 Back. Terminology used in hardwood plywood to grade the face and back.

Allowable Annual Cut (Timber)

Alkaline Copper Quarternary - A cost effective replacement for CCAⁱ treated lumber.

ACXⁱ refers to plywood. A is the quality of veneer on the face and C is the quality of veneer on the back. This panel is used for decorative purposes, since the face veneer is extremely smooth and free of voids.

Lumber which has been dried in open air, See also: Air Driedⁱ

After Delivery of Freight (Shipping term)

American Institute of Architects

Air Driedⁱ (Lumber)

American Lumber Standard. Grading standards for nomenclature of American Softwood lumber.

Alternative Energyⁱ refers to energy sources that are not based on the burning of fossil fuels or the splitting of atoms. For example, solar energy, wind energy, and hydroelectricity.

American National Standards Institute

American Plywood Association

American Society for Testing Materials

ASTMⁱ Test for Surface Burning Characteristics - Pyroblockⁱ has passed this test. Applies to United States.

Architectural Woodworking Association

American Wood Preservers Association

Alaskan Yellow Cedar

Bagasseⁱ (sometimes spelled bagass) is the biomass remaining after sugarcane stalks are crushed to extract their juice. It has been used to make particleboardⁱ. Extremely strong fiber.

The use of a waste product that poses no threat to human health or the environment in another process that provides a positive benefit to the public and the environment. For example, the use of sludge, a paper manufacturing by product, in the composting of materials to produce a high gradeⁱ soil conditioner.

Best Engineering Practices are techniques and methodologies that, through our experience and research, have proven to reliably lead to the desired result. A commitment to using the best practices in engineering is a commitment to using all the knowledge and technology at ones disposal to ensure success.

Biodegradableⁱ waste is capable of being broken down into non harmful products by allowing the action of living things such as microorganisms.

California Air Resources Board -
To promote and protect public health, welfare and ecological resources through the effective and efficient reduction of air pollutants while recognizing and considering the effects on the economy of the state

Carload

Canadian test for Surface Burning Characteristics. Pyroblockⁱ has passed this test.

A large slabbed log on the headsaw, usually having one or more rounded edges, which is destined for further processing.

Chromated Copper Arsenate - (Wood preserving treatment being phased out)

Gradeⁱ of Plywood. C refers to the quality of the face venner and D refers to the quality of the back veneer. A CDXⁱ Plywood is most often associated with sheathingⁱ applications.

A systematic procedure for tracking a material or product from its origin to its final use.

A lengthwise separation of wood, normally occurring across or through the rings of annual growth and is usually the result of seasoning.

A panel made with large chips as the raw material.

Cost, Insurance, Freight (Standard term for Exporting)

A round saw having teeth on its perimeter.

Canadian Lumber Standards

Cubic Meter

Chain of Custodyⁱ - Number assigned to companies in a supply chain. Used by certifying bodies to track sales / purchases of material from the primary source to the end user. Used by FSCⁱ to ensure transparency and integrity of the system.

A wood product produced by bonding wood fiber by heat and pressure.

Containers having two round heads and a body composed of staves, such as barrels or kegs.

A unitⁱ of measure equal to a stack of wood 4x4x8 feet or 128 cubic feet.

Inner plies in a piece of plywood whose grainⁱ direction runs perpendicular to that of the outer plies. Coreⁱ can also refer to particleboardⁱ, MDFⁱ, or OSBⁱ.

Construction Specifications Institute

Cut To Size

The removal of ligninⁱ from wood by chemical treatment.

The price of wood (or other products) with freight included.

The mass of wood substance enclosed within the boundary surfaces of a wood-plus-voids complex having unitⁱ volume.

Double end trimmed (Lumber term)

Douglas Fir

Lumber that is from two inches up to, but not including, five inches thick, and that is two or more inches in width.

Dioxins are environmentally persistent compounds that find their way into the food chain. They have been linked to chronic diseases such as cancer and are believed to be a cause of birth defects. Dioxins are produced during the incineration of wastes and are a contaminant in a chemical manufacturing process. Dioxin is also a by product of older chlorine pulpⁱ bleaching technologies.

Eased Edges (Lumber)

A system formed by the interaction of a community of organisms with their physical environment.

Sawmill machinery used to saw cants after they come off the headrigⁱ, squaring the edges and ripping the cants into lumber.

Waste pieces of wood cut by an edgerⁱ.

The purchase of environmentally preferable products, along with efforts to support suppliers with sound environmental practices.

Manufacturing processes that are designed to minimize environmental impacts.

Environmental Protection Agency

Indoor Environmental Quality 4.2: Low-Emitting Materials: Paint and Coatings

Indoor Environmental Quality 4.4: Low-Emitting Materials: Paints and Coatings

Eastern White Pine

Long, curly, slender strands of wood used as an aggregate component for some particleboards and as a packing material.

Foot Board Measure (Board Foot) Lumber

A compositeⁱ panel product like particle board, hardboard, chipboardⁱ.

Fine milled chips used in the production of particleboardⁱ; larger than sander dust or wood flour.

A small flat wood particle of predetermined dimensions, uniform thickness, with fiber direction in essentially in the same plane of the flakeⁱ.

A log sawn on two or more sides form which veneer is sliced.

Forest Management Agreement

Free On Board - Shipping Term - Indicates prepaid destination

Free of Heart Center - Lumber term

The science of forest management.

Also called Concrete Forming Plywood. Plywood that is specially made to help in the forming of concrete. The face of the panel is oiled to pop off easier when the concrete has cured. The edges are also sealed with a wax to prevent moisture absorption.

Fire Retardant

Fire Retardant One (1) Side

Fire Retardant Two Sides

Lumber used for structural members in a house or other building.

Forest Stewardship Council - A forest management program that certifies that forests are managed in a sustainable manner. Third party certification ensures transparency. Only FSCⁱ Certification is accepted in the LEED rating system. Other certification includes SFI and CSA (Canada only).

Flame Spread Index

Federal Trade Commission (US)

A machine in which several saws make parallel cuts.

Glue Laminated Timbers

The designation of the quality of a manufactured piece of wood or of logs.

The direction, size, arrangement, appearance, or quality of the fibers in wood or lumber.

Lumber term describing wood that has not been dried.

A non profit organization devoted to environmental standard setting, product certification, advertising claims substantiation and public education.

Goods and Services Tax (Canada Only). Rate Effective January 1, 2008 is 5%.

Hemlock and Fir

Chemical Description for Formaldehyde

High Densityⁱ

High Densityⁱ Fiberboardⁱ

High Densityⁱ Overlay

The principle saw in a sawmill on which logs are first cut into cants.

Forests that possess one or more of the following attributes.

1. Forest areas containing globally, regionally, or nationally significant concentrations of biodiversity values and/or large landscape level forests, contained within the management unitⁱ, where viable populations of most if not all naturally occuring species exist in natural patterns of distribution and abundance.

2. Forest areas that contain rare, threatened or endangered ecosystems.

3. Forest areas that provide basic services of nature in critical situations. (erosion control, watershed protection)

4. Forest areas that are fundamental for meeting basic needs of local communities and/or critical to local communities traditional cultural identity. (areas of social, religious, or ecological significance)

Hardwood Plywood and Veneer Association

International Agency for Research on Cancer - Recently was the driving force behind having Formaldehyde reclassified from "probably human carcinogen" to "known human carcinogen"

Internal Bond (Compositeⁱ Panel Term - Particleboardⁱ and MDFⁱ)

A board made from ligno-cellulostic fibers, usually wood or cane. which are interfelted to create the principal source of bond.

A formaldehyde free resinⁱ, isocyanates, when cured, are totally inert with no emissions of any kind. Isocyanates bonds are stronger than Urea Formaldehydeⁱ or Phenol Formaldehydeⁱ bonds, as these resins form both a chemical and a physical bond. Isocyanates have been used to make strawboardⁱ and some types of MDFⁱ. It is also heavily used in the OSBⁱ industry-generally as a resin in the coreⁱ, due to it’s high level of moisture resistance. Negatives include the fact that this resin is very expensive, and in it’s raw form requires careful handling to prevent workers from being "sensitized".

International Tropical Timber Organization

The place where two or more pieces of material meet.

A piece of lumber or compositeⁱ I-beam product that supports a ceiling or floor.

Kilnⁱ Dried - A kiln is a large oven that is used to dry lumber before shipping

Kilnⁱ Dried After Treatment. Refers to lumber that has been dried down to a moisture content of 8-12%.

The width of a saw cut.

A chamber having controlled air-flow, temperature, and relative humidity for drying wood products.

A heavy paper or paperboard made from wood pulpⁱ using a method of boiling wood chips in a sodium sulfate solution.

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design - Building program developed by the USGBCⁱ to help create more energy efficient and sustainable buildings.

The bonding of two or more pieces of wood to make a single piece.

A machine on which logs are peeled to yield veneer for plywood.

Low Densityⁱ (Term for Compositeⁱ panels such as Door Coreⁱ, Particleboardⁱ and MDFⁱ)

Grades for Particleboardⁱ Door Coreⁱ

Light Densityⁱ Fiberboardⁱ

The second most abundant component of wood. It is a cementing layer between the wood cells.

Lodgepole Pine

Less than truckload - Shipping term

A volumetric measurement used in determining the amount of lumber produced.

Laminated Veneer Lumber

Gradeⁱ of paricleboard relating to strength. M is for medium densityⁱ which most particleboards are. See also MS, M2ⁱ and M3ⁱ.

Gradeⁱ of paricleboard relating to strength. M is for medium densityⁱ which most particleboards are. See also M1ⁱ, MS and M3ⁱ.

Gradeⁱ of paricleboard relating to strength. M is for medium densityⁱ which most particleboards are. See also M1ⁱ, MS and M2ⁱ.
M3ⁱ is the strongest.

Moisture Content

Medium Densityⁱ

Medium Densityⁱ Fiberboardⁱ

Diphenylmethane Diisocyanate - Resinⁱ used to bind agriculture fiber into compositeⁱ panels - Contains no added Urea Formaldehydeⁱ

Medium Densityⁱ Overlay

New York city's Materials and Equipment Acceptance (MEAⁱ) certification for fire retardant material as regulated by the department of buildings.

An "upgrade" to regular UFⁱ resins, MUF is generally added to reduce formaldehyde emissions, provide better moisture resistance, and speed up curing times.

Thousand Foot Board Measure - Calculation of volume for lumber

Mixed Grainⁱ - Lumber

Manufactured Housing

Lumber that has been remanufactured into door and window parts or decorative trim.

Modulus of Elasticity

Modulus of Rupture

Recycled Content: 7.5% Materials and Resources 4.1

Recycled Content: 15% Materials and Resources 4.2

Regional Materials: 10% Extracted and Manufactured Regionally

Regional Materials: 20% Extracted and Manufactured Regionally

Materials and Resources: FSCⁱ Certified Wood

Thousand Square Feet

Machine Stress Rated - Lumber

No added Formaldehyde

Untouched material. Example naturalⁱ vs. primed siding.

No added urea formaldehydeⁱ - Upgraded term from UFFⁱ (urea formaldehyde free)

A general term for chemical that can be extracted from wood.

National Lumber Grades Authority

Original Equipment Manufacturer

Oil and edge sealed. Term used for concrete formplyⁱ to denote that the edges have been sealed to prevent moisture absorption and the face and back are oiled to help release the panel when the concrete is cured.

Oil and Edge Sealed 1 Side. Term usually used in concrete formplyⁱ since the edges are sealed to prevent moisture absorption and the face is oiled to pop off of the concrete form when the concrete has cured.

Forestlands that have undergone a naturalⁱ progress of succession, without significant human intervention, until they are comprised primarily of a dominant species of tree.

An area of land that is valued for naturalⁱ processes and wildlife, agricultural and sylvan production, active and passive recreation, and other public benefits. These landscapes are often underdeveloped and essentially free of human activities.

Oriented Strand Board

Plug and Touch Sanded - Process whereby plywood mills cut out defects and replace them with either a football shaped wood patch, or a synthetic putty filler, and then skip sand the surface.

Partially Air Driedⁱ - Lumber

Veneers which grains have been glued parallel to one another.

A term used to describe panel products made from particles of wood larger than fiber.

Price at Time of Shipment

Particleboardⁱ Coreⁱ

Poly Brominated Diphenyl Ethers

Polychlorinated biphenyl. Any of several organic compounds used in plastics manufacturing. Toxic and persistent environmental pollutants and tend to accumulate in animal tissues.

To produce veneer by revolving a peeler block against a knife.

Phenol Formaldehydeⁱ -an exterior gradeⁱ resinⁱ used as a replacement for urea formaldehydeⁱ.

A moisture resistant exterior gradeⁱ resinⁱ primarily used in softwood plywood and OSBⁱ. Phenols are popular because of their exterior grade bonds, but are slow to cure and generally "darken" panels, as these panels have to stay in the press longer in order to cure. When phenol formaldehydeⁱ cures in the manufacturing process, it becomes inert. That is too say there is no off gassing of any formaldehyde.

Round Timbers or Poles driven into the ground to support a load.

A machine to surface rough lumber.

FSCⁱ Certified, no added urea formaldehydeⁱ and recycled content

A panel made up of thin sheets of veneer which the grainⁱ direction is at right angles to each other.

Diphenylmethane Diisocyanate - Resinⁱ used to bind agriculture fiber into compositeⁱ panels - Contains no added Urea Formaldehydeⁱ

This term relates to material recovered after the end user. Recycled household materials such as newspaper, magazines, and cardboard are examples of post consumer recycled materials.

A material or product that has served its intended use and has been discarded for disposal through the hands of the end user.

Ponderosa Pine

This term relates to material recovered during the production process, before the product gets to the end user. Sawmills that produce sawdust and shavings for use in MDFⁱ or particleboardⁱ are an example.

Performance Rated Sheathingⁱ - Refers to OSBⁱ and Plywood. This gradeⁱ is designed to meet certain structural codes.

Plain Sliced - Veneer Term for the method of cutting the flitchⁱ from the log

Parallel Strand Lumber

Pressure Treated - usually refers to Preservative treated lumber or plywood (although it should be preservative treated since pressure treatment is a process not an end result)

A soft, moist mass of wood fiber used in the manufacture of paper.

Panel Source Brand name for all panels and lumber that are untreated.

Poly vinyl acetate (or "white glue" as it is more commonly know as) is used for interior work, and is common in the production of hardwood plywood. PVAⁱ is commonly used now to replace UFⁱ resins when a UF Free product is required. Somewhat harder to use than UF.

Panel Source brand name for fire retardant products.

Lumber sawn so that the annual rings form angles of 45 to 90 degrees with the surface of the piece.

Rotary Cut - Veneer Term describing the method for cutting wood veneer from a log.

Renewable Energyⁱ is energy that is derived from continuously available sources that do not rely on exhaustible fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas. Renewable includes, solar, wind, hydro, geothermal, and tidal.

To saw a piece of lumber along its horizontal axis.

A naturalⁱ vegetable substance occurring in various plants and trees, especially the coniferous species.

Random Length - Lumber

Random Odd and Even Lengths - Lumber and shipping term

Rough Green means that the lumber is not surfaced or dried.

Ready To Assemble - Term for furniture

Random Width - Lumber

Random Width Random Length - Lumber

Surfaced Dry - Lumber

Surfaced Green - Lumber

Surfaced Four Sides - Lumber

The portion of a window that holds the glass.

A series of blades that are fixed vertically between two horizontal members; used to rip cants.

The shaft and bearings that hold a power-driven saw.

Inferior hardwood lumber.

Scientific Certification Systems - Certifies companies to the FSCⁱ Standard

Panel Source Chain of Custodyⁱ number

Green wood, either air-dried or mechanically dried to remove moisture to improve serviceability.

Square Foot

A lengthwise grainⁱ separation between growth rings, or a break through the rings, usually the result of high winds.

The tendency of wood fibers to slide longitudinally.

Plywood, waferboardⁱ, OSBⁱ, or lumber used to close up side walls.

The exterior portion of a log removed by a saw, having one flat and one curved surface.

Veneer that is cut from a block using a knife which results in individual pieces instead of a continuous sheet.

Spruce Pine Fir - Lumber

Stress Rated - Plywood

Select Structural - Lumber Gradeⁱ

Lumber Gradeⁱ

A commitment to make environmental protection and enhancement an integral part of the corporate mission.

Select Tight Knot - Lumber Gradeⁱ

Particleboardⁱ made from wheat straw. An alternative to wood based particleboard.

Plywood Term referring to material that meets a structural requirement.

Slender wood structural member used as a supporting element in walls and partitions.

The monetary value of standing timber.

Wood product taken from the stump portion of a severed tree.

Southern Yellow Pine

Tongue and Groove - A specific cut on the side of plywood that allows the material to snap together. Very common in flooring applications.

Timber Engineering Company

Truckload

A beam that receives the end of a header in floor framingⁱ.

An interior gradeⁱ resinⁱ used heavily in particleboardⁱ, MDFⁱ, and hardwood plywood manufacturing. UF is popular because it’s easy to use, low cost, and works under a wide range of conditions. It does, however, off gas urea formaldehydeⁱ.

Urea Formaldehydeⁱ Free

A loss in inventory volume, so that the amount manufactured or sold was less than was indicated by the volume of raw material.

Usually a thin particleboard