Timber merchants—understanding timber terminology

• Clear timber: what you'll be looking for at the timber merchants—good quality wood that doesn't have any defects.
• Cupped wood: something you'll want to avoid at the timber merchants. Cupped wood has a warped curve across the width.
• Fibreboard: this is the term timber merchants use for manmade material produced in sheets and made from pulped wood bonded with resins. Types of firebroard you might find at the timber merchants include insulation boards, hardboard and MDF (medium density fibreboard).
• Figure: a term used by timber merchants to describe the patterns on wood made by growth rings, grain and knots.
• Grain: timber merchants may talk about the grain in wood. It means the direction and appearance of the fibres in the timber. There are several types of grain: close-grained wood is fine-textured with narrow rings, while open-grained wood is coarse-textured with a visible pattern. Straight-grained wood is the easiest to cut.
• Hardwood: the more expensive wood you'll find at the timber merchants. Hardwood comes from tropical evergreen trees such as mahogany, ebony and teak, or from deciduous trees, such as oak. As the name suggests, hardwoods are usually harder than softwoods, but there are exceptions. For example, balsa is a hardwood, and yew, which is quite hard, is a softwood.
• Knots: the round, dark marks found in wood are the residues of branches in the trees. You'll want to avoid timber with large knots at the timber merchants, as this is a sign that the wood is weak.
• PAR: An abbreviation you might come across at the timber merchants. PAR is timber that is planed all round, while PBS is planed both sides.
• Sawn: sawn wood has a rough finish. Timber merchants sell it mainly for use in structural work.
• Softwood: softwood, such as pine, comes from coniferous trees.
• Tongue and groove: a term used by timber merchants to describe a technique for constructing buildings and flooring. The tongue on top of one board interlocks into a groove on the bottom of the next board.

Environmentally-friendly timber tip:

Want to make sure that your timber merchant stocks wood from a sustainably managed forest? Ask the timber merchant if they stock Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified wood. The organisation is supported by many high-profile environmental organisations.