Specifying Southern Pine Lumber

Specifying

Southern Pine

Lumber

Specifying Southern Pine lumber Southern Pine lumber for your project requires more than measurements. Considerations include structural requirements, moisture resistance, appearance, workability, cost, environmental impact, code compliance, durability, and dimensional stability – just to name a few.

But each consideration is crucial to selecting the right lumber for your project’s overall success and longevity.

The Southern Forest Products Association offers assistance and guidance on specifying Southern Pine lumber in the following areas:

Specification Guidelines

The Southern Forest Products Association provides guidelines to help specify the most economical and efficient use of Southern Pine lumber products and minimize misunderstandings between specifier and supplier.

Southern Pine Lumber Sizing

Securing and using properly sized Southern Pine lumber is crucial for a successful and longstanding project. The right-sized lumber can ensure structural integrity, safety, and efficiency.

Southern Pine Seasoning Requirements

One of the qualities that makes Southern Pine lumber structurally superior as a building material is the requirement that dimension lumber 2 inches thick or less must be dried to a maximum moisture content of 19% for optimal dimensional stability.

American Softwood Lumber Standard

The U.S. Department of Commerce’s American Softwood Lumber Standard PS 20 correlates lumber size to moisture content. Green and dry lumber is measured using separate size schedules to ensure both products will approximate the same size in service.