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Materials

Structural timber

Structural timber is sawn wood that has been strength graded so it can be used in load-bearing construction with known properties.

Also known as strength-graded timber, C24 timber, C16 timber, CLS timber, framing lumber, dimensional lumber

Each piece is graded visually or by machine and assigned a strength class, such as C16 or C24 in Europe. The class tells the engineer what bending strength and stiffness to design with. Structural timber is also dried to a controlled moisture content and often planed to consistent dimensions.

It is the raw material of timber-frame construction: studs, plates, joists and truss members. Consistent dimensions matter as much as strength in a factory, because machines and jigs assume the timber is the size the drawing says it is.

Related terms
StudA stud is one of the vertical members that make up the frame of a wall panel. Moisture content (timber)Moisture content is the weight of water in a piece of wood expressed as a percentage of its dry weight. Crosscut sawA crosscut saw cuts timber across the grain to length and angle, producing the individual members for trusses, walls and floors.
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