Lumber from B.C. comes in standard grades, seasoned to the consumers’ needs. It entirely circumvents the cumbersome process of using logs and dealing with handling, wasteand the enormous amount of time needed to season the product to bring it into a user-friendly form.
Wood products come from sustainably managed forests with a number of independent certifications. Customers and consumers can be assured that the wood they use is high-quality, standardized and most importantly has an overall positive impact on the environment.
Another important advantage that customers gain from using sawn lumber from B.C., Canada is that the products come in standard grades and sizes. This means that when you order a product you can be assured of what you will be getting, which is quite unlike some other wood varieties available in the market today. Also, as a user you gain a high degree of control over cost as the lumber grade can be chosen to fit the application and budgetary considerations.
Basis of grading & sizing lumber made from wood species of B.C., Canada is produced for the structural or appearance market. In the appearance market, the durability, grain, color and amount of clear lumber is important. For structural market, grades are applied to each piece of lumber so that the buyer knows that he is getting a product consistently graded to a standard. Grades take into account the size and location of defects, as well as the suitability of the piece for the end use for which it is intended.Moisture content & kiln drying sawn lumber from B.C. is heat treated (HT) and kiln dried (KD) for performance and depending on the end use, the final moisture content is determined. Kiln dried (KD) lumber is wood that has gone through a carefully managed drying process in which temperature and humidity are controlled in order to remove moisture from the wood. The wood is further heat treated to make the lumber export ready.
Kiln drying is done to
- Improve stability
- Decrease shrinkage
- Lessen vulnerability to insects and rot
- Make wood easier to work with
- Make wood easier to finish
- Make wood suitable for gluing or coating
For structural applications wood is dried to an average moisture content of 19% and comes in highly standardized sizes. Lumber that is intended for non-structural purposes like furniture, doors and millwork can be dried to a lower moisture content of 10-14%.
