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lumber sizing reference…

July 15th, 2008 by Bryan

You might be interested…but i’m posted this so I never have to search elsewhere again.  It’s those damn 2×8s and 2×10s that always get me… 1/4″ bah.   Stolen from here.
Nominal Size - is the size of a piece of lumber before it is dressed and seasoned. It is used to designate a particular size piece of lumber, such as 2×4, 2×6, etc.

Actual Size - refers to minimum acceptable size after it has been dressed and seasoned. A nominal 2×4 can have a minimum actual size of 1.5″ x 3.5″. When referring to a specific piece of lumber, the nominal size is used.

Size Chart

Framing Lumber

Nominal Size
Actual Size
2 x 2
1 1/2 x 1 1/2
2 x 3
1 1/2 x 2 1/2
2 x 4
1 1/2 x 3 1/2
2 x 6
1 1/2 x 5 1/2
2 x 8
1 1/2 x 7 1/4
2 x 10
1 1/2 x 9 1/4
2 x 12
1 1/2 x 11 1/4
4 x 4
3 1/2 x 3 1/2
4 x 6
3 1/2 x 5 1/2
4 x 10
3 1/2 x 9 1/4
6 x 6
5 1/2 x 5 1/2

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  • 1 the milliner Jul 16, 2008 at 12:25 pm

    Thanks for the reference! One of those tricks of the trade that’s easy to forget if you don’t work with lumber that often. And totally annoying if you don’t remember it while doing some calculations for a weekend home project.