12/06/2019
Purchasing hardwood is very different than purchasing standard construction lumber. Hardwood is sold by the board foot, that is one board foot of hardwood is equivalent to 1" thick x 12" wide x 12" long. Hardwood lumber is considered 1" thick even if it is only 3/4" thick when purchased. However, you also need to take into consideration the method that the hardwood was calculated at the mill when you are purchasing your product since not all mills calculate the same way. There are two ways of calculating board footage and they are called "Gross Tally" and Net Tally". Below is an article that explains these differences and why they are used. So next time when you purchase your hardwoods, you can ask how their stock is calculated and sold by. It makes a big difference in the total board feet that you will receive to complete your project.
One of the most confounding measurements to understand if you haven’t been around the sawmill and lumber business for a long time is gross tally and net tally. What exactly is the difference between gross tally and net tally? And why is lumber sold both net tally and gross tally? How do you conver...