1. What Does An NHLA Lumber Grade Tell You?
An NHLA grade is a standardized evaluation of a hardwood board based on established inspection rules. Instead of judging a board only by its overall appearance, the system looks at the amount of usable material that can be cut from it.
A key concept is the clear cutting. This is a section of the board that satisfies the applicable requirements for usable wood without defects that would disqualify that cutting under the grading rules. To establish a grade, an inspector considers factors such as board dimensions, surface measure, percentage of clear yield, allowable cutting size, number of cuttings, and the defects or natural characteristics permitted within the rules.
That approach reflects how hardwood is actually used. A furniture plant may not need an entire board to remain clear from end to end. Instead, it may need enough clear sections to produce drawer fronts, rails, stiles, legs, or other components.
The grade therefore gives buyers a way to estimate the usable yield they may be able to obtain from a board.
2. What Are The Main NHLA Hardwood Lumber Grades?
The NHLA system includes several clear-face and sound-cutting grades. The grades commonly encountered in hardwood purchasing include:
- FAS: An upper grade that provides a high percentage of relatively large, clear cuttings.
- FAS One Face, Or F1F: The better face meets FAS requirements while the poorer face meets No. 1 Common requirements.
- Selects: Closely related to F1F, but it allows smaller minimum board dimensions.
- No. 1 Common: Offers less clear yield than FAS but can be very useful for cabinets, furniture, and products made from smaller components.
- No. 2A Common: Requires at least 50 percent clear-cutting yield and may be suitable when shorter or smaller clear pieces are acceptable.
- No. 2B Common: Uses the same general yield level as No. 2A Common, but the qualifying cuttings must be sound rather than clear.
- Lower Common Grades: No. 3A Common and No. 3B Common are also part of the system and can serve certain industrial and component-manufacturing needs.
Choosing among these grades should be based on the product being made, not simply on selecting the highest grade available.
3. How Does The FAS Hardwood Lumber Grade Work?
FAS Requires A High Percentage Of Clear Wood
FAS is among the most familiar terms in hardwood grading. The name comes from Firsts and Seconds.
Under the standard grading rules, FAS boards generally need to measure at least 6 inches wide and 8 feet long. They must provide at least 83 1/3 percent clear-wood yield, while also satisfying requirements for the size and number of clear cuttings. Standard minimum cutting dimensions include 4 inches by 5 feet or 3 inches by 7 feet.
Because of those requirements, FAS can be valuable when production calls for relatively long or wide pieces of clear lumber. Architectural millwork, furniture components, interior joinery, doors, and long mouldings are examples of products that may benefit from larger clear sections.
A board graded FAS is not necessarily flawless across every square inch. The designation means it meets the specific yield and cutting standards required for that grade.
F1F And Selects Offer Related Upper-Grade Options
FAS One Face, generally shortened to F1F, differs from FAS because only the better face must satisfy FAS requirements. The poorer face must meet No. 1 Common.
Selects operates in a similar way but permits smaller board sizes. Under the standard grading system, Selects boards can begin at 4 inches wide and 6 feet long. This can make the grade useful for buyers seeking upper-grade characteristics without needing the larger minimum dimensions associated with FAS.
When purchasing upper-grade hardwood, buyers should also understand how suppliers specify FAS, F1F, and Selects because these grades may sometimes be sold in combinations.
4. What Is No. 1 Common Hardwood Lumber?
No. 1 Common Can Make Sense For Component Manufacturing
No. 1 Common is widely used throughout the hardwood industry and is sometimes referred to as a cabinet grade because its clear sections can be well suited to many furniture and cabinet components.
Boards in this grade can begin at 3 inches wide and 4 feet long. No. 1 Common requires at least 66 2/3 percent clear-cutting yield, but less than the minimum required for FAS. A qualifying clear cutting may be as small as 4 inches by 2 feet or 3 inches by 3 feet, subject to the full grading rules.
Those dimensions can work very well for manufacturers whose finished parts are relatively short. If a cabinet shop or furniture manufacturer plans to crosscut boards into smaller pieces anyway, paying more for long uninterrupted clear sections may provide little additional value.
In that type of production environment, No. 1 Common can offer a useful balance between purchase price and recoverable material.
5. What Is No. 2 Common Hardwood Lumber?
No. 2A Common lowers the required clear yield further. Standard boards can begin at 3 inches wide and 4 feet long, with a required clear-cutting yield of at least 50 percent. The minimum clear cutting is generally 3 inches by 2 feet.
This grade can work well when a manufacturing process relies on shorter or narrower parts. Hardwood flooring is one example because boards are often processed into finished pieces that are considerably smaller than the original rough lumber.
No. 2B Common uses similar dimensional and yield requirements, but the qualifying cuttings need to be sound rather than clear. That makes it useful in situations where structurally sound material matters more than obtaining clear appearance pieces.
A lower NHLA grade should therefore not be treated as worthless lumber. Whether it is useful depends on the dimensions and quality requirements of the finished product.
6. Are NHLA Lumber Grades Based On Appearance?
Not entirely. Hardwood naturally contains characteristics such as mineral streaks, knots, heartwood, sapwood, color variation, and checks. Some of these characteristics influence grade, while others may still be permitted depending on the species and the applicable grading rule.
The central purpose of NHLA grading is to evaluate usable yield according to defined standards. Two boards carrying the same grade do not necessarily have identical color, grain pattern, figure, or overall appearance.
This is especially relevant when buying hardwoods such as White Oak, Walnut, Cherry, Hickory, Red Oak, and Soft Maple. A manufacturer may care about color consistency, the amount of sapwood, grain orientation, width, or length in addition to the NHLA grade.
When those characteristics are critical to the finished product, they may need to be specified separately.
7. Does A Higher NHLA Grade Always Mean Better Lumber?
No. A higher grade means the board satisfies a different set of grading requirements. Whether it is actually better for a particular buyer depends on the intended use.
A manufacturer needing wide and long clear pieces may benefit from FAS because the larger clear cuttings can improve recovery. On the other hand, a company producing components that are only 18, 24, or 30 inches long may not gain enough from those longer clear sections to justify the additional lumber cost.
Instead of asking only which grade is highest, buyers should consider which grade delivers the best combination of usable yield, required component size, quality, and cost for their production process.
That distinction becomes increasingly important when hardwood is purchased in large volumes.
8. Why Are NHLA Lumber Grades Important To Hardwood Buyers?
A recognized grading standard allows hardwood to be bought and sold between companies that may be located hundreds or thousands of miles apart. Buyers need a common vocabulary that helps them understand what a supplier means when a particular grade is specified.
NHLA grades help hardwood buyers and sellers:
- Establish expectations: Both parties can work from recognized grading terminology.
- Compare lumber: Grades create useful reference points when evaluating available material.
- Estimate yield: Manufacturers can match grades to the sizes of the components they need to produce.
- Manage costs: Buyers may avoid paying for a higher grade when their process does not require it.
- Reduce waste: Choosing lumber that fits component requirements can improve board utilization.
- Plan production: More predictable specifications can simplify cutting and processing decisions.
- Support international trade: NHLA grade terminology is widely used when American hardwood lumber is shipped to buyers around the world.
For a company buying truckloads or containers of hardwood, changes in recovery can significantly affect material costs and production efficiency.
9. How Is An NHLA Hardwood Lumber Grade Determined?
Surface Measure Is Part Of The Grading Calculation
One of the fundamental measurements used in NHLA grading is surface measure, usually abbreviated as SM. It represents the surface area of a board in square feet and is used when calculating how much qualifying material a board must yield to meet a particular grade.
The grading process involves identifying the species, calculating surface measure, evaluating the relevant face or faces, locating allowable cuttings, and determining whether those cuttings provide enough qualifying yield. Inspectors must also account for defect limitations and any grading provisions that apply to the particular species.
For that reason, professional lumber grading involves much more than looking at a board and deciding whether it appears to be good lumber. Applying NHLA rules correctly requires knowledge and training.
Both Faces Can Affect The Final Grade
The poorer face of a board can also play an important role in grading. Inspectors cannot always assign a grade based solely on whichever face looks better.
Standard FAS requirements, for example, apply to both faces. F1F is different because the better face must meet FAS requirements while the poorer face must meet No. 1 Common.
That relationship between the two faces is an important part of understanding what a particular grade actually represents.
10. Do NHLA Grades Measure Hardwood Strength?
No. NHLA hardwood grades are different from structural lumber grades. The system is intended primarily for hardwood that will be remanufactured into other products. Its focus is the usable cuttings that can be recovered from a board, rather than determining how much structural load that board can safely support.
An NHLA grade also does not provide a complete measurement of hardness, density, stability, durability, or machining performance. Those qualities depend heavily on the species and other characteristics of the lumber.
For example, a lower-grade White Oak board still retains the fundamental physical properties associated with White Oak even if the location of defects prevents that particular board from qualifying as FAS.
11. Do NHLA Lumber Grades Vary By Hardwood Species?
The standard grading rules provide the basic framework, but species-specific rules and exceptions can apply.
Depending on the hardwood species, there may be different requirements or considerations involving minimum board dimensions, sapwood, heartwood, color, defects, or other characteristics. A detailed lumber specification should therefore include more than simply requesting FAS or No. 1 Common when additional requirements matter.
Thickness, drying, width, length, color, grain, and the final application can all influence which lumber makes the most sense for a buyer. That is one of the reasons it is valuable to work with a hardwood supplier that understands both NHLA grading and the requirements of the customer’s manufacturing process.
12. How Can Understanding NHLA Lumber Grades Help Reduce Costs?
The financial benefit comes from selecting hardwood according to the yield a manufacturer actually needs instead of automatically specifying the highest possible grade.
Higher grades can cost more, but that added expense does not always create better production economics. A plant making small furniture parts, for example, may be able to recover the pieces it needs from a Common grade even if additional cuts are required to remove defects. The lower material cost may outweigh the extra processing.
A manufacturer producing long architectural mouldings could reach the opposite conclusion. In that setting, paying more for lumber that provides long clear cuttings may improve recovery enough to make the higher grade worthwhile.
The purchase price per board foot is therefore only part of the calculation. Manufacturers should also consider waste, labor, machine time, production speed, component yield, and the value of the finished product.
A better understanding of NHLA grading gives buyers more information for making those decisions.
Choose A Hardwood Lumber Supplier That Understands NHLA Grades
Hardwood purchasing involves more than selecting a species and asking for a board-foot price. Grade, thickness, width, length, drying, color, grain, and intended use can all influence whether a particular load of lumber is right for a customer.
Those details become even more important when manufacturers purchase hardwood in substantial quantities. A specification that works very well for one operation could be unnecessarily expensive or inefficient for another.
At Select Hardwoods, we supply American hardwood lumber and help customers select material that fits their production requirements. Our hardwood offerings include Rift and Quartered White Oak, Plain Sawn White Oak, Red Oak, Walnut, Cherry, Poplar, Hickory, Soft Maple, Sycamore, Ash, and American Beech.
Whether the lumber is intended for furniture, cabinets, flooring, millwork, architectural products, components, or another manufacturing use, understanding NHLA lumber grades can help buyers make more informed purchasing decisions.
If you need American hardwood lumber and want assistance choosing the appropriate species, grade, and specifications for your operation, choose Select Hardwoods. Contact us to discuss your hardwood requirements and determine which material makes the most sense for your next order.