7/25/22, 12:08 AM Dimensional Lumber Sizes For Building and Remodeling

HOME IMPROVEMENT

SKILLS & SPECIALTIES

TOOLS & MATERIALS

Dimensional Lumber Sizes For

Building and Remodeling
By
LEE WALLENDER
Updated on 04/05/22

Reviewed by
DEANE BIERMEIER

Fact checked by
JILLIAN DARA

BACK
TO TOP

SafakOguz / Getty Images

https://www.thespruce.com/dimensional-lumber-definition-1821735 1/16
7/25/22, 12:08 AM Dimensional Lumber Sizes For Building and Remodeling
SafakOguz / Getty Images

IN THIS ARTICLE
Dimensional Lumber Basics

History

Nominal and Actual Size

Common Sizes

Lengths

Matched Dimensions

Dimensional lumber is the structural element responsible for nearly

every type of residential home being built today. But how do
dimensional lumber sizes work and why is it so important to daily
lives?

DEFINITION
Dimensional Lumber
Dimensional lumber is wood lumber that is cut to pre-defined, standard
BACK
TO TOP sizes. Dimensional lumber sizes (such as two-by-four or 2x4) refer to the
depth and width of the material, not to its length.

https://www.thespruce.com/dimensional-lumber-definition-1821735 2/16
7/25/22, 12:08 AM Dimensional Lumber Sizes For Building and Remodeling

Dimensional Lumber Basics

Dimensional lumber is sawn, planed, and sometimes further
smoothed to make it immediately ready for many applications. It's
the most common type of lumber used for building because its

consistent sizing allows builders to use it interchangeably throughout

the home.

Standardization also means that builders or do-it-yourselfers

throughout the entire country are using lumber that is sized the same
way. A 2x4 with an actual measurement of 1 1/2 inches by 3 1/2 inches
in one state will be exactly the same as a 2x4 across the country. The
modern home would not be possible without dimensional lumber.

Dimensional Lumber Basics

■ Dimensional lumber is lumber that is cut to standard widths
and depths, but never lengths.

■ Typical dimensional lumber: 2x4s, 2x6s, and 4x4s.

■ Sheet goods, though cut to standard sizes, are not considered

to be dimensional lumber.
BACK
TO TOP ■ Nominal and actual dimensions differ.

■ The nominal dimension is the name of the lumber: 2x4 or

two-by-four, for example.
https://www.thespruce.com/dimensional-lumber-definition-1821735 3/16
7/25/22, 12:08 AM Dimensional Lumber Sizes For Building and Remodeling

■ The actual dimension is the size: 1 1/2 inches by 3 1/2 inches,

for example.

■ Older homes may have lumber with nominal and actual

dimensions that match: 2x4s that are actually 2 inches by 4
inches.

Dimensional Lumber and Modern

Building
As early as the 1870s, lumberyards began to use the now-familiar 2x4
or 2x6 designations for dimensional lumber. But it wasn't until the
1920s that the term "dimensional lumber" came into popular use to
distinguish lumber cut to pre-determined sizes from other types of
wood, such as corded wood for fireplaces.

During this period, the building industry sought to control costs and
minimize waste by developing standard sizes and grades for building
timber. Most significant, though, was the rapid change from the post-
and-beam style of house framing to the more efficient balloon
framing style.

BACK
TO TOP
It is rarely necessary to use the term dimensional lumber
when shopping for building materials. All lumber you will
buy at lumber yards or home centers will be already cut to
https://www.thespruce.com/dimensional-lumber-definition-1821735 4/16
7/25/22, 12:08 AM Dimensional Lumber Sizes For Building and Remodeling

pre-determined sizes.

For the average do-it-yourselfer, most long, thin lumber that will be
used for building is considered to be dimensional lumber. Other

types of lumber, such as plywood and other sheet goods, are offered
in prescribed standard sizes but are not referred to as dimensional
lumber.

Nominal Size vs. Actual Size Dimensional

Lumber
All dimensional lumber has both nominal and actual dimensions.
The most familiar type of dimensional lumber is the 2x4. Due to the
thickness of the saw blade and additional milling processes, the
resultant 2x4 product is not 2 inches by 4 inches. Instead, it is 1 1/2
inches by 3 1/2 inches.

Tip
One rule of thumb for quickly calculating actual lumber width:
subtract 1/2-inch from the nominal width on all except for 1-inch
nominal width boards. For 1-inch nominal boards, subtract 1/4-
BACK
TO TOP inch.

I b diffi
https://www.thespruce.com/dimensional-lumber-definition-1821735 l b h diff b i l d 5/16
7/25/22, 12:08 AM Dimensional Lumber Sizes For Building and Remodeling

It can be difficult to remember the difference between nominal and

actual dimensions. Even experienced woodworkers or do-it-
yourselfers may find themselves struggling to remember the true
width of a 2x10.

Nominal Lumber Sizes

Nominal is the giveaway and an easy way to remember this one.
Nominal means name, or in this sense, existing in name only.

So, a 2x4 that in the physical, real sense is 1 1/2 inches by 3 1/2 inches,
is only in name 2 inches by 4 inches. In essence, we are saying we
have applied a certain nickname to the board, but this nickname does
not accurately describe the board's physical sense.

Actual Lumber Sizes

Actual size is as actual and real as if you were using a tape measure or
a straight edge to measure the dimensions of the stock. Actual size is
anywhere from 1/4 inch to 3/4 inch less than nominal size.

Common Dimensional Lumber Sizes

Softwoods such as Douglas fir, spruce, or Hem-Fir (a mixture of
Western Hemlock and Amabilis Fir) used for building framing have
BACK
TO TOP the following nominal and actual dimensions. These dimensions do
not apply to laminated veneer lumber boards, hardwoods, or
floorboards.

https://www.thespruce.com/dimensional-lumber-definition-1821735 6/16
7/25/22, 12:08 AM Dimensional Lumber Sizes For Building and Remodeling

Dimensional Lumber: Nominal Size vs. Actual Size

Nominal Size Actual Size

Two-by-four or 2 x 4 1 1/2 inches x 3 1/2 inches

Two-by-six or 2 x 6  1 1/2 inches x 5 1/2 inches

Two-by-eight or 2 x 8 1 1/2 inches x 7 1/4 inches

Two-by-ten or 2 x 10 1 1/2 inches x 9 1/4 inches

One-by-two or 1 x 2 3/4-inch x 1 1/2 inches

One-by-three or 1 x 3 3/4-inch x 2 1/2 inches

One-by-four or 1 x 4 3/4-inch x 3 1/2 inches

Dimensional Lumber Lengths

In relation to the term dimensional lumber, dimensions only refer to
the width and depth. Thus, a dimensional 2x4 board can be 12 feet
long, for example, but that length is not figured into the dimensions.
The length is treated separately.

Lengths typically are shown as the last number. A typical dimensional

lumber designation might read as such: "2 in. x 4 in. x 8 ft."

BACK This can be confusing because it is a mixture of nominal and actual

TO TOP
sizes. The first two numbers (2 inches and 4 inches) are nominal
widths and depths for the lumber. As stated earlier, their actual sizes
are 1 1/2 inches and 3 1/2 inches.
https://www.thespruce.com/dimensional-lumber-definition-1821735 7/16
7/25/22, 12:08 AM Dimensional Lumber Sizes For Building and Remodeling
are 1 1/2 inches and 3 1/2 inches.

Yet lengths of dimensional stock are always expressed as actual sizes.

So, this example board's actual length is 8 feet. When you take that "2
in. x 4 in. x 8 ft." board home, it will actually measure out to be 1 1/2
inches by 3 1/2 inches by 8 feet.

When Nominal and Actual Dimensions

Match
In rare cases, the wood's nominal dimensions and actual dimensions
are the same.

Anyone tearing down an especially old home may have encountered

this. The wood feels somewhat thicker, but it's not until a tape
measure is applied that this two-by-four proves to actually be 2
inches by 4 inches.

Actual dimensional sizes have shifted over the years. Many older
homes have nominal dimension 2x4s that are actually 2 inches by 4
inches.

While it's tempting to want to reuse this stock for other applications
around the house, it can be difficult, unless those other areas also use
the older type.

If you tried to repair or sister a newer wall system (built with

BACK
TO TOP modern-day 2x4s) with that older stud, portions of the older stud
would protrude, making it impossible to hang the drywall. The older
stud would either need to be milled down to today's dimensions or
https://www.thespruce.com/dimensional-lumber-definition-1821735 8/16
7/25/22, 12:08 AM Dimensional Lumber Sizes For Building and Remodeling

used in another area of the house that still uses the older type.

RELATED TOPICS
INTERIOR REMODEL FRAMEWORK CARPENTRY & WOODWORKING

CARPENTRY & WOODWORKING

How to Build a Grilling Cart

By KAMRON SANDERS

TOOLS & MATERIALS

How to Build a Socket Organizer
By KAMRON SANDERS

BACK
TO TOP

https://www.thespruce.com/dimensional-lumber-definition-1821735 9/16
7/25/22, 12:08 AM Dimensional Lumber Sizes For Building and Remodeling

WALLS & CEILINGS

How to Build a DIY Wood Slat Wall

By LEE WALLENDER

DECKS & PATIOS

How to Build Your Own Floating Wood Deck With
Concrete Blocks
By DAVID BEAULIEU

BUILDING FURNITURE
How to Build a Simple Storage Bench
BACK By LEE WALLENDER
TO TOP

https://www.thespruce.com/dimensional-lumber-definition-1821735 10/16
7/25/22, 12:08 AM Dimensional Lumber Sizes For Building and Remodeling

TOOLS & MATERIALS

How to Build DIY Dog Stairs

By KAMRON SANDERS

TOOLS & MATERIALS

How to Build a DIY Laundry Pedestal
By KAMRON SANDERS

BACK
TO TOP

DOORS & WINDOWS

What Size Header Is Needed for a Window

https://www.thespruce.com/dimensional-lumber-definition-1821735 11/16
7/25/22, 12:08 AM Dimensional Lumber Sizes For Building and Remodeling
W at S e eade s Needed o a W dow
By LEE WALLENDER

DIY PROJECTS
How to Build a DIY Window Plant Shelf
By LEE WALLENDER

WALLS & CEILINGS

Properly Space Your Shelves and Wall Supports

By BOB FORMISANO

BACK
TO TOP

https://www.thespruce.com/dimensional-lumber-definition-1821735 12/16
7/25/22, 12:08 AM Dimensional Lumber Sizes For Building and Remodeling

BUILDING FURNITURE

How to Build a Table

By LEE WALLENDER

BUILDING FURNITURE

Build Your Own DIY Platform Bed Frame

By LEE WALLENDER

BACK DECKS & PATIOS

TO TOP
How to Build a Porch
By LEE WALLENDER

https://www.thespruce.com/dimensional-lumber-definition-1821735 13/16
7/25/22, 12:08 AM Dimensional Lumber Sizes For Building and Remodeling

BUILDING PROJECTS

How to Build a Deck Gate

By KAMRON SANDERS

BUILDING PROJECTS

How to Build a Wood Retaining Wall

By LEE WALLENDER

BACK
TO TOP

https://www.thespruce.com/dimensional-lumber-definition-1821735 14/16
7/25/22, 12:08 AM Dimensional Lumber Sizes For Building and Remodeling

DOORS & WINDOWS

How to Build a Screen Door
By LEE WALLENDER

Get daily tips and tricks for making your

best home.

Enter your email SIGN UP

You can opt-out at any time. For more

details, see our Privacy Policy

Follow us:

DECOR About Us
BACK Terms Of Use
TO TOP GARDEN
Editorial Guidelines
HOME
IMPROVEMENT Cookies

https://www.thespruce.com/dimensional-lumber-definition-1821735 15/16
7/25/22, 12:08 AM Dimensional Lumber Sizes For Building and Remodeling

California Privacy
CLEANING
Notice
CELEBRATIONS Advertise

WHAT TO BUY Careers

Privacy Policy
NEWS
Contact

TRUSTe

The Spruce is part of the Dotdash Meredith publishing family.

We've updated our Privacy Policy, which will go in to effect on September 1, 2022. Check it out here.

BACK
TO TOP

https://www.thespruce.com/dimensional-lumber-definition-1821735 16/16