Shouldn't the normal size be 2? Given, well, the name?
You'd think so, but no.
Short story is the 'nominal' size is the size before going into a planer to smooth the faces.
Yes, it makes little sense, like many things related to construction stuff.
It's not a 2x4 it's a "2x4."
And if you're a fan of quotation marks you could call it a "2"x4"."
You have to escape the quotes....
"2\"x4\"" or use differing quotes '2"x4"'
The two-by-fours at your local home center are not 2 inches thick or 4 inches wide...not anymore at least. They spent several weeks at that size though. The sawmill cut them to that size to stack and kiln dry, and then when removed from the kiln they are then milled straight and square. Used to be they would sell the rough stock to carpenters who would do the milling themselves, but then they figured out that the railroads were charging them a fortune to ship a lot of wood that was going to be ground to sawdust anyway, so they started milling the boards before shipment. Same amount of construction lumber arrives at the construction site and it took less fuel for the locomotive to deliver it.
they are then milled straight and square
Lol. Trying to find lumber that's straight and square is a pipe dream these days.
Lumber is weird because it has been industry standard to lie about dimensions since before the US existed so it’s just kinda a thing they get to do
It's not exactly a lie, just a standard. Nominal board sizes were based on the unfinished lumber size. Another 1/4 inch is taken off each side to get a smooth surface that makes it easier to work with.
Here's an old image (reddit warning)
that shows the rough cuts of boards from a log. When they look at a log, they determine how many of each size they can get from it, and at that point, a 2x4 is 2 inches by 4 inches.
Why does the consumer need to know the dimensions at harvest when it's been processed multiple times?
That's like calling an 4oz can of evaporated milk a gallon because it came from a gallon of milk before processing (I have no clue on the ratio)
I it’s like calling a quarter pounder a quarter pounder. You are not getting a quarter bound of burger after cooking.
Not entirely true. I lived in a house that was just over a century old. The framing was exactly what it said it was, a 2x4 was 2” by 4”. Same for all the structure. These were mill cut, but still pretty clean. It was WW2-ish and after that we started to get planed lumber that gave us 1.5x3.5. It wasn’t even until probably the early part of the 1900s that lumber started to become “dimensional”, as in the standard sizes we know of today.
As if american measurements have ever made sense. Look up how they measure screws or wires and despair.
It's a wonder they manage to build anything. They have pocket calculators dedicated to the building industry. It's surreal.
The convention is 2" before milling. Milling takes off 1/4"on each side, so the result is 1.5".
They were when the name was made, but due to changes in the manufacturing process, they aren't anymore. The name stuck, though.
https://www.popsci.com/two-by-four-lumber-measurements-explained/
It's due to the milling to square it.
You can get rough cut 2x4 or 2x2 or anything that are actually that size but by the time you trim and square it you will end up at the measurements sold in big box stores
Edit: I mean the size they used to be in store, not OPs version :(
Is nobody gonna call out OP for wearing socks with sandals? ...and, ostensibly, while preparing to do carpentry?!?
That's like a cardinal sin squared!
Nah nothing wrong with wearing socks with sandals when you’re home. Do what ever the hell you want.
But I do agree with wearing proper footwear while doing dangerous things.
Can't you see those are safety sandals. And just like safety squints, are approved PPE across the whole 3rd world industrial sphere. OP will be perfectly safe.
At least the socks aren't white.
Um, wait. I would think that violates some sort of law (but I guess maybe we haven't codified this?). I mean, building plans expect standards in materials, right? So how can a building meet codes if the materials are not within the expected specs?
Agreed, seems like some kind of weights and measures violation.
I'm going to guess they can get away with this because 2x2s aren't intended for structural use. I've never built one into a floor, wall or ceiling.
2x2PT has been 1.25x1.25 for as long as I can remember (10 years or more). It's only the pressure treated deck stuff for railings. This does not apply to the rest of the 2x lumber, as those are still 1.5 actual. I got Simpson corner 2x2 brackets for crazy cheap way back but ended up not really using them. The 2x2s are warped to hell and a ripped 2x4 was too big in the original 2x dimension.
I'm wondering if it's a regional thing? I just looked online for pressure treated 2x2's and all the ones I'm seeing (home hardware, home depot, advantage lumber, etc) list as actual being 1.5x1.5
Why is 2x2 meant to be 1.5x1.5 and not 2x2?
Premill size vs sale size. Something like that. Probably not the correct term.
Similar to how steak is measures in precooked weights.
2x4 is the rough cut dimensions from the sawmill. They end up smaller after drying (wood can hold a lot of water) and planing.
*Planed/straight wood versus raw lumber. It threw me off when I first started building stuff and summed that a 2x4 was actually 2"x4" in all my measurements/plans
*Or it would be straight if you're lucky and don't pick from the top of the bin at Home Depot
The old * uncooked weight
TBH that looks like a furring strip, not dimensional lumber
It's possible they stocked the wrong thing, but it was rung up as Pressure-Treated so maybe they applied the wrong barcode?
That green tint means it is pressure treated. Just take it back (this time bring a tape measure.)
And clip it to the belt loop of your khaki cargo shorts like the rest of us weekend warrior dads 😂
It's still a bit small, but pressure treated being a little smaller than framing lumber is not necessarily a secret:
I appreciate you covering your open toes, safety socks so you’re compliant.
Looks oversized to me, that's 3.25 cm x 3.25 cm, looks like they could take it down by 40% and still call it a 2x2 😇
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