A board foot (bdft.) is a standard of measurement equal to one square foot that is one inch thick. This measurement is used to measure the volume of lumber.

You can order Alder wood by the board foot above or choose the exact size you need.

When lumber is cut at a lumber mill, the thickness is traditionally measured in quarters of an inch. For example, 4/4 equates to 1 inch and 8/4 equates to 2 inches thick.

When you order Alder lumber from us, it is surfaced on both sides (S2S), resulting in a loss of about 3/16 of an inch in thickness.

4/4 lumber will come surfaced to 13/16" thick, and 8/4 to 1 & 13/16".

After sanding or shaping, you should be left with about 3/4" workable material.

Looking for thinner material? See Project Ready wood.

S2S means the lumber will be surfaced on two sides—it is planed smooth on the top and bottom face but not sanded. The edges are left rough.
S4S means the lumber will be surfaced on four sides—it is planed smooth on the top and bottom face with both edges trimmed straight and to size.

All S4S and S2S lumber is planed but not sanded. It will need sanding before a finish can be applied.

Looking for sanded, ready-to-go wood? See Project Ready wood.

All our Lumber is Select and Better (Sel&Btr) grade unless otherwise specified. Select and Better is the highest grade available.
Most pieces will be 83% to completely clear. Small peices are usually completely clear, while larger pieces might have small defects or a few sound knots.

Our Alder wood is kiln dried. Kiln drying is an effective way of drying green (freshly cut) lumber in a controlled environment to a specific moisture content. The resulting dried wood is stronger and more stable.