Lumber and timber are both wooden products and in many places are both used to describe the same thing. Either one can be used in construction for different requirements, more on that below, so when companies such as Multi-M Contracting, Inc and others of a similar nature, need to construct floorboards or structures, they must go through the process of picking out the best type that will produce solid and long-standing results. Despite the fact that they are pretty similar, there are some areas that make differences between the two.
What are the differences?
Timber is the term used for a tree that has not yet been processed into ‘lumber’. It is commonly described as the wood which is erect and attached to the earth’s ground. This means that ‘lumber’ is described as wood that is no longer attached to the ground.
| WOOD | LUMBER |
| Wood that still has bark On | Bark-less |
| Wooden boards | Prepared with measurements |
| Commercially available for construction | Ready for use in construction and furniture making |
However, in the UK and Australia the term ‘Timber’ is not only used to describe the felled tree, but also for sawn wooden products or boards that will be used for any external / internal project. In the United States the term ‘Lumber’ refers to timber cut into boards but, if the boards are five inches width or bigger, they can be referred to ‘timbers’.
Here at Timbersource, we specialise in supplying hardwood timbers such as European Kiln Dried, Seasoned and Green oak, and we have substantial stocks of American Poplar (Tulipwood), Cherry, Ash, Maple, Walnut, as well as standard African species of hardwoods including Sapele, Iroko and Idigbo. We also specialise in an array of softwood timbers in a collection of colours and durability levels, Click Here to take a look.
Timbersource are a leading online timber merchant in the UK, supplying high quality hardwoods and softwoods to the carpentry, joinery, construction, retail and building trade at competitive prices. Click Here to contact us.
