What are the dimensions of a 2 by 4 piece of wood?

A piece of surfaced (sanded smooth) 2×4 lumber actually measures 1½ inches thick and 3½ inches wide. In rough-cut condition, a 2×4 is slightly less than 2 inches thick and approximately 4 inches wide. When wood is milled from a rough to a smooth surface, it loses about ¼-inch from each of its four sides.

What are the dimensions of a 2 by 4?

1½” × 3½”
Nominal vs. Actual Lumber Size Chart for Softwoods*

Nominal Depth x Length Actual Depth x Length
2×4 1½” × 3½”
2×6 1½” × 5½”
2×8 1½” × 7¼”
2×10 1½” × 9¼”

Is 2×4 the same as 4×2 wood?

Two-by-fours are actually 1.5-by-3.5s. The same is true for most other wood cuts, which are all systematically smaller than their names would suggest. Here’s why. “Two by four is a colloquialism,” says Mark Stephens, the vice president of Woodworkers Source, an Arizona-based company.

What is 2 x4 wood?

Fir. Douglas fir is one of the most common woods used to make 2x4s. It is one of the cheapest types of softwood 2x4s. This makes it easy to screw into but still strong enough to be used for any project, including a house.

What length is a 2×4?

8 feet long
Standard 2×4 length 2×4 studs are typically 8 feet long, to match the standard length of a sheet of plywood or drywall. You can also find 2×4 studs that are 92 ⅝” long, which allows builders to account for the thickness of the boards that run along the top and bottom of the wall.

Why do they call it a 2 by 4?

The ubiquitous lumber product known as the 2×4 does not, in fact, measure two inches thick by four inches wide. The naming of this building material is the result of compromise between forestry technology, species’ properties, forest composition, transportation efficiency, construction speed, and price competition.

How do you read Wood dimensions?

The first number (2) refers to the thickness of the board in inches. The second number (4) refers to the width of the board in inches. The third number (8) refers to the length of the board in feet.