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OT--Lumber identification?

J

Jiles

Well-known Member
I bought a large amount of 2x4--2x6--and 2x8 lumber from an estate auction. The lumber has been stored in a dry barn for many years.
About 1/2 the lumber looks to be "treated" ---slight green appearance----but no end tags are attached and they were in a different stack.
Some boards have "use above ground" stamped on them, so I am assuming they are treated.
I am in the process of adding a lean-to on my barn, and would rather use treated lumber.
Is there any way to confirm what lumber is treated ?
 
Some boards have "use above ground" stamped on them, so I am assuming they are treated.


I don't know for sure but it seems like this would mean those boards were NOT treated.
 
(quoted from post at 19:25:50 10/24/13) Some boards have "use above ground" stamped on them, so I am assuming they are treated.


I don't know for sure but it seems like this would mean those boards were NOT treated.
Click to expand...

I assume these are treated because most treated lumber I have used were stamped "use above ground" with some posts stamped "for use in ground".
I can see no purpose of stamping Untreated Lumber--"for use above ground"???
 
in years past Germany shipped all there manuare out by ship.
As time went on lots of ships were sunk due to the fact that
water was seeping in creating very heavy loads. So they would
stamp the box, which meant "Ship High In Transit." So different stamps for different material.
 
without end tags it is a gamble. I don't think its worth the cost to have a testing lab take core samples of the sapwood and determine the retention value of the preservative--we always did these tests to verify the treatment on lumber we bought.
a manual application of 3 coats of preservative may give you the durability that may work for you.
 
If it's not going to be close to the ground, I would use it, call my termite man and have the ground treated. I've seen termites eat old RR ties, cedar posts, wood chips and treated lumber, especially the newer AC2, after it's been in contact with the ground.

Ask a good termite company and they will tell you much the same thing. Termites will eat wood after it's been in the ground and the goodies will leach out.
 
I admit I have never looked that close, but always
thought treated lumber was good for use in ground or
not, never even considered there was any treated
that was only good for use above ground. I guess we
all learn something new every day...
 
(quoted from post at 20:42:20 10/24/13) I admit I have never looked that close, but always
thought treated lumber was good for use in ground or
not, never even considered there was any treated
that was only good for use above ground. I guess we
all learn something new every day...
Click to expand...

In my area, virtually ALL LANDSCAPE TIMBER--the kind with rounded surface on two sides---has an end tag that states 'Not suitable for ground contact"!!
To me, that's ridiculous--what's it made for???
I wonder how many people buy these to make a border for landscape, and never notice it????
It is my understanding, that to be suitable for ground contact, it has more chemical treatment, possibly the same chemical?
 
Yes--lumber is treated to a retention that is suitable to its use. Fresh water timber is usually 1.0 cca/aca--salt water is 2.5 cca/aca
lots of the garbage sold--home depot/Lowes is only trated to .2 to .8 pcf
 
Cut a piece off and see if it has uniform color,green, all the way
through.

HTH

Vito
 
(quoted from post at 18:25:50 10/24/13) Some boards have "use above ground" stamped on them, so I am assuming they are treated.


I don't know for sure but it seems like this would mean those boards were NOT treated.
Click to expand...

Most treated lumber is NOT suitable for ground contact.
 
That's always what I thought. Several levels of treatment

The light treatment shouldn't be used for ground contact

Not protected enough
 
Lumber will be treated differently for the applications. It will most likely have little depressions in it if it is treated. That is where they inject the chemicals. If it is green it will most likely be for above ground use, below ground use is usually brown treated. One is cca treated and one is acq(I believe). There is also differences in the amount of chemical or density of the chemical. If the boards look the same and any have end tags on them I would assume they are all the same. Most of the time the green treated is cheaper so there is more of it sold.


Steven
 
Many "landscape" timbers are only given a coating of stain, no "treatment" what so ever. Ihave seen people use them for posts and they lasted 2-3 years....James
 
Those little landscape timbers that are round on two sides are the cores from making veneer for plywood. They saw off the 2 sides and give them a shot of stain to make them look puurrrty....James
 
The 2x4, 2x6, 2x8, 2x10, etc lumber that is treated is NOT generally treated for in-ground use. It has only 1/2 the amount of chemical needed for burial as posts, etc.

To get flat dimension lumber treated for in-ground use, you would normally have to special order or get directly from the treating company.

The square pieces: 4x4, 6x6, 8x8 are normally treated to double that amount of chemical. Check the end tags for the pounds per cubic foot that it is treated to.

The old CCA treated material is banned for residential use, and now is ACQ or some other chemical.
CCA can still be used for industrial or farm applications, but you will have to special order, possibly from the company that does the chemical application. (The ban on CCA material is a whole 'nother rant.)

Myron
 
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