Difference between timber and plank.

Planks and beams are the most popular lumber in construction. They are used both for the construction of load-bearing structures and for decoration of premises. Many find it difficult to determine how the timber differs from the board. And there is a difference, and a very significant one.

The use of timber and boards in construction

Timber mainly used for the construction of supporting structures: beams, columns, and so on. Walls are often made of profiled beams. Why is a profiled beam better than a regular one, with a square or rectangular cross-section? Firstly, it is usually well dried, therefore it does not deform over time, and, secondly, thanks to the figured profile, the timber is placed on the timber more tightly, improving the thermal insulation characteristics of the structure.

The difference between a timber and a board is that the board is used mainly for finishing or creating load-bearing structures intended for light loads: shelves, floors, wall cladding, and so on. Boards are as follows:

  • edged (with both sawn off side edges);
  • one-sided (only one side edge was sawn off);
  • unedged.

Depending on the method of edge processing, a board with groove is distinguished (adjacent boards are connected to each other "comb-groove") and a board, where the side edge is sawn off "in a quarter" - in the form of a step. Typically such boards are used for flooring.

Board

Comparison

Now let's figure out the dimensions of these lumber. A board is lumber with a thickness of less than 100 mm and a width greater than double the thickness. That is, if the cross section is 20 by 9 centimeters, then this is a board. Although in practice, of course, boards with such dimensions are extremely rare.

Beam is lumber with a thickness and width of 100 mm and more. Depending on the processing of the sides, the following types of timber are distinguished:

  • two-edged (two opposite sides are processed);
  • three-edged (three sides processed);
  • four-edged (all sides processed).
Beam

The profiled beam has a width and thickness of at least 100 mm, and the section is not square or rectangular, but arbitrary, depending on what patterns were used in the processing enterprise.

Table

The table below summarizes what is the difference between timber and plank.

Beam Plank
Section100 by 100 mm or more (may have a rectangular shape); profiled timber is a high-tech building material and with a cross-section of at least 100 by 100 mm has an arbitrary figured shapeThickness - no more than 100 mm, width - more than double thickness
ApplicationMainly erection of supporting structures: beams, columns, walls, partly in the furniture industryA wide range of applications in the construction and furniture industry
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