Hardwood Lumber Grades Explained: FAS, Select and #1 Common
US hardwood is graded under rules set by the National Hardwood Lumber Association (NHLA). A grade isn’t a judgment of how pretty a board is. It measures how much clear, defect-free wood you can cut from it, and in what size pieces.
The main grades
| Grade | Minimum board size | Clear-wood yield | Minimum clear cutting |
|---|---|---|---|
| FAS (Firsts and Seconds) | 6” wide, 8 ft long | 83⅓% | 4” × 5 ft or 3” × 7 ft |
| FAS One Face (F1F) | 6” wide, 8 ft long | Better face FAS, other face #1 Common | as FAS on the good face |
| Selects | 4” wide, 6 ft long | Better face FAS, other face #1 Common | as FAS on the good face |
| #1 Common | 3” wide, 4 ft long | 66⅔% | 4” × 2 ft or 3” × 3 ft |
| #2A Common | 3” wide, 4 ft long | 50% | 3” × 2 ft |
Grades are judged from the poorer face (except F1F and Selects), and the yield percentages are minimums. A typical FAS board yields more.
What the grades mean in practice
- FAS gives long, wide, clear boards. Use it for tabletops, long rails, and anything where you need clear stock over 5 ft long.
- F1F and Selects are nearly as good on one face, often cheaper than FAS. Use them where only one face shows, like cabinet sides and drawer fronts.
- #1 Common costs noticeably less but has more knots and shorter clear sections. It’s ideal for short and narrow parts: legs, rails, drawer parts, frame-and-panel doors. Many furniture makers buy mostly #1 Common.
- #2A Common is mostly used for flooring, rustic work and small parts.
FAS or #1 Common?
If most of your parts are under 3–4 ft long and under 4” wide, #1 Common often gives you the same usable wood for less money, even after the extra waste. Buy a few FAS boards for the long, wide parts and fill in the rest with #1 Common.
Waste allowances by grade
- FAS: about 15% extra
- #1 Common: about 25–35% extra, depending on how small your parts are
Other terms you’ll see
- Quartersawn / rift sawn: cut so the growth rings are near-vertical. Very stable, shows ray fleck in oak, costs more.
- Sap / heart: some species are sorted by color, such as “#1 Common heart” for walnut or cherry with little sapwood.
- Kiln dried (KD): dried to roughly 6–8% moisture for furniture use.
Estimate your order
Use the board foot calculator with a higher waste setting for common grades, and compare species prices on the species pages.