An FAS Maple or Oak board will look significantly different from an FAS Walnut board. The former may actually be longer, in addition to having fewer knots and other “defects.” Not only is the term “defect” a bit of a misnomer in the opinion of many wood enthusiasts, but Walnut has some unique grading specifications which you’ll want to know about before placing your Walnut order. The deviations from normal FAS grading aren’t as extreme as you might guess, when you hear how loudly some protest any kind of grading adjustments, but J. Gibson McIlvain Lumber is a huge believer that the more informed a customer is, the happier he or she will be. So if you’re ordering Walnut, you’ll be happier if you read this first. You’re welcome.
FAS (First and Seconds) Grading Standards
While “above grade” Walnut is available in limited quantities, it will be priced accordingly. Most Walnut trees simply don’t produce boards that meet the following standards for the FAS category:
• Minimum board size of 6 inches by 8 feet
• Minimum clear cutting size of 3 inches by 7 feet or 4 inches by 5 feet
• 83.3% or more defects-free on both faces
To allow a greater amount of Walnut into this category, the following alternative standards have been created:
• Minimum board size of 5 inches by 6 feet (as long as 80% of the pack consists of boards 8 feet and longer)
• Minimum clear cutting size of 4 inches by 3 feet, or 3 inches by 6 feet
• Pieces 5 inches by 6-7 feet are allowed some wane along the edges, splits smaller than 6 inches on one end, and 1 defect; pieces 8 inches wide and wider can have 2 defects.
Selects Grading Standards
The only difference between FAS and Selects grades is that only one face is typically required to meet the grading standards, which are as follows:
• Minimum board size of 4 inches by 6 feet
• Minimum clear cutting size of 3 inches by 7 feet or 4 inches by 5 feet, but for only one face
• 83.3% clear on one face (as long as the other face meets standards for #2 Common grade)
For Walnut, the standards are slightly different:
• Minimum board size of 5 inches by 6 feet
• Minimum clear cutting size of 4 inches by 3 feet or 3 inches by 6 feet
• For allowable defects, see standards above for FAS and know that they apply to only once face, while the other face must meet standards for #1 Common grade.
#1 Common Grading Standards
While Common grades, contrary to their name, aren’t as commonly sought after, when it comes to Walnut, Common grades allow for even more wild, gorgeous chocolate grain! The typical standard for #1 Common are as follows:
• Minimum board size of 3 inches by 4 feet
• Minimum clear cutting size of 3 inches by 3 feet or 4 inches by 2 feet
• 66.6% clear on both faces
The guidelines for Walnut are actually the same for this one, with a single exception:
• Minimum clear cutting size of 3 inches by 2 feet.
#2 Common Grading Standards
Most boards that don’t fit into this category are used for pallets or other utility purposes. The standards are as follows:
• Minimum board size of 3 inches by 4 feet
• Minimum clear cutting size of 3 inches by 2 feet
• 50% defect-free on one face
For Walnut, this grading category has only one alteration:
• Minimum clear cutting size of 2 inches with no restriction on length.
