Timber is an essential building tool for many projects, yet, you must use suitable timber if you want your building project to be long-lasting and safe. Naturally, you will have considered characteristics such as the size and appearance of the timber you are considering, but there must be more than that to your timber selection. For instance, the timber you choose must be able to bear the applied weight. If you are building a property or having work carried out on your home, you will probably want to use structural timber somewhere in the design.

How can you identify structural timber?

Timber can be used for many purposes, but if you want it to bear the weight of a building, you must be confident that it isn't going to snap or bend after you put it in place. To be safe, you must use structural timber for house frames, rafters and other structural elements of the property. When looking for structural timber, you can't pick any piece of wood that you happen to see in the timber yard. Instead, opt for structural timber that has been examined, approved and graded to determine how much weight it can bear. Structural timber will often be placed in a grading machine to check that it can bear the expected weight. At other times, the timber will be carefully inspected before being stamped with the appropriate grading level. In all cases, the structural timber will be visibly marked, so you will know whether the timber is suitable.

What type of structural timber do you need?

Finding timber with the appropriate grading isn't all that you need to think about. Another question to consider is whether you should choose softwood or hardwood for your project. If durability is a key concern, or if you want a piece of timber that is especially long, hardwood will be a perfect choice. In most other circumstances, you should think about using softwood. Softwood is easier to work with and is the most widely used form of structural timber. Another option that is always worth considering is laminate. While wood is sometimes weakened by knots and natural imperfections, laminate can remove these imperfections and create a strong durable timber product.

To learn more about the various types of structural timber that are available, speak to your local timber merchant. They can offer suggestions, and guide you through the possibilities until you have the ideal structural timber for your project. Contact a structural timber supplier to learn more.