Bridging the Gap: Modernizing Hardwood Design Values for Today's Market

The NHLA was formed in 1898 for the sole purpose of creating a set of standards for the trade of hardwoods. The grades over time grew as more products were being produced and needed a standard way of establishing quality and value.

The US Department of Commerce began standardizing all commodities in the 1920s to create a more level playing field for producers and consumers. Through a series of meetings involving wood products (soft and hard), the Commerce Secretary, Herbert Hoover (1921 – 1928), decided to assign the hardwood grading standards writing to the NHLA, as they had already published and educated the industry on using the standards.

Through members providing rules changes, and those submitted changes being vetted by the NHLA Rules Committee, they are then written on a ballot that our members vote on. The changes take a 2/3 majority vote to be implemented in the next published Rules Book that many of us know and use regularly.

The standards that were assigned to be governed by the NHLA were not then, nor has ever been, solely for yield (appearance)- based grades for remanufacture; they also included structural lumber to be used similarly to today’s softwoods. As a matter of fact, there are Timber grades that are clearly defined in the Rules Book and are utilized by our US Military on a regular basis.

The NHLA is currently in the process of reinvigorating the construction grades for all forms of hardwoods to allow the hardwood industry to utilize lower-grade materials to be used in the construction industry on a more regular basis.

One of the challenges facing the hardwood industry is that the Design Values readily available for hardwoods have not been updated and published for many years. This opportunity is being addressed by a strategic alliance with Universities, the US Forest Service, NHLA, and others to allow future versions of our Rules Book to provide the bridge between suppliers, architects, designers, engineers, and construction.

While we understand that the challenges facing our industry won’t be resolved overnight, we firmly believe that we’re moving in the right direction. As we continue to make progress, we’ll be reaching out to our industry for their invaluable support in terms of time and materials, knowing that their contributions are crucial to our collective success.

As always, please send your hardwood lumber grading questions to Dana Spessert at d.spessert@nhla.com or call 901-399-7551.

By DANA SPESSERT, Chief Inspector