Wood is the largest recurring cost in most woodworking businesses, so where you buy it affects every price you set. A reliable supply also matters: running out of a wood you sell in the middle of an order means delays and unhappy customers. Most woodworkers use more than one source, choosing each for price, choice, quality or convenience.
This post covers what to know before you buy, the main places to buy lumber, how to set up supplier accounts for a business, how to save money on wood, what to check before you pay, and how to store it once it is in the shop.
Know What You Are Buying
Softwood and Hardwood
Softwoods such as pine, fir and cedar come from conifers. They are cheaper and widely sold as construction lumber. Hardwoods such as oak, maple, cherry and walnut come from broadleaf trees and are the usual choice for furniture, boards and fine work. The names describe the type of tree, not the hardness of the wood.
For the main species, plywood and other sheet goods, see types of wood for woodworking.
Rough or Surfaced
Lumber is sold in different states of preparation:
- Rough lumber comes straight from the sawmill, with saw marks and uneven surfaces. It is the cheapest, but you need a jointer and planer to flatten it, and you lose some thickness doing so.
- S2S (surfaced two sides) has both faces planed. The edges are still rough.
- S3S and S4S (surfaced three or four sides) are ready to use with little or no milling. They cost more.
If you do not own a jointer and planer, buy S4S or S3S lumber, or ask the supplier to plane it for you.
How Lumber Is Priced
Hardwood is usually priced by the board foot. A board foot is a volume of wood 1 inch thick, 12 inches wide and 12 inches long, or 144 cubic inches. To work out the board feet in a board, multiply its thickness, width and length in inches and divide by 144. Hardwood thickness is described in quarters of an inch: 4/4 is 1 inch rough, 8/4 is 2 inches rough.
Softwood construction lumber is usually sold by the piece in nominal sizes. A “2×4” is actually about 1 1/2 by 3 1/2 inches once dried and planed. Sheet goods such as plywood and MDF are sold by the sheet.
Hardwood Grades
Hardwood is graded by how much clear, defect-free wood a board yields. The American Hardwood Export Council summarises the main grades set by the National Hardwood Lumber Association:
- FAS (Firsts and Seconds): boards at least 6 inches wide and 8 feet long, with at least 83 1/3 percent clear wood. The highest grade and the most expensive.
- FAS One Face and Selects: one face meets FAS, the other meets No. 1 Common. Selects allows narrower and shorter boards.
- No. 1 Common: boards at least 3 inches wide and 4 feet long, with about 66 2/3 to 83 1/3 percent clear wood.
- No. 2A Common: about 50 to 66 2/3 percent clear wood.
For a business making small items, the cheaper grades are often better value. Gene Wengert, who answers lumber questions as Woodworking Network’s Wood Doctor, notes that No. 1 Common gives nearly the same yield of clear parts as Selects when parts are cut clear on both faces. Long, wide, clear boards matter for tabletops and large panels, not for boards, boxes and frames.
Moisture Content
Wood for indoor furniture and cabinets should be kiln dried to about 6 to 8 percent moisture content, according to Purdue University Extension. Wood that is too wet will shrink, warp or crack after you build with it, often after the piece has been sold. A moisture meter is an inexpensive way to check wood before you buy or use it.
Where to Buy Lumber
Home Centers
Home improvement stores are close by, open long hours and carry softwood, plywood and a small range of hardwoods such as oak, poplar and maple, usually surfaced on all four sides. They suit small and urgent purchases.
- Prices per board foot are usually higher than at a lumberyard, and the choice of species and thickness is limited.
- Quality varies from board to board, so pick through the stack.
- Many stores will make rough cuts on sheet goods, which helps if you cannot fit a full sheet in your vehicle or shop.
- Stock varies by store. Ask whether more is held in the back or can be ordered.
Lumberyards and Hardwood Dealers
A lumberyard or specialist hardwood dealer offers more species, thicknesses and grades, usually at lower prices than a home center. Staff can advise on which wood and grade suits a product. Many will plane, rip or cut boards to length for a fee. This is the usual main supplier for a woodworking business.
Some dealers sell mainly to trade customers and may have minimum orders. Ask whether they sell to small businesses and whether they offer trade accounts.
Local Sawmills
A small local sawmill can sell rough lumber at low prices, and sometimes wide or figured boards you cannot find elsewhere. Ask whether the wood is kiln dried, air dried or freshly sawn. Air-dried and green wood is cheaper but needs drying before indoor use, which takes space and time. You will also need a jointer and planer, or access to one, to surface rough boards.
Building a relationship with a mill owner can lead to good prices and first choice of special boards.
Online and Mail-Order Suppliers
Many hardwood dealers, such as Woodworkers Source, sell online and ship to your door. Online suppliers suit woodworkers with no local lumberyard, and those who need a particular species or thickness.
- Shipping costs can be high for heavy orders, so compare the delivered price, not the board price.
- You cannot pick boards yourself, so tell the supplier exactly what you need: species, grade, thickness, width, length and surfacing, and any need for matching colour or grain.
- Check the supplier’s return policy, and inspect the order as soon as it arrives.
Woodworking Stores
Specialist woodworking retailers such as Woodcraft carry hardwoods, exotics and small project boards, often surfaced and in short lengths. Prices are usually higher, but they suit small items made from special woods, such as pens, boxes and inlay.
Classifieds, Offcuts and Salvage
- Local classifieds and online marketplaces often list lumber from people clearing out workshops, estate sales and small mills.
- Cabinet shops, furniture makers and lumberyards may sell or give away offcuts, which suit small products.
- Tree services sometimes sell logs or slabs from local trees, which need sawing and drying.
- Check salvaged wood for nails, screws and other metal before it goes near a blade.
Finding Suppliers Near You
Online directories such as Woodfinder list lumber suppliers by location and species. Local woodworking and woodturning clubs are often the best source of advice on which local suppliers are worth using. Flooring companies and cabinet shops can also suggest where they buy.
Buy Wood as a Business
Resale Certificates
In most US states, a business that makes products for sale can buy materials that become part of those products without paying sales tax, by giving the supplier a resale certificate. The Texas Comptroller, for example, allows a resale certificate for taxable items “that you intend to resell as an integral part of other merchandise.” This usually covers wood, glue and hardware that end up in the product, but not tools and shop supplies you use yourself. Rules differ by state, so check with your state’s tax agency, and register for a sales tax permit first. Only use a resale certificate for items you will actually resell.
Trade Accounts and Regular Orders
- Ask suppliers about trade or contractor pricing, account terms and discounts for larger orders.
- For products you make regularly, agree on a standard order with one supplier so the species, grade and colour stay consistent.
- Get to know the staff. Regular customers hear first about special lots, sales and new stock.
- Keep a second supplier for each main species in case your first runs out.
Ways to Save Money on Wood
- Plan purchases. Buy for several projects at once rather than one board at a time, and watch for sales and clearance lots.
- Choose the right grade. Use No. 1 Common for small parts and save higher grades for parts that need long, clear boards.
- Buy rough if you can mill it. Rough lumber costs less, but you lose some wood to milling. Make sure the saving is worth the time and waste.
- Use sheet goods where solid wood is not needed. Plywood and veneered panels are stable and cost less than solid wood for cabinet sides, backs, shelves and drawer bottoms.
- Use offcuts. Short and narrow pieces suit coasters, boxes, frames and signs. See small wood projects to sell.
- Buy shorts. Many lumberyards sell short boards at a discount.
- Share large orders. Woodworking clubs sometimes buy in bulk and share the order to reach a better price.
Check Wood Before You Buy
- Sight down each board for bow, crook, cup and twist.
- Look for cracks at the ends (checks), loose knots, splits and insect holes.
- Check the moisture content with a meter if you can.
- For pieces that must match, pick boards with similar colour and grain, ideally from the same batch.
- Buy extra for waste, mistakes and defects you only find when you cut.
Store Wood in the Shop
Store boards flat on racks off the floor, supported along their length, or upright in a rack for sheet goods. Keep them away from outside walls and damp areas. Let new wood rest in the shop for a while before you use it, so it adjusts to the shop’s temperature and humidity. In a damp basement or garage, a dehumidifier helps keep wood stable. See how to set up a woodshop in a basement for keeping a damp space dry.
Track Wood Costs for Pricing
Record what you pay for wood, including delivery and waste, and work out the wood cost of each product. That figure is the starting point for pricing. See how to set the final selling price on your craft and how much it costs to start a woodworking business.
Practical Tips
- Use a lumberyard or hardwood dealer as your main supplier, and a home center for small urgent purchases.
- Learn the grades and buy the cheapest one that gives you the parts you need.
- Check moisture content before you build.
- Set up a resale certificate and trade account once you are selling regularly.
- Keep a second source for every wood you sell.
Sources
- American Hardwood Export Council, n.d., The Grades, AHEC
- Wengert, n.d., What’s the Difference Between No. 1 Common and Select or FAS-1 Face?, Woodworking Network
- Cassens, 2008, Controlling Moisture Content in Stored Lumber, Purdue Extension
- Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, n.d., Resale Certificates FAQ, Texas Comptroller
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