Effect of damage on the grade yield of recycled lumber

In the past, building disposal has focused on demolition. However, there is an increased interest in finding a more environmentally acceptable means of disposal that focuses on material recovery and reuse. This paper is a summary of the results of visual grading performed on lumber salvaged from four buildings deconstructed at the U.S. Army's Fort Ord in California. Several sizes of lumber were collected for grading : 184, 2- by 4-inch (38- by 89-mm) wall studs and rafterties ; 275,2- by 6-inch (38- by 140-mm) roof rafters ; 504, 2- by 8-inch (38-by 184-mm) floor joists ; and 46, 2- by 10-inch (38 by 235-mm) floor joists. Results indicate that damage affected the grade of more than a third of the lumber. Nail holes accounted for the highest occurrence of grade reduction (36%), and edge damage reduced the grade of 26 percent of the lumber. With careful deconstruction practices, the yield of high grades of lumber can be increased, resulting in the maximum value from material resale.