Hardwood Flooring Yields from Appalachian Red Oak Lumber

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of the size and grade of red oak lumber on the quantity and quality of hardwood flooring yield. The data were to provide information which may be used by flooring producers in determining the optimum input lumber mix under varying market conditions.

Three grades of kiln-dried red oak lumber, 1, 2, and 3A common, were selected for study. Each of the three grades were subdivided into four size classes based on lumber width and length. The size classes consisted of lumber less than eight inches wide and less than eight feet long, greater than eight inches wide and less than eight feet long, less than eight inches wide and greater than eight feet long, and greater than eight inches wide and greater than eight feet long. The lumber was converted to 25/32 x 2 1/4 inch strip flooring and graded into 2 common, 1 common, select, or clear flooring grades.

Analysis of the data showed that lumber grade had a significant effect on both percent yield and the grade distribution of flooring. One common lumber had an overall yield of 75.5 percent followed by 2C and 3AC with yields of 68.5 and 62.7 percent, respectively. With respect to flooring grade distribution, the majority of flooring from 1C lumber was in the clear and select flooring grades, while the majority of flooring from 3AC lumber was concentrated in the 2C and 1C flooring grades.

Percent yield of flooring varied considerably with board width. Wide lumber had an average yield of 75.2 percent, while narrow lumber had an average yield of only 62.6 percent. Lumber length had little effect on flooring yield.

Simulation methods were employed to show the amount of waste in the manufacture of flooring could possibly be reduced from 31.11 to 27.80 percent by converting two inch strips of waste lumber into 25/32 x 1 1/2 inch flooring.

Recommendation for further study dealing with several aspects of hardwood flooring production were suggested.