Timber technology Wood knowledge
Specifying and sourcing timber in construction
The following is an extract from Wood Information Sheet 2/3-10 Timbers – their properties and uses, which had a major update in 2021.
T
imber is a versatile material, its properties suited to a very wide range of uses both structural and non-structural. Wood Information Sheet (WIS) 2/3-10 offers an overview of the considerations a specifier should take into account when deciding whether the properties of a timber are suitable for a particular end use.
Specifying timber While trees capture carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, store carbon as a ‘building block’ of timber and release oxygen back into the atmosphere, timber is both renewable
Hodges Place (Knox Bhavan Architects). Photo: Dennis Gilbert
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Timber 2022
and recyclable. Timber has therefore gained a very welldeserved reputation for being an environmentally friendly and versatile material. Timber is used widely in a range of applications and evidence of its versatility is all around us. It can be used for numerous external and internal purposes, ranging from structural posts, beams, joists and rafters, to nonstructural external timber cladding, fencing, windows and doors, and interior flooring. It is also used for furniture and specialist uses such as musical instruments and tool handles.