Thinner Studs Save Wood

As softwood lumber prices continue their wild price gyrations, including a new peak high late last year, pressure to improve the efficiency of wood use is increasing. One solution might be to reduce the thickness of framing lumber.

An Idaho sawmill began producing 11⁄4”-thick (32 mm) 2x4 and 2x6 studs two years ago and expects to double their annual production this year to about a million board feet (2400 m3). Idaho Forest Industries in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho began milling 11⁄4” studs as a way to stretch the resource base and offer a less expensive product. The studs are sold on a primarily regional basis in the Pacific Northwest, but interest in thinner studs is gaining momentum.