How much cracking in hardwood?

[Tom Winship]

When purchasing kiln dried hardwood, how much end cracking is technically allowed; i.e., how far can it extend? Are you normally charged for this?
Just trying to understand.

[Mike Hollingsworth]

I've been told it's all part of the grading. i.e. select, common, etc.
Each species is different.

[Harvey Pascoe]

Shouldn't be any but I occasionally get a board or two that way. They should crop any checked ends before they sell it. What would you want to pay for useless wood for. You will likely find a huge tolerance between less costly N. American hardwoods and expensive exotics where there should be Zero checking.

[Leo Graywacz]

If you are buying wholesale wood then you can expect an occasional large check here and there. If you are buying retail lumber it should be limited to the first inch or so of each end.

[Tom Winship]

Thanks, guys. Kind of my thinking also. I thought 6" to be excessive, Leo.

[Leo Graywacz]

If it is on one board out of a dozen then it is what it is. But if you get a whole load like that I would complain. I have gotten 12" x 16' poplar boards with 6 ft checks in them. But I usually buy it 250-300BF at a time and that is one board out of 15-20, so I deal with it and it gets relegated to a narrow board.

You have to look at the wood you have and place the pcs an parts where they will fit sometimes. All boards are not equal :( I don't know how many times I have come across a really nice board and say out loud "Now why can't they all be like this?"

[Harvey Pascoe]

All boards are not equal :( I don't know how many times I have come across a really nice board and say out loud "Now why can't they all be like this?"

Ain't that the truth!

[glenn bradley]

Harvey speaks true ;-) I see variations; the more common woods seem to be carried in a grade that allows pretty decent sized checks, splits, etc. Not always but, they're in there. Varies from yard to yard around here as well. I am generally selecting pieces with a project in mind. I don't just grab 300 bf of walnut and take my chances. If there is a section of a board I want, I buy it. The remainder will always end up in a picture frame or jewelry box somewhere down the road.

[Chris Fournier]

End checking is not a consideration of lumber grading per se as lumber is graded off the green chain at the mill when it is soaken wet with no checks. At the retail level they ought to discount the cracked footage, at the wholesale level you'll actually get no consideration for checking AND you pay for "shrinkage"!

[Harvey Pascoe]

My supplier is pretty good about that, but then I don't pay bargain prices either. If you are just buying plain ole lumber then you are buying a commodity that is not treated with care and you can't expect much. But if you are buying from a retail specialist, you should expect a superior product because you're paying more. That is the way I see it, and what my experience has been. Its the old saw, you get what you pay for.