Question 1

1. What is sawn timber?

Accepted Answer

Sawn timber is wood that’s been cut into planks or boards, usually with a rough surface. It won’t have had any extra processing, like planing, except for treated timber, where the wood fibres are protected with preservatives.

Question 2

2. What is rough sawn timber?

Accepted Answer

‘Rough sawn timber’ usually means the same as ‘sawn timber’. It's wood that’s been cut to size but left with a coarse surface that’s not sanded or smoothed.

Question 3

3. Can you paint rough sawn timber?

Accepted Answer

Yes. You can paint rough sawn timber, but surface preparation such as cleaning and priming is recommended for good adhesion.

Question 4

4. What’s the difference between sawn timber and planed timber?

Accepted Answer

Sawn timber has a rough surface from cutting. Planed timber is smoothed on one or more sides for a neater finish.

Question 5

5. What are the standard sawn timber sizes in the UK?

Accepted Answer

While timber in the UK must be sold in metric sizes (metres, millimetres etc), imperial timber dimensions (inches) are still widely used when talking informally. Here’s a chart that shows some common UK timber sizes in both metric and imperial:

Imperial (Inches) - Width x height	Metric (mm) - Width x height
2 x 1	50 x 25
2 x 2	50 x 47
3 x 1	75 x 22
3 x 2	75 x 47
4 x 2	100 x 47
5 x 2	125 x 47
6 x 2	150 x 47
7 x 2	175 x 47
8 x 2	200 x 47
9 x 2	225 x 47

Sawn timber

47mm x 200mm C16 Timber 4.8m

47mm x 200mm C16 Timber 3.6m

47mm x 50mm Sawn Pointed Timber Peg 600mm

22mm x 100mm Sawn Treated Carcassing Timber 2.4m

22mm x 150mm x 3.6m Green Treated Sawn Carcassing

22mm x 100mm Sawn Treated Carcassing Timber 3m

75mm x 150mm C24 Timber (6x3) 6m

25mm x 38mm Graded Treated Roofing Batten 4.8m

2.4m Sleeper Brown UC3 100mm x 200mm

2.4m Treated Softwood Sleeper Green 150mm x 250mm

47mm x 100mm C24 Timber (4x2) 2.4m

Bsw Green Treated UC3 Home Grown C16 Cls 50 x 100mm x 4.8m

22mm x 150mm Sawn Treated Timber 4.8m

Richard Burbidge Pine Half Newel Base 90mm x 43mm x 510mm

75mm x 225mm C24 Timber (9x3) 3.6m

47mm x 225mm C24 Timber (9x2) 3m

19mm x 38mm Softwood Treated Timber Batten - 1m

22mm x 150mm Brown Treated Sawn Carcassing Timber - 4.8m

22mm x 150mm Brown Treated Sawn Carcassing Timber - 3.6m

22mm x 150mm Green Treated Sawn Carcassing Timber - 3.6m

22mm x 150mm Green Treated Sawn Carcassing Timber - 3m

Sabrefix 80mm x 80mm Heavy Duty Stand Off Post

47mm x 50mm Treated Carcassing Timber (2x2) 3m

22mm x 150mm Sawn Timber Treated Brown - 1m

38mm x 89mm C16 CLS Timber (3x2) 3m

50mm x 100mm C16 CLS Timber 2.4m

50mm x 75mm C16 CLS Timber 2.4m

47mm x 200mm C24 Timber (8x2) 1m (sold by the metre)