Ungraded Lumber in Farm Buildings

D. McDonald, P.Eng.
ORDER NO. 10-055
AGDEX 714
JULY 2010
(replaces OMAFRA Factsheet Ungraded Lumber in Farm Buildings, Order No. 94-105)

In Ontario, the use of ungraded lumber in farm

building projects is an accepted practice. A woodlot
can be an important source of building materials.
The Ontario Building Code (OBC) allows an owner to
use ungraded lumber for posts, common rafters,
lintels, beams and wall studs. More critical structural
components (roof trusses, floor joists, etc.) require the
use of graded lumber and in some circumstances will
require an engineered design.
GRADED LUMBER
Recent Lumber Grading Industry Changes
The former Canadian Lumbermen's Association (CLA) is
now the Ontario Forest Industries Association (OFIA) and
oversees CLA grading and inspection. The Coniferous
Lumber Inspection Bureau is no longer a member of the
Canadian Lumber Standards Accreditation Board (CLSAB).
The Ontario Lumber Manufacturers Association (OLMA)
remains active.

Structural lumber is graded according to the National

Lumber Grades Authority (NLGA) and bears the
stamp of the agency accredited by the CLSAB under
contract with the manufacturing facility. The stamp
will bear the agencys mark, the facility number, the
grade rule used and the grade of the lumber, the
species, moisture content and phytosanitary treatment.
In general throughout Canada, commercial lumber is
graded by the sawmill that produces it. Facilities
producing commercial lumber are audited by an
accredited agency of the CLSAB.
UNGRADED LUMBER
Ungraded lumber is defined as lumber that has not
been grade-stamped to indicate its NLGA grade but
that has the following visual attributes:
is sawn to full nominal size
shows no evidence of decay

has no knots that exceed 25% of the cross-section or

are spaced closer than 600 mm (24 in.) on centres
has a slope of grain not exceeding 1 (vertical) in 4
(horizontal) and is free of excess warp
ONTARIO BUILDING CODE
On October 1, 1990, the OBC made it mandatory for
all municipalities to regulate farm buildings. Prior to
this, farm buildings were required to meet code
requirements, but inspection was not carried out in a
uniform manner from one area of the province to
another. For liability reasons, the building official is
obligated to consider OBC regulations. Building
officials and their municipalities are liable for
structural or functional failure in approved projects.
Under the terms of the OBC, there are four ways that
bush lot lumber may be used in a farm project:
Ungraded lumber may be used in one-storey farm
buildings with a maximum building area of 600 m2
(approximately 6,459 ft2). The farmer must inspect
the lumber for soundness. The lumber must be cut
to full-dimension (i.e., a 2 x 6 will measure 2 in. by
6 in. in actual dimension). As well, the lumber must
be sized according to design tables that have been
included in the OBC. The building official will also
inspect the material.
Before cutting lumber for your building project, have
your plans approved by your local building official.
This will help ensure you have enough time to cut
and cure the lumber before construction begins.
Ungraded lumber may be used if, in the building
officials judgment, similar lumber has performed
satisfactorily in the past, under the same loading
conditions and in a similar configuration. The OBC
gives a building official the discretion to accept your
design and material on the basis of past performance.

 Ungraded lumber may be used if it would qualify

under NLGA grading rules. The OLMA and the
OFIA (see above) are capable of applying NLGA
grading rules. These organizations have graders who
can travel to farms and provide on-site inspection
for grading and/or grade stamping of lumber to the
NLGA Standard Grading Rules. Both dressed and
rough-sawn lumber can be graded. If possible, have
your lumber graded before any construction takes
place. If ungraded lumber is already in the structure
and visible on 2 wide faces and 1 narrow (edge)
face, the graders will only do a visual grading and
provide a letter report of the quality of all pieces
looked at. If the lumber is not in the structure, they
will visually grade and grade-stamp it if required.

project. Contact your building official well in advance

of starting construction. It is your responsibility to
indicate when you are ready for the necessary
inspections.

The fee for a licensed grader is about $500 per day

plus expenses (mileage, meals and overnight stay if
required). Graders can also be hired for a half day.

BECOMING A LUMBER GRADER

The OLMA and the OFIA offer various courses for
visual grading of softwood lumber. These start with
half-day seminars and progress to full courses,
depending on the level of detail and expertise you
require. The courses are priced on a fee-per-day basis.
Please note that in most cases, actual grading licences
can only be obtained after the applicant obtains
employment at a participating mill.

Under ideal conditions, where there are facilities

and enough help to move the lumber, a grader can
process approximately 20,00030,000 board feet of
lumber per day. Few farmers would have this
quantity of lumber to grade at one time. Try to
arrange for your local sawmill operator to coordinate the grading of wood with the mills cutting
schedule so that your costs can be shared with other
woodlot owners.
Ungraded lumber may be used if a consulting
engineer specifies and takes responsibility for the use
of ungraded lumber in your farm project. The
engineer is obligated to make sure that the project is
built according to the design. The building official
will inspect the project, but the engineer will accept
more liability. The engineer must be qualified to
specify the quality and strength of ungraded lumber.
For all of these methods, you must work with your
building official, who is accepting responsibility for the

Regardless of the care taken by farmers and small

sawmills, some lumber may not be structurally
adequate for the size and complexity of modern farm
structures. Training is required to recognize the
differences between species and grades of lumber. To
design structural components, an engineer must know
the grade of lumber before a size can be determined.
Remember that any lumber in your structure that is in
contact with the ground should be treated to resist
fungus growth and decay.

The Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and

Housing administers the Ontario Building Code.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
National Lumber Grades Authority. www.nlga.org
Ontario Lumber Manufacturers Association.
www.olma.ca
Ontario Forest Industries Association. www.ofia.com
This Factsheet was written by John Johnson, P.Eng.,
OMAFRA, London, revised by Dan McDonald, P. Eng., Civil
Systems, OMAFRA, London, and reviewed by Harold House,
P. Eng., Dairy and Beef Housing & Equipment, OMAFRA,
Clinton.

Agricultural Information Contact Centre:

1-877-424-1300
E-mail: ag.info.omafra@ontario.ca
Northern Ontario Regional Office:
1-800-461-6132
www.ontario.ca/omafra
POD
ISSN 1198-712X
galement disponible en franais
(Commande no 10-056)

*10-055*