New Numbers for Southern Pine — but Only the Two-by-Fours

The American Lumber Standards Committee (ALSC), which sets official values for the bending strength and deflection of sawn lumber in the U.S. marketplace, has made its ruling on Southern Pine following a January 5 meeting in Washington, D.C. At the hearing, representatives of the Southern Pine Inspection Bureau, citing test figures that show a drop in strength, argued for reducing Southern Pine’s official strength numbers in every grade and size. But other industry voices argued that further testing was needed, saying that SPIB’s testing of just one size and grade of lumber was insufficient justification for changing the published values