Clear cutting
No grading defects inside the box — and big enough for that grade’s size rule. That’s the unit every grade percentage is built from.
Buying hardwood
Hardwood grades explained
NHLA grades measure how much clear, defect-free wood a board can yield — not how pretty the color is. Mill names like Prime, Superior, and Oak Rules are separate color and width sorts on top of those grades.
If you’re shopping our wood species pages or the rack in Hutto, this is the vocabulary on the tags and invoices.
What is a clear cutting?
A clear cutting isn’t just “a clean rectangle.” It only counts toward the grade if that rectangle meets the minimum size for that grade. A fist-sized defect-free patch is still clear wood — but it is not an FAS cutting, and it may not even be a #1 Common cutting.
Graders ask: if I mark the largest rectangles of clean wood that meet this grade’s cutting-size rule, how much of the board face do they cover? Grain, figure, and color variation do not automatically knock a cutting out of “clear.” Defects do — knots, splits, wane, bark pockets, worm holes, decay, and similar grading defects stay outside the box.
Each grade sets a minimum clear yield (percentage of the face) recovered from a limited number of cuttings that each hit that grade’s size floor. Drop below the size floor and the wood doesn’t count, even if it’s clean.
Grade yields and cutting sizes
These are the standard NHLA targets most mills and yards grade to (AHEC / NHLA rule book). Species rules can tweak details (walnut sapwood is the big example), but clear yield and cutting size are the backbone.
| Grade | Clear yield | Min cutting size | Typical min board | What you’re paying for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FAS | 83⅓% (10/12) | 4" × 5' or 3" × 7' | 6" wide × 8' long | Long, wide clear cuttings — furniture / cabinet show stock |
| FAS 1 Face (F1F) | FAS face · #1C back | Same as FAS face: 4" × 5' or 3" × 7' | Same as FAS (typically 6" × 8') | One FAS face; reverse is #1 Common |
| Selects | FAS face · #1C back | Same as FAS face: 4" × 5' or 3" × 7' | 4" wide × 6' long | Same face cuttings as F1F, but smaller boards allowed |
| #1 Common | 66⅔% (8/12) | 4" × 2' or 3" × 3' | Often 3" × 4' | “Cabinet grade” — usable cuttings for rails, stiles, drawer fronts |
| #2A Common | ~50% (6/12) | 3" × 2' (and related book rules) | Smaller / more flexible | Flooring, paint-grade, and character-friendly work |
Selects ≠ FAS 1 Face. Both grades want an FAS face and a #1 Common back — and both use the same FAS-face cutting sizes (4" × 5' or 3" × 7'). They are not the same board-size rule. F1F keeps the FAS minimum (typically 6" × 8'). Selects allow boards down to 4" × 6'. If you need wide stock, read the pack: “Select & Better” can include those narrower sticks.
FAS (Firsts and Seconds)
The top standard NHLA grade for most species. About 83⅓% of the face must come out in clear cuttings, and each cutting has to hit the size floor: typically 4" × 5' or 3" × 7', with a limited number of cuttings allowed. The board itself usually has to start at 6" × 8' or better. This is where most furniture shops start when they want long, clean stock.
Select & Better is a commercial trade mix of FAS and Selects packs — handy on invoices, not a standalone NHLA grade name.
What makes a board not FAS?
Anything that prevents those large clear cuttings from totaling 83⅓%, or that violates the minimum board size, drops the grade. Common reasons a nice-looking board still isn’t FAS:
- Too narrow or too short — under the FAS minimums (typically under 6" wide or under 8' long).
- Not enough clear area — defects eat the face until you can’t hit 83⅓% in the allowed cuttings.
- Cuttings too small — you could get clear wood, but only in scraps under FAS cutting minimums (4" × 5' or 3" × 7').
- Too many cuttings required — the rule book limits how many clear pieces you can count on a given board size.
- Defects interrupting the face — knots, splits, wane, bark/pitch pockets, worm holes, decay, and similar grading defects sit inside what would have been your clear rectangles.
Color streaks, figure, and sapwood are a separate conversation. Sapwood can be allowed (especially in walnut FAS) and still leave a cutting “clear.” Want heartwood-only faces? That’s a mill color/width sort, not an NHLA grade bump.
Defects graders cut around
These are the usual grading defects that cannot sit inside a clear cutting. Sound character that doesn’t break the rules (gentle figure, most mineral streaks on many species) is often fine.
Knot / knothole
Branch remnant. Sound or loose, it’s a defect that ends a clear cutting where it sits.
Wane
Bark or missing wood on the edge from the outside of the log. Heavy wane shrinks usable clear width and is a classic reason a board fails FAS.
Split / check
A crack that runs with the grain (lengthwise), not across the board. Graders keep clear cuttings to either side of it.
Bark / pitch pocket
Inclusions of bark or resin. Treat like a knot for grading — keep them out of clear cuttings.
Worm / pin holes
Insect tunnels. Even small pin holes interrupt clear yield when the grade requires clean cuttings.
Unsound wood (decay, advanced stain that compromises strength) is always a grading defect. Sound mineral streak and steam stain are often allowed inside cuttings depending on species rules — ask if a specific board matters for a show face.
FAS 1 Face, Selects, and Select & Better
FAS 1 Face (F1F) — the better face meets FAS; the reverse meets #1 Common. Face cuttings use the FAS size floor (4" × 5' or 3" × 7'). Minimum board size follows FAS for that species (typically 6" × 8'). Nearly always shipped mixed with FAS.
Selects — same face idea and the same FAS-face cutting sizes, but the minimum board is smaller: 4" × 6'. Common in northern U.S. packs. Do not treat Selects and F1F as interchangeable when width matters.
Select & Better — a commercial mix of FAS and Selects (not a stand-alone NHLA grade name). Every board in that upper mix still has at least one FAS face — but board widths can run down to Select minimums.
#1 Common and #2A Common
#1 Common — often called “cabinet grade.” About 66⅔% clear, with cuttings down to 4" × 2' or 3" × 3'. That’s why it shines once you’ll crosscut into rails, stiles, and drawer fronts — pieces that don’t need a five-foot clear run.
#2A Common — about half clear, with cuttings typically down to 3" × 2' (and related book rules). #2B allows sound cuttings with certain defects instead of fully clear ones. Great for flooring and projects that welcome knots and character.
Walnut FAS note
Walnut has its own FAS rules because the species is valuable. Mills are allowed more sapwood in the clear cuttings than on many other species, which improves yield. If you need mostly heartwood faces, look for a color/width sort (Oak Rules, Prime, etc.) on the tag.
VG is vertical grain — not “veneer grade”
When a tag or invoice says VG, it means vertical grain: growth rings standing roughly perpendicular to the face (quartersawn / rift character). It is not shorthand for “veneer grade.” More on how mills label cuts and sorts: VG on the mill-sorts page.
Grades vs. mill sorts
NHLA grade answers: “How much clear wood can I cut out?” Mill sorts answer: “How consistent is the color, width, or cut on the graded face?” Learn those names next: Prime, Superior, Oak Rules, and VG.