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Discussion Forum

weight of framing lumber

Matt | Posted in General Discussion on November 19, 2006 01:17am

Anyone know of a weight chart on the web for common framing lumber?

I screwed up.  Ordered the wrong framing package for a house.  I can order back, but the carpenters won’t have anything to do for probably a day and a half while we wait for the lumber truck.

So, I plan to go first thing Monday morning and load up my trailer.  I think it is gonna take several trips.  Thing is, that the tailer will only hold about a ton – max, and really 1500# is more comfortable, part of which is due to my 1/2 ton pickup which has a bunch of tools in it already.

Specifically, the bulk of what I need to know the weight of is:
2×4-93″  SPF studs                –   Need 355
2×4-14′   SPF                          –   Need 48 
23/32″ OSB floor sheathing   –   Need 30

The extra stuff I can use on the next house so nothing will be wasted, so the screw up isn’t really that big a deal – just a bunch of work for me. 🙁  I’m guessing the OSB alone weighs about a ton….

TIA

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Replies

  1. blue_eyed_devil | Nov 19, 2006 01:31am | #1

    Split the load in half and you'll make it in two trips.

    Someone in here will know the weights. I'm interested in the responses.

    blue

     

  2. Piffin | Nov 19, 2006 02:01am | #2

    is it wet?
    Three trips

     

     

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    1. User avater
      Matt | Nov 19, 2006 04:21am | #5

      It probably won't be very wet, if at all.   I looked at some of my previous framing orders which were in the neighborhood of 23,000#s!! although the tickets only list a total weight for the order.  At this point I'm thinking 3 loads.  I'll do 2 and the carps said they would do 1.  It's not very far - maybe 4 miles.  I said I would have the floor sheathing on site when they got there.

      1. stevent1 | Nov 19, 2006 04:33am | #7

        Matt,I had a similar dilemma several years ago. I ended up calling a towing company for a rollback truck. 6 miles. The guy charged me $60.00.Chuck S.live, work, build, ...better with wood

        1. User avater
          BruceT999 | Nov 19, 2006 11:46am | #10

          "I had a similar dilemma several years ago. I ended up calling a towing company for a rollback truck. 6 miles. The guy charged me $60.00."Now that's thinking outside the box! Those things must be rated for at least 3 tons and would be easy for the yard guys to load with a forklift. BruceT

      2. Framer | Nov 19, 2006 04:41am | #9

        Matt,Don't worry about it. Like Brian said, your doing the right thing and getting the material there. We all make mistakes and the best thing to do is figure ouit how to fix them and your doing just that.It's not like you called up the Framer and said to go find soemthing else to do for a couple days. If I was the framer I'd be right along side of you with my truck getting my truck loaded also. Especially 4 miles away.Joe Carola

        1. User avater
          Matt | Nov 19, 2006 03:04pm | #11

          OK - since I'm not getting any weight data, any of you everyday day all day guys got a guess of the weight of 1 piece of 3/4" OSB?  My guess is 60#s, but I'm a wimp. :-)    How about a 2x4 93" SPF?  All wood will be dry.  Google and Ask give me nothin'.

          Thanks

          1. Framer | Nov 19, 2006 03:41pm | #12

            Matt,I have never asked how much lumber weighed before. I go to the yard and load my truck until it starts sinking a little bit. Ask the guys at the yard how much each piece weighs and figure it out from there. I think your over thinking this a little. It's only 4 miles away. Make ten trips if you have too.Measure the height of the truck before you start putting anything in and measure it as you go. Ask your mechanic how much your truck can go down before he would stop loading it and then go from there.Joe Carola

          2. User avater
            Matt | Nov 19, 2006 04:08pm | #13

            Joe:

            Here is some background:

            Before this Ford 1/2 ton pickup I had a Chevy 1/2.  Both with aluminum wheels.  On the Ford I didn't want them but had to get them if I wanted power windows - go figure.   With the Chevy, like 4 times I cracked a wheel by overloading the truck/trailer combination.  At maybe $200 a wheel, it was an expensive lesson.   Thus far with the Ford I've dodged the bullet, but I'm smarter now.  I've had a lot of tire problems with the trailer too.  The overloading eats my brakes alive too.  I'm getting ready for my 3rd set on the front in 60k miles.  I'm guessing I carry 800#s of tools, since I'm the Swiss army knife guy of punchwork.

            It's not very often that I get myself into a predicament like this (actually first time on this scale) and my better judgement says that I should just say, "wait until Tuesday afternoon" but I want the job to keep moving and want the carps to be happy so they will do good work.  Wish I had a 3/4 ton pickup - been looking at 'em for ~2 yrs, but just can't afford one.

            PS - I found a weight on Advantech 23/32 floor sheathing - 78#s per sheet.  That would put the 30 sheets at 2250#s.

            So yes, I'll make a number of trips.

            Edited 11/19/2006 8:10 am ET by Matt

  3. davidmeiland | Nov 19, 2006 02:54am | #3

    Matt, you're building a lotta houses, right? Call a couple of the yards you use and see if they will get a delivery out to you on short notice.

    1. User avater
      Matt | Nov 19, 2006 04:15am | #4

      I have a price negotiated with my primary yard.  They do a very large volume of business.  They have great service, etc, but can't normally give same day delivery.  If I don't get some of the stuff there first thing Monday, the carps will walk - and I don't blame them either...  They needed the floor sheathing today.  Like I said - may bad - now I gotta "fix it".

      1. User avater
        dieselpig | Nov 19, 2006 04:24am | #6

        Good on ya for fixing the situation though Matt.  Mistakes happen to all of us, so if I were your framer I wouldn't hold it against you.  But it burns my azz when I get an "oh well" that the materials I need won't be available to me when I need them. 

        OH... BTW, I'd do it in two trips.  First trip would be the OSB and some of the lineal stock.  Second trip would be the remaining lineal and the studs.  4 miles ain't too bad.  I've seen guys with that whole load on a Home Depot cart!  :)  Just kidding.

        View Image

        Edited 11/18/2006 8:26 pm ET by dieselpig

        1. User avater
          Matt | Nov 19, 2006 04:38am | #8

          Well.... they haven't been heald up yet.  They normally frame first floor walls (unsheathed), then 2nd floor sys, then all 2nd floor walls (raise sheathed and papered exteriors) and then while some of the crew does the roof a few others sheath the 1st floor walls.  Today they got the 1st flr walls, 2nd floor frame and then said "hey - where is the floor sheathing?"  Surprize! :-)  Then they sheathed the 1st flr walls and did a little punch to fill out the day, and although it is not their normal sequence they seemed OK with it.

          This is my biggest mess-up since I've worked for this company...

  4. artworks | Nov 19, 2006 04:32pm | #14

    Hope this help :  Dry Spruce  is 28 lbs. cu. ft.  Dry, osb 23 /32  is 2.4 lbs. sf .    2 x 4 x 93" (.0549 x 7.75 ) is .425cuft x 28lbs.  = 11.91 lbs  2 x 4 x 14 ( .0549 x 14 ) is .7686 x 28lbs. = 21.52 lbs.  I got these  figures from Pocket Ref by Thomas J. Glover ( sold by Lee Valley) 

    IF IT WAS EASY, EVERYONE COLD DO IT!

    1. User avater
      Matt | Nov 19, 2006 04:51pm | #15

      That is exactly what I was looking for.

      So: OSB is ~2300 #sStuds are ~4200 #sLong 2x4s are ~ 1000 #s

      So, that is ~7500 #s!

      I'm chalking this one up to another lesson learned the hard way.

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