FAS grade lumber is the highest standard grade of hardwood lumber available in North America. The abbreviation stands for “Firsts and Seconds,” a name that dates back to when those were two separate grades before being combined into one top tier. A board must yield at least 83.3% clear, defect-free wood (equivalent to 10/12ths of the board’s surface) to earn the FAS designation.
How FAS Grading Works
Hardwood lumber grading is fundamentally different from the way softwood (like pine or fir) is graded at a home improvement store. Instead of evaluating the whole board’s appearance, hardwood grading measures how much usable, clear material you can cut out of a board. Graders look at the worst face of a board and determine how many rectangular, defect-free pieces, called “cuttings,” can be extracted from it. For FAS, those clear cuttings must account for at least 83.3% of the board’s total surface area.
The National Hardwood Lumber Association (NHLA) sets and maintains these rules. For more than 125 years, the NHLA Grading Rules have served as the official standard for classifying hardwood lumber across North America. They’re the reason a woodworker in Oregon and a cabinet shop in North Carolina can order FAS cherry from different suppliers and expect comparable quality.
Minimum Size Requirements
FAS isn’t just about surface quality. The boards themselves must meet minimum dimensions. According to USDA Forest Service guidelines, a board needs to be at least 6 inches wide and 8 feet long to qualify for the FAS grade, with lengths running up to 16 feet. These minimums are notably larger than what lower grades require, which is part of why FAS commands a premium price. Wider, longer boards with fewer defects are simply harder to find in a log.
Where FAS Lumber Gets Used
The long, clear cuttings that define FAS make it the go-to choice for high-quality furniture, interior joinery, and solid wood moldings. Any project where large, unblemished panels or long, straight pieces are visible in the finished product benefits from FAS stock. Think dining tables, cabinet doors, architectural trim, and custom millwork.
That said, FAS isn’t always the smartest buy. If you’re building something that gets cut into small pieces, like drawer parts or short shelf brackets, you’re paying for clear length you won’t use. That’s where lower grades become more cost-effective.
FAS Compared to Lower Grades
Below FAS, the most common grades you’ll encounter are FAS One Face (F1F), Selects, and No. 1 Common. Each step down reduces the minimum clear yield, the minimum board size, or both.
- FAS One Face (F1F): One side of the board meets full FAS standards, while the back face only needs to meet the No. 1 Common grade. This is a practical choice when only one side of the lumber will be visible, like a tabletop or a panel glued to a substrate. It costs less than full FAS because the reverse side can have more knots and defects.
- Selects: Similar in quality to F1F but allowed in smaller board sizes, typically starting at 4 inches wide and 6 feet long. The better face must still meet FAS requirements. Selects are often bundled and sold alongside FAS as “FAS/Selects” or “FAS/1F.”
- No. 1 Common: Requires a minimum clear yield of 66.7% (8/12ths of the board). Boards can be narrower and shorter. This grade works well for projects with shorter or narrower parts, and experienced woodworkers can often get excellent results by cutting around the defects. It typically costs 30% to 50% less than FAS, depending on the species.
The key insight is that grading measures usable yield, not beauty. A No. 1 Common board isn’t ugly wood. It simply has more knots, mineral streaks, or other natural features that reduce the percentage of perfectly clear material you can extract.
Species-Specific Exceptions
Not every hardwood species follows the same grading curve. Walnut is a notable example. Because walnut trees tend to produce less clear wood than abundant species like red oak, applying identical grading standards would drastically shrink the supply of higher-grade walnut. The American Walnut Manufacturers Association has acknowledged this, noting that if walnut were held to the same requirements as red oak, only a fraction of higher grades would be available and nearly half of average production would fall below No. 2 Common.
Walnut also introduces a complication around sapwood. The pale sapwood along the edges of a walnut board contrasts sharply with the prized dark heartwood. Producers typically steam their walnut lumber to soften that contrast, though it doesn’t turn the sapwood fully brown. Some buyers specifically request heart-sorted walnut, which includes only the dark heartwood, but this limited supply comes at an additional premium. When buying FAS walnut, it’s worth confirming whether the supplier includes sapwood in their grading or offers heart-sorted options.
What to Know Before Buying
When you order FAS lumber from a hardwood dealer, you’re guaranteed that at least 83.3% of each board’s worst face is clear, usable material, and that every board will be at least 6 inches wide and 8 feet long. In practice, many FAS boards exceed these minimums significantly, often running 8 to 12 inches wide with very few visible defects.
Pricing varies widely by species. FAS white oak or hard maple might run $5 to $8 per board foot, while FAS walnut or quartersawn white oak can easily exceed $12 to $15. Buying directly from a hardwood dealer rather than a big-box store gives you access to graded lumber, since most home centers sell softwood or pre-surfaced hardwood that doesn’t follow NHLA grades at all.
For most woodworking projects, the choice between FAS and No. 1 Common comes down to how you plan to cut the wood. If your project calls for wide, long panels with minimal jointing, FAS saves time and waste. If you’re cutting parts under 24 inches, No. 1 Common often delivers the same finished result at a lower cost. Many professional shops keep both grades on hand and match the grade to the job.