Engineering Properties of Douglas-Fir Lumber Reclaimed from Deconstructed Buildings

A vast wood resource exists in our Nation's wood-framed building infrastructure. As the buildings in this infrastructure age and are remodeled or removed for redevelopment, the wood framing residing in these buildings has the potential to be recovered for reuse. However, little technical information exists on the residual engineering properties of reclaimed dimensional lumber. Our study was undertaken to quantify the engineering strength and stiffness of dimensional Douglas-fir 2-by lumber recovered from building dismantlement or deconstruction. These data can serve as a basis for establishing formal recognition of this resource in current grading rules and engineering design standards