this post was submitted on 06 Nov 2026
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Aren't we officially already fully metric?
We're inching towards it...
Ha. Nice.
You don't buy much lumber I guess.
2x4 is just a name/label now. They haven't been those inch dimensions in a very long time.
It may not be 2" by 4" but go try to buy a 38mm by 89mm
That's what I mean, it has become a label, rather than a size. Like how a #10 drill bit is 0.19"
That's not a shrinkflation thing, that's a nominal vs. finished size. A 2x4 has been 1.5x3.5 since planed lumber has been a thing, well over a century. You can still buy roughcut 2x6 that are really 2"x6".
Did you see the picture. Original 2x4 was 2inch x 4inch. Then there was the planing in the middle, then the even smaller planing.
Yes. And I'm explaining for anyone thinking this picture represents some sort of reality of the enshittification of finished lumber that nominal is not finished and graded size and hasn't been since 1919.
The 2x4 (rough) has had a finished size of 1.5x3.5 for well over a century, there was a very brief time it was standardized at 1-5/8x 3-5/8 but that was a pain in the ass for carpenters and mills. You can still buy unplaned lumber that is the full 2x4 or 2x6 dimensions, but it's ungraded and not suitable for anything but fences. It will not pass a building inspection.
This picture isn't saying anything useful.
The picture shows an original 2x4, then the planed downsize later on, and then a modern further reduction to get more boards out of a log. Its not enshitification in our current world we live in, but shows how you get less wood these days. But my original point never mentioned enshitification, I was just showing that a 2x4 is a label, because the sizes changed over time and we call it the same.
The photo is misleading though. In the 60s they decided to go with a 1.5"x3.5". Not 2023 as the photo might make you believe, or make you think today's lumber is actually less than 1.5x3.5.. it's a bad photo.
Yeah its end of not start of...the last one doesn't need a date. Probably when the person created the text onvthr image
So is the US.
But we use imperial on things sold to the US.
Whenever I see a fabrication and or engineering drawing from an American company it’s usually imperial, I assume it’s a standard over there that they adhere to.
I believe so, but this guy wants to go after everything else like getting trades to use it and make metric the default setting on electronics.
IDK if thats the best plan or if he realizes what an uphill battle certain things might be. Like ovens; our oven somehow switched over to metric on thanksgiving and it totally messed me up, I spent a LOT of time figuring out how to change that back to F. Another issue is industries that just aren't going to want to change: aviation, boats I think are imperial, railways are, home building, etc.
The problem is 16" centres and 4' x 8' sheets of plywood.
No, let's just change all that to metric and get carpenters to refigure out what they're doing. Mills can just retool to cut plywood, boards, and insulation in metric right?