Glossary
Shook
Also called: pallet shook, pallet stock, cut stock
Reviewed
Shook is lumber that has been cut to the finished sizes of pallet or box parts, such as deckboards, stringers and blocks, ready for assembly. Pallet mills cut shook from cants or rough lumber rather than buying standard dimension lumber.
How shook is produced
Most hardwood pallet stock starts as a cant or rough lumber that is resawn and trimmed into parts at the exact thickness, width and length the design calls for, for example 5/8 x 3-1/2 x 40 in deckboards or 1-3/8 x 3-1/2 x 48 in stringers. Mills either cut their own shook or buy it from sawmills and component suppliers.
Shook vs dimension lumber
| Pallet shook | Dimension lumber | |
|---|---|---|
| Sizes | cut to the design (e.g. 5/8 in, 1-3/8 in) | fixed nominal sizes (1x4, 2x4) |
| Typical species | mixed hardwood, SYP, SPF | softwoods |
| Specified as | actual dimensions | nominal, with actual smaller |
Because shook is cut to order, pallet specs always state actual dimensions. See nominal vs actual lumber.
Why it matters
Shook is ordered straight from the cut list: each line is a part size multiplied by the pallet quantity. Grade, species and moisture content are specified with it.
Questions
- Is shook the same as pallet lumber?
- Shook is pallet lumber already cut to the finished part sizes. Pallet lumber can also mean the rough stock before cutting.
Sources
- Uniform Standard for Wood Pallets (NWPCA, now Woodpack Global), 2012 edition
- Guide to Understanding the PDS Specification and Analysis (stringer, inches)