Glossary
Wane
Also called: waney edge
Reviewed
Definition
Wane is bark, or a lack of wood, along the edge or corner of a board where the log's rounded outer surface ran through the piece. The Uniform Standard limits wane separately for exposed deckboards, hidden deckboards and stringers or blocks, with looser limits for single-use pallets, and allows it on at most one third of components.
Why wane matters
- Strength: a waney corner has less wood, so the part is weaker than its nominal size
- Nailing: wane near a joint leaves less wood for the nail to grip
- Handling: rough, barky edges on the top deck can damage product
- Export: ISPM 15 requires wood packaging to be debarked, so wane that carries bark must be within the bark-remnant limits: pieces under 3 cm wide of any length, or wider pieces under 50 sq cm in area
How the Uniform Standard limits it
Table 1 of the 2012 Uniform Standard sets separate wane limits for:
| Part | Note |
|---|---|
| Deckboards, exposed face | tightest limit |
| Deckboards, non-exposed face | looser |
| Stringers and blocks | own limit, with extra restrictions above notches |
Each has a reusable limit and a looser single-use limit, and no more than one third of the pallet's components may contain wane. See lumber grades for the full defect table and the related defects knot and split.
Questions
- Is wane a defect in pallet lumber?
- It is an allowed characteristic within limits. The Uniform Standard caps how much wane each part may have and how many parts may have it.
Sources
- Uniform Standard for Wood Pallets (NWPCA, now Woodpack Global), 2012 edition