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Quality ProductsWood Flooring Grades Guide
Wood grading essentially ranges from the most uniform appearance of Prime Grade to the least uniform appearance of Rustic Grade. The grade of wood flooring should not be confused with its quality, there are often extremely high quality products that are specifically designed to have a highly Rustic appearance. You will find that the terms used for the different wood grades can vary slightly from various manufactures and suppliers, therefore we have created the following wood grades guide which will hopefully make things a little clearer.
PRIME
Also known as AB
Prime grade has few if any knots and these will be minimal in size. There will also be a minimal amount of filler and sapwood, if there is any present at all. Where filler is used, the colour is chosen to complement the wood, it is not intended to perfectly match it. Like wood flooring itself the colour of the filler usually varies from batch to batch. The timber in this grade will have a minimal amount of colour variation.
SELECT
Also known as ABC / Classic
This grade has a mix of near prime planks with planks from other grades such as Character which have more knots but still of a limited size. There will be some variation in colour, filler and sapwood, and some filled broken knots. Again it’s a natural product so there will be some colour variation between different batches. Where filler is used, the colour is chosen to complement the wood, it is not intended to perfectly match it.
CHARACTER
Also known as ABCD / Mixed
Character grade includes heartwood and sapwood and has a broader range of colour variation. Larger knots and cracks are acceptable in this grade. Again like wood flooring itself the colour of the filler usually varies from batch to batch. Where filler is used, the colour is chosen to complement the wood, it is not intended to perfectly match it.
RUSTIC
Also known as CD / Natural / Antique
Essentially a limitless size and number of knots and also colour variation. There will be more filler and more sapwood and filler. Where filler is used, the colour is chosen to complement the wood, it is not intended to perfectly match it. There can also be intentional marks to increase the Rustic appearance of the wood.