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Standard (timber unit)

Standard (timber unit) is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Standard (timber unit) rather than just read about it. In short: A standard or standard hundred was a measure of timber used in trade. The measure varied in number, size and composition from country to country so the term is usually preceded by the region or port of origin.

Standard (timber unit) — main illustration
Standard (timber unit) — illustration

Key takeaways

  • Standard (timber unit) belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
  • Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
  • Connect Standard (timber unit) to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
  • Reproduce the core statement of Standard (timber unit) from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

A standard or standard hundred was a measure of timber used in trade. The measure varied in number, size and composition from country to country so the term is usually preceded by the region or port of origin. The countries of the Baltic region were major producers and exporters of timber, and used their local measure for trade with other countries such as Britain. The hundred in the term standard hundred was usually a long hundred, meaning 120 pieces, but the word hundred was often dropped, leaving simply standard to mean "the local standard number of pieces, each in the local standard dimensions". The timber would be typically called battens (7 inches wide), deals (above 7, usually 9 inches wide) and planks (11 inches wide); boards were under 2 inches thick. The standard hundred of the Russian capital of Saint Petersburg was 120 boards which were 12 feet long, 11⁄2 inches thick and 11 inches wide – a volume of 165 cubic feet. The city changed its name to Petrograd when the First World War started in 1914 and so the unit was then known as the Petrograd Standard or PSH (Petrograd Standard Hundred). This unit also used the spelling Petersburgh. The Christiania standard was 5⁄8 of the Petersburg standard, making it 103.125 cubic feet. The Swedish standard hundred was 121 boards of 14 feet long, 3 inches thick and 9 inches wide, making 317.625 cubic feet. The Norwegian standard hundred was 120 boards of 12 feet long, 3 inches thick and 9 inches wide, making 270 cubic feet. The British standard hundred for battens was 120 battens of 12 feet long, 21⁄2 inches thick and 7 inches wide, making 175 cubic feet. The Quebec standard hundred was 100 boards of 12 feet long, 21⁄2 inches thick and 11 inches wide, making 275 cubic feet. The American standard hundred was 120 deals of 12 feet long, 2 inches thick and 12 inches wide, making 240 cubic feet. The deals for decking sold in the ports of Danzig and Memel were planks of 40 feet long, 3 inches thick and 1 foot wide. A standard hundred of 120 would be 1200 cubic feet. Timber was an important import for Britain and the supply was affected by the Napoleonic Wars. North America replaced Scandinavia as a source and the annual volume of trade in standards during this period changed as follows (standards per year):

See also Board foot Intaken piled fathom List of obsolete units of measurement

References

Illustrations

Standard (timber unit): Proposed 1920 logship "composed of fifteen hundred standards, of which twelve hundred would be the cargo proper and three hundred the structure and binding frames."
Proposed 1920 logship "composed of fifteen hundred standards, of which twelve hundred would be the cargo proper and three hundred the structure and binding frames."

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Standard (timber unit)

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Standard (timber unit) claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Standard (timber unit) before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Standard (timber unit) ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Standard (timber unit)

In research
Standard (timber unit) appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry
Engineering practice reuses Standard (timber unit) in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom
Standard (timber unit) is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Customary units of measurement, Forestry stubs, Units of volume, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life
Look for Standard (timber unit) outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Standard (timber unit) in 20 minutes

  1. Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
  2. Close the page and write down what Standard (timber unit) means in your own words.
  3. Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
  4. Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
  5. Explain Standard (timber unit) out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Standard (timber unit) in simple terms?

A standard or standard hundred was a measure of timber used in trade. The measure varied in number, size and composition from country to country so the term is usually preceded by the region or port of origin.

Why does Standard (timber unit) matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Standard (timber unit)?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Standard (timber unit).

Tags

  • Customary units of measurement
  • Forestry stubs
  • Units of volume

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