Framer's Pocket Card — Lumber Sizes, Nails, Pilot Holes & Joist Spans
One-page framing card: nominal vs actual lumber sizes, nail penny chart, wood screw pilot holes, and IRC deck joist spans.
Updated August 20, 2026
The framing crew's everyday lookups on one printable card: PS 20-20 dressed sizes for every stocked board and dimension nominal, the ASTM F1667 penny chart with common and box shank diameters, two-source consensus pilot holes for wood screws in softwood and hardwood, and the 2021 IRC deck joist span table converted to feet and inches.
Every cell is generated from the constants behind the lumber sizes and nail & screw charts and the deck joist span calculator — nail diameters come from the ASME B18.6.1 gauge formula, and spans are the exact IRC inch values restated as ft-in. Print it and staple it to the job box; the linked calculator handles cantilevers and spacing checks.
Framer's Pocket Card — Lumber Sizes, Nails, Pilot Holes & Joist Spans — updated August 20, 2026
Nominal vs actual lumber (PS 20-20)
| Nominal | Actual (in) |
|---|---|
| 1x2 | 3/4 × 1-1/2 |
| 1x3 | 3/4 × 2-1/2 |
| 1x4 | 3/4 × 3-1/2 |
| 1x6 | 3/4 × 5-1/2 |
| 1x8 | 3/4 × 7-1/4 |
| 1x10 | 3/4 × 9-1/4 |
| 1x12 | 3/4 × 11-1/4 |
| 2x2 | 1-1/2 × 1-1/2 |
| 2x3 | 1-1/2 × 2-1/2 |
| 2x4 | 1-1/2 × 3-1/2 |
| 2x6 | 1-1/2 × 5-1/2 |
| 2x8 | 1-1/2 × 7-1/4 |
| 2x10 | 1-1/2 × 9-1/4 |
| 2x12 | 1-1/2 × 11-1/4 |
| 4x4 | 3-1/2 × 3-1/2 |
| 4x6 | 3-1/2 × 5-1/2 |
| 6x6 | 5-1/2 × 5-1/2 |
| 8x8 | 7-1/2 × 7-1/2 |
Dry dressed sizes; 6x6 and 8x8 timbers are surfaced green. Metric equivalents on the lumber sizes chart.
Nail penny sizes (ASTM F1667)
| Penny | Length (in) | Common Ø | Box Ø |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2d | 1 | 0.072 | — |
| 3d | 1-1/4 | 0.080 | 0.076 |
| 4d | 1-1/2 | 0.099 | 0.080 |
| 5d | 1-3/4 | 0.099 | 0.080 |
| 6d | 2 | 0.113 | 0.099 |
| 7d | 2-1/4 | 0.113 | 0.099 |
| 8d | 2-1/2 | 0.131 | 0.113 |
| 10d | 3 | 0.148 | 0.128 |
| 12d | 3-1/4 | 0.148 | — |
| 16d | 3-1/2 | 0.162 | 0.135 |
| 20d | 4 | 0.192 | 0.148 |
| 30d | 4-1/2 | 0.207 | — |
| 40d | 5 | 0.225 | — |
| 50d | 5-1/2 | 0.244 | — |
| 60d | 6 | 0.263 | — |
Shank diameters in inches from the ASME B18.6.1 gauge series; — where that pattern is not published.
Wood screw pilot holes
| Gauge | Softwood | Hardwood |
|---|---|---|
| #2 | 1/16″ | 1/16″ |
| #3 | 1/16″ | 5/64″ |
| #4 | 1/16″ | 5/64″ |
| #5 | 5/64″ | 3/32″ |
| #6 | 3/32″ | 7/64″ |
| #7 | 7/64″ | 7/64″ |
| #8 | 7/64″ | 1/8″ |
| #9 | 1/8″ | 9/64″ |
| #10 | 1/8″ | 9/64″ |
| #12 | 9/64″ | 5/32″ |
| #14 | 5/32″ | 3/16″ |
Two-source consensus, split-safe (larger) size where charts differ; single-source #11 omitted.
Deck joist spans (2021 IRC R507.6)
| Species / size | 12″ o.c. | 16″ o.c. | 24″ o.c. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southern pine 2x6 | 9′-11″ | 9′-0″ | 7′-7″ |
| Southern pine 2x8 | 13′-1″ | 11′-10″ | 9′-8″ |
| Southern pine 2x10 | 16′-2″ | 14′-0″ | 11′-5″ |
| Southern pine 2x12 | 18′-0″ | 16′-6″ | 13′-6″ |
| Douglas fir-larch 2x6 | 9′-6″ | 8′-4″ | 6′-10″ |
| Douglas fir-larch 2x8 | 12′-6″ | 11′-1″ | 9′-1″ |
| Douglas fir-larch 2x10 | 15′-8″ | 13′-7″ | 11′-1″ |
| Douglas fir-larch 2x12 | 18′-0″ | 15′-9″ | 12′-10″ |
| Redwood 2x6 | 8′-10″ | 8′-0″ | 6′-10″ |
| Redwood 2x8 | 11′-8″ | 10′-7″ | 8′-8″ |
| Redwood 2x10 | 14′-11″ | 13′-0″ | 10′-7″ |
| Redwood 2x12 | 17′-5″ | 15′-1″ | 12′-4″ |
Max span, 40 psf live / 10 psf dead, wet service, L/360. Group names abbreviated: Douglas fir-larch group includes hem-fir and SPF; redwood group includes western cedars and ponderosa/red pine.
Sources
- PS 20-20 Table 3 dry dressed lumber sizes
- ASTM F1667 nail lengths; ASME B18.6.1 gauge diameters
- WorkshopCalc / Misumi USA pilot-hole consensus charts
- 2021 IRC Table R507.6 deck joist spans
Try the Calculators
Framer's Pocket Card — Lumber Sizes, Nails, Pilot Holes & Joist Spans — reuven.tools/cheat-sheets/framer-pocket-card — verified against: PS 20-20 Table 3 dry dressed lumber sizes; ASTM F1667 nail lengths; ASME B18.6.1 gauge diameters; WorkshopCalc / Misumi USA pilot-hole consensus charts; 2021 IRC Table R507.6 deck joist spans