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3.1 General

a) Aesthetic grade rules (premium, custom & economy) are used within AWI standards only in reference to the acceptable quality of workmanship, material, or installation in a completed Product and apply only to exposed and semi-exposed surfaces which remain visible after installation.

b) Visible surfaces of lumber shall be sound, free of decay, shake, pith, wane, and warp. Lumber shall be plain-sawn unless specified otherwise.

c) Where conflicts exist within AWI Standards, the least restrictive requirement shall prevail.

d) The following requirements shall be met unless a project's contract documents indicate otherwise. e) Species not covered by this standard shall be as agreed to between owner/design professional and manufacturer/supplier as to length requirements and size/exposed area of permitted natural characteristics.

3.1.1 Measurements

a) This standard is written with the metric system of measurement followed by the U.S. Customary System of measurement in brackets.

b) The system of measurement used in the project’s original contract documents and architectural drawings will dictate which system of measurement within this standard is used for verification of compliance.

c) The U.S. Customary measurement is typically a “soft” conversion of the metric measurement. In order to make the metric number more conceptually coherent and consistent, most conversions for less than 152.4 mm [6"] in dimension are "soft" converted to the nearest 0.1 mm. For measurements above 152.4 mm [6"], the "soft" value is converted to the nearest 1 mm.

d) Where conflicts exist within this standard, the least restrictive requirement shall prevail.

3.1.2 Lumber and Veneer Specified as Natural

a) Natural, as a type of wood species selection, permits unlimited heartwood and/or sapwood within a face. Special requirements shall be so specified.