Timber Planed all round [PSE] - Planed Timber

Planed all round timber (PSE / PAR) cut to size and made to order in the wood you choose. Tell us the finished sizes you need, pick your species, and we put your planed timber cutting list in front of our approved network of UK timber suppliers. One enquiry, multiple quotes. You see an estimate first, then detailed quotes to compare, with free national delivery on planed timber orders.

Nothing here is off-the-shelf stock. Every length is machined for your job, so you are not restricted to the sizes a merchant happens to carry. Any wood, any section, any quantity.

What PSE and PAR actually mean

PSE stands for Planed Square Edge, and PAR for Planed All Round. In practice UK suppliers use the two terms for the same thing: a rectangular length of solid timber machined smooth on all four faces, with square (90 degree) arrises, no profile and no moulding. You may also see it called prepared timber, dressed timber, planed wood or simply smooth planed. Sawn timber is the same section left rough from the saw.

PSE is the plain building block you reach for when a stock moulding will not do: framing and door linings, window and sash components, shelving, panelling grounds, stair parts, worktop battens, furniture rails, garden joinery and every "I just need a length of that" repair.

Planed timber sizes: nominal versus finished

This is where most orders go wrong, so it is worth two minutes. Timber is usually talked about in its nominal (sawn) size - "2x1", "3x2", "4x4", "6x1" - but once it is planed all round it loses material from every face. What arrives is the finished size, and it is always smaller than the name suggests.

As a rough guide to the trade convention, a nominal softwood section commonly finishes around:

• 2x1 (50 x 25mm nominal) - about 44 x 20mm finished
• 3x2 (75 x 50mm nominal) - about 69 x 44mm finished
• 4x2 (100 x 50mm nominal) - about 94 x 44mm finished
• 6x1 (150 x 25mm nominal) - about 144 x 20mm finished
• 4x4 (100 x 100mm nominal) - about 94 x 94mm finished

Reductions vary between suppliers and are larger on thicker stock, so treat those as indicative rather than a specification.

On this page you enter the finished size you want. The figures you type into the cutting list are the overall dimensions after the timber has been cut and planed all round - not the nominal size. Because every piece is made to order, you are free to ask for a true 50 x 25mm, or 68 x 43mm, or anything else your job actually needs. There is more detail in our guide to planed wood sizes (PDF).

Choose your wood: 21 hardwood, softwood and modified species

The species picker on this page currently offers 21 timbers, and you can mix different woods on the same cutting list:

• Hardwoods - European Oak (Prime and Joinery grade), American White Oak, American Ash, European Beech, Steamed Beech, Cherry, American Black Walnut, American Maple, Tulipwood (Poplar), Sapele, Utile, Iroko, Ayan and Dark Red Meranti.
• Softwoods - Scandinavian Redwood, Douglas Fir, European Larch, Southern Yellow Pine and Cedar.
• Modified timber - Accoya, for exterior work where movement and durability matter.

Planed oak is the most requested hardwood, but if you are matching existing joinery the species matters more than the price: Victorian and Edwardian softwood joinery is usually Baltic redwood or pitch pine, Georgian work is often deal or oak, and Arts and Crafts interiors lean on oak. If you are unsure, say what you are matching and we will help you choose. Our sister site AnyoneWood is the wood database for that: its A to Z of 650+ timber species (opens in a new tab) covers the working properties, density and durability of each one.

Renovation and heritage restoration work

Planed all round stock is the backbone of period property repair. Listed buildings, conservation areas and unlisted period homes all throw up sections that no builders merchant carries: an odd sash stile, a deep Georgian window board, a door lining thicker than anything modern, a run of grounds behind original panelling.

Because we machine to your dimensions in your species, you can replace like for like instead of compromising on the nearest stock size. If the piece you are copying has a moulded profile rather than a square edge, start with our made to match wizard or period wood mouldings instead - PSE is for square-edged sections.

How to build your planed timber cutting list

The form below builds the list. To get quotes back quickly:

• Pick metric or imperial using the toggle - the size dropdowns switch with it, so you do not have to convert anything yourself.
• Give finished sizes - thickness, width and length as you want them delivered.
• Enter a quantity per row, and add a new row for every different section. Use Duplicate to copy a row you are about to vary slightly.
• Label each row with your own reference so the quotes come back in language that matches your drawings or schedule. Letters and numbers only.
• Allow for waste and machining. Order lengths a little over your cut length rather than exactly on it.
• Say what you are matching in the special instructions - a photo, a sketch with dimensions, or a section drawing removes most of the back-and-forth. Note anything that matters: face side, grain direction, quarter sawn, knot-free requirements, or a site delivery restriction.

What happens after you submit

If you are budgeting before you enquire, our sister site WoodUWeigh has a timber cost calculator (opens in a new tab) that prices by cubic metre. You get an instant indicative estimate for your planed timber, then your list goes out to our supplier network - more than ten UK timber suppliers are set up to quote for this product. They come back with prices, lead times and delivery options so you can compare properly, rather than ringing round yourself. We connect you with the suppliers; the timber is manufactured and supplied by them.

Two things to expect on delivery. The timber arrives planed smooth but bare and unfinished, ready for you to coat or finish as you wish - some light sanding may still be wanted depending on the finish you are after. See finishing and decorating wood for more. And a trade tip worth following: before painting or coating, ease the sharp arrises slightly. A crisp 90 degree corner sheds paint and is the first place a coating fails.

Related timber and sections

• Sawn timber boards - the same species left rough sawn, for structural work or where you will machine it yourself.
• Standard sawn and planed boards - board stock rather than a cutting list.
• Skirting board and architrave - moulded profiles rather than square edge.
• Cladding, decking and flooring for exterior and floor sections.
• Bespoke - any wooden product if what you need is not a straight length at all.