Mill Run
Mill run lumber is sold as it comes from the sawmill without sorting or grading, containing a random mix of all grades produced from the log. The buyer receives whatever the mill produced, from the best boards to the worst, at a single blended price. Mill run purchasing is a gamble — the value depends on the grade mix that turns up.
In-Depth Explanation
Mill run is the simplest way to buy lumber: the sawmill ships everything it cut without separating or evaluating individual boards by grade. The price reflects an average of the grade distribution, typically lower than buying graded upper grades separately but higher than buying the lower grades alone. For the buyer, mill run can be an excellent value if the log quality is high and the grade mix skews toward upper grades, or it can be a poor deal if the logs yield mostly low-grade material. Experienced buyers evaluate mill run purchases by estimating the likely grade yield from the species and region, then comparing the mill run price to what the individual grades would cost separately. Mill run is most common with smaller sawmill operations that lack the volume, labor, or expertise to sort and grade every board. Some specialty species, exotic imports, and limited-quantity local sawmill production are sold mill run by default. Buyers of mill run lumber should be prepared to do their own sorting, planning their use to incorporate boards ranging from clear, high-grade pieces to knotty, defect-heavy boards.
Usage Example
The woodworker bought 500 board feet of mill run black cherry from a local sawmill, sorting it at home into three piles: clear boards for the project, utility pieces for shop jigs, and scraps for firewood.