McIlvain: A Reputation for Quality Hardwood Lumber

As a hardwood lumber supplier, J. Gibson McIlvain is committed to stocking a wide variety of both domestic and exotic hardwoods. We are careful to ensure that each board meets our high standards of both quality and supply-chain integrity, and that they are stored carefully and inspected repeatedly. To help you understand the kind of attention to detail we give each piece of wood, here are a few focal points we place significant emphasis on in our business.

Supply-Chain Integrity

This issue is particularly poignant due to 2008 LACEY Act revisions, which make each hardwood lumber supplier and customer responsible for illegally logged or traded wood. At McIlvain Lumber, we realize that taking responsibility for our lumber sources means more than keeping a paper trail intact; it also includes being able to trust our sources. For that reason, our exotic hardwoods experts visit remote logging sites from which we purchase lumber, so that we can be assured of the level of environmental and social responsibility taken on by those companies. By building relationships with mills in the U.S. and abroad, we can assure our customers that the wood they purchase is untainted and in full compliance with all governmental regulations.

Lumber Quality

In addition to verifying the legality of the mills from which we receive our lumber, our in-person inspections of those mills help us with quality control. With all the hardwood lumber we supply, J. Gibson McIlvain utilizes a detailed process to ensure that each board we ship out has been inspected at least three times. Part of our inspection process includes investigating the methods used for harvesting, sawing, drying, and preparing lumber for shipment. Because our Pennsylvania-based workers cannot observe each shipment in person before it leaves remote locations, we hire independent third parties to inspect and photograph each shipment and detail its condition according to McIlvain’s own grading forms before we give approval for it to leave the mill. A second inspection occurs once the lumber reaches our headquarters in Maryland. This species-specific appraisal is conducted regarding each individual board and is completed by our own lumber-grading experts who keep customer specifications in mind.

Professional Processing

After the second inspection, most hardwood lumber requires further drying, whether by air or in a kiln, before it reaches the 6-8% standard. Exotic hardwoods typically undergo between 1 and 4 months of air drying before it is kiln dried. Domestic hardwoods, however, usually need less time to adequately dry. After kiln-drying is complete, it is sorted by machine and then hand-inspected for defects. After that, it is sawn and re-graded according to quality. The stacked lumber is then moved to the lumber yard and covered to await sale. Once the lumber has been ordered, we grade it one more time. This high-level grading is customer-specific, keeping your demands in mind.

J. Gibson McIlvain has a well-earned reputation for quality and integrity, as a hardwood lumber supplier. Visit our website at www.mcilvain.com to learn more about how we can serve you.

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