Hardwood grade is one of the most misunderstood specifications in flooring, and correcting the misunderstanding is worth real money to a buyer. Grade describes how a board looks: the knots, colour variation, mineral streak, and sapwood visible on its face, and nothing about how strong, hard, or long-lasting the floor will be. A lower grade is not a defective board.
The National Hardwood Lumber Association (NHLA) publishes the rulebook that most North American hardwood grading traces back to, running from FAS, the clearest standard grade, down through the Common grades, which show more natural character. This guide explains what each grade actually permits, why Common grades are a legitimate and widely used residential choice, and how grade differs entirely from the species hardness that actually governs a floor's durability. See our full hardwood species and Janka hardness guide for the specification that does drive durability.
On this page
- What grade actually means (and does not)
- The NHLA grade ladder: FAS through the Common grades
- What each grade actually permits
- FAS and FAS 1-Face
- Select and “Select & Better”
- No. 1 and No. 2 Common
- Why Common grades are widely and legitimately used
- Grade, yield, and waste factor: two different numbers
- Manufacturer appearance names are not NHLA grades
- Grade versus species hardness: the actual durability lever
- Grade on engineered versus solid hardwood
- Choosing a grade: a design decision, not a defect
- Cost, without the figures
- Honest pros and cons, by grade family
- Myths & mistakes
- FAQ
What grade actually means (and does not)
Grading in hardwood flooring is an appearance classification, not a structural one. It sorts boards by how much of the face is clear, defect-free wood versus how much shows knots, streaks, or colour variation. It says nothing about the wood's density, hardness, or how it will wear underfoot.
NHLA grading, the framework most North American hardwood grading traces back to, states plainly that grade affects visual character only, not structural strength or durability. A Character or Rustic grade board is not an inferior product; it is a different aesthetic choice, built from the same wood as a clear grade of the same species.
The NHLA grade ladder: FAS through the Common grades
The National Hardwood Lumber Association maintains the rulebook that defines how North American hardwood lumber, including much of the material milled into flooring, is graded by the amount of clear, usable wood in a board. Grades run in a ladder from the clearest standard grade down to grades that permit substantially more visible character, and each step down relaxes the clear-wood requirement in favour of allowing more knots, streaks, and colour variation.
The table below summarises the standard ladder from clearest to most characterful. Where we cannot verify an exact percentage or size threshold, the grade is described qualitatively; the NHLA rulebook is the governing document for the precise figures.
| Grade | What it permits | Typical residential use |
|---|---|---|
| FAS (“First and Seconds”) | Minimum 83-1/3% clear, defect-free wood yield, graded from the board’s poorer face; the highest standard NHLA grade, with the longest and widest board-size minimums on the ladder. | Premium, largely clear-faced flooring and millwork stock. |
| FAS 1-Face | The face side must meet the FAS clear-wood standard; the reverse face is permitted more visible character under the NHLA rulebook, which sets the exact reverse-face allowance. | A clear-looking installed face at a narrower grading requirement than full FAS. |
| Select | The same clear-wood percentage standard as FAS, but the NHLA rulebook allows smaller minimum board and cutting sizes. | Comparable clear look to FAS, commonly sold together with it. |
| Select & Better | Trade shorthand for FAS and Select combined: a real, published NHLA term, not a marketing invention. There is no official “A grade” in flooring. | Marketed as the clearest widely available flooring option. |
| No. 1 Common | A standard NHLA grade below Select & Better that permits more knots, mineral streak, and colour variation. Exact cutting-size and clear-yield allowances are set by the NHLA rulebook. | A widely used, characterful residential flooring grade. |
| No. 2 Common | Permits still more visible character than No. 1 Common, under the same NHLA framework, with smaller minimum clear cuttings allowed. | A rustic, budget-conscious flooring grade, frequently rebranded under proprietary names. |
What each grade actually permits: knots, colour, mineral streak, sapwood
Clear grades such as FAS and Select restrict these characteristics tightly, favouring long runs of uniform, largely unmarked wood grain across the board's face. That uniformity is the entire product being sold at the top of the ladder: not extra strength, just a cleaner look.
As grade descends toward No. 1 and No. 2 Common, the rulebook permits more knots, mineral streak, and colour variation, and more sapwood, the paler wood nearer the bark, mixed among the darker heartwood. None of these characteristics weaken a board; they are natural features of the tree, not manufacturing flaws.
FAS and FAS 1-Face
FAS, short for First and Seconds, is NHLA's top standard hardwood grade. It requires a minimum 83-1/3% clear, defect-free wood yield on the board, graded from its poorer face, along with the longest and widest board-size minimums on the ladder. It is the benchmark every lower grade is measured against.
FAS 1-Face applies the same clear-wood standard to only the better of a board's two faces, permitting more visible character on the reverse. For flooring, where only one face is ever seen once installed, this can deliver a clear-looking floor while widening the pool of boards a mill can grade into the category. The precise reverse-face allowance is set by the NHLA rulebook, which is the governing document for the exact figures.
Select and “Select & Better”
Select sits just below FAS on the ladder. It holds to the same clear-wood percentage standard as FAS but allows smaller minimum board and cutting sizes, which is why mills can grade more of a harvest into Select than into FAS alone.
“Select & Better” is trade shorthand, not a separate NHLA grade in its own right: it means FAS and Select combined, the two highest standard grades, sold and priced together because they present an essentially uniform, largely clear look once installed. There is no official “A grade” in hardwood flooring, however often that phrase surfaces in a showroom.
No. 1 and No. 2 Common
No. 1 Common and No. 2 Common sit below Select & Better on the same NHLA ladder. Both permit more knots, mineral streak, and colour variation than the clearer grades, and both allow smaller minimum clear cuttings within a board. The NHLA rulebook sets the exact yield and size thresholds for each; this guide describes the character qualitatively rather than citing figures we have not independently verified.
In flooring, No. 1 and No. 2 Common are frequently the material behind a rustic or character look sold under a manufacturer's own name. They are standard, published NHLA grades, not a discount or defect category, and mills grade enormous volumes of hardwood into them every year.
Why Common grades are widely and legitimately used in residential flooring
Every tree produces a mix of clear and characterful wood, and grading exists to sort that mix honestly rather than to rank quality. A log that yields plenty of FAS-grade lumber near its centre still produces boards nearer the bark, around knots, or through colour-transition zones that cannot meet FAS or Select's clear-wood standard, yet remain entirely sound.
Grading those boards into No. 1 or No. 2 Common, rather than discarding them, makes efficient use of the harvested tree, and it is also what makes a wide range of hardwood flooring genuinely affordable. Common-grade flooring is standard, code-ordinary hardwood; the only thing that differs from a clear grade is how much natural character shows on the surface.
Many homeowners choose a Common or Character grade deliberately, not as a compromise. A busier grain pattern hides dust, pet hair, and everyday scuffs better than a very clean, uniform clear grade, which is one reason character grades are common in high-traffic or rustic-styled homes. See our best flooring for high-traffic homes and rentals guide for how that plays out in a durability-first decision.
Grade, yield, and waste factor: two different numbers
Grade affects two different numbers that are easy to confuse. At the mill, a higher clear grade like FAS yields less usable flooring per log, since more of each log's boards fail to meet the strict clear-wood threshold; a lower grade like No. 2 Common yields more usable flooring from the same log, because smaller clear cuttings and more character are acceptable.
At the job site, waste factor is a separate calculation entirely: the extra flooring a homeowner buys beyond a room's exact square footage to cover cuts, mismatched ends, and future repairs. Grade does not determine waste factor; layout pattern, room shape, and board length do. See our measuring and waste factor guide for how to calculate it correctly regardless of the grade you choose.
Manufacturer appearance names are not NHLA grades
Names like Rustic, Character, Antique, Vintage, Estate, and Handscraped Select show up constantly on samples and product lines, and none of them is an official NHLA grade. Manufacturers create these names to market a particular look, and different companies apply them to genuinely different levels of visual character.
A board sold under one company's Rustic line is not guaranteed to match another company's Character line, even though both names suggest a similar amount of knots and colour variation. This is a genuine and common source of confusion in a showroom, since a proprietary name reads like a grade but carries no standardised meaning across brands.
Ask what NHLA or NOFMA grade, if any, actually stands behind a proprietary name before comparing two products by their marketing labels alone. NOFMA, the mill-grading standard for solid wood flooring administered under the NWFA, governs how a finished floor is milled and sorted, and is a more consistent reference point than a brand's own naming.
Grade versus species hardness: the actual durability lever
Grade and hardness are unrelated specifications that happen to sit on the same product page. Grade describes appearance; hardness, measured by the Janka test, describes how well a species resists denting. An FAS board and a No. 2 Common board of the same species score identically on the Janka scale, because they are the same wood.
What actually governs a floor's day-to-day durability is species hardness, the finish protecting the surface, and, on engineered product, veneer thickness, not the appearance grade printed on the box. See our full hardwood species and Janka hardness guide for a species-by-species reference, and our hardwood finishes explained guide for how the finish, not the grade, does most of the scratch resisting.
Choosing a clear grade for its look does not buy extra durability, and choosing a Common or Character grade does not sacrifice any. A homeowner who wants a genuinely tougher floor should look at species and finish, not move up the grade ladder.
Grade on engineered versus solid hardwood
NHLA grading applies to hardwood lumber generally, and the same clear-wood logic carries over to the face veneer on engineered hardwood. A prefinished engineered floor's veneer is graded on the same appearance basis as solid stock: how much clear, defect-free wood the visible face shows.
Grade says nothing about veneer thickness, which is the separate specification that caps how many times an engineered floor can ever be refinished. A clear-graded, thin-veneer floor and a Character-graded, thick-veneer floor are not comparable on durability from grade alone. See our full engineered hardwood explained guide for how veneer thickness and grade are specified separately on the same product.
Choosing a grade: a design decision, not a defect
The most expensive misunderstanding a homeowner brings to a showroom is treating a lower grade as a lesser product. It is not. FAS and Select & Better deliver a clean, largely uniform field of wood grain; No. 1 and No. 2 Common, or a manufacturer's Rustic or Character line, deliver more visible natural variation, generally at a lower relative cost for the same species.
Neither direction is objectively correct. A buyer who wants a calm, formal look chooses a clear grade; a buyer who wants a busier, more forgiving surface, or a lower cost for the same square footage, chooses Common or Character deliberately. Both are structurally the same wood, and both wear, scratch, and refinish according to species and finish, not grade.
Cost, without the figures
This site does not publish specific price figures, since installed and material cost vary too much by region, species, and product tier to be meaningful here; see our full cost guide for what actually drives a flooring bill. In general, clear grades like FAS and Select & Better command a premium over Common and Character grades of the same species, since fewer boards from a harvest qualify for the clearer categories.
That relationship is mill-yield economics, not a durability signal: paying more for a clearer grade buys a particular look, not a stronger or longer-lasting floor. A buyer working to a budget can reasonably choose a lower grade of a harder species over a clear grade of a softer one, and come out ahead on durability for less money.
Honest pros and cons, by grade family
- FAS and Select & Better. Pros: a clean, uniform, largely clear look, and consistent board-to-board appearance. Cons: costs more for the same species, and a uniform field shows scratches and dust more visibly than a busier grain.
- No. 1 and No. 2 Common, and Character or Rustic lines. Pros: lower relative cost, natural variation that hides everyday wear, and a distinctive, less uniform look many buyers actively prefer. Cons: less uniform board-to-board appearance, which is not to every buyer's taste, and grade names vary by manufacturer.
Myths & mistakes
- Myth: “A lower grade means a defective or weaker board.” Grade is an appearance classification only; a No. 2 Common board is the same wood, at the same hardness, as an FAS board of the same species.
- Myth: “Select & Better is an official top grade called ‘A grade.’” There is no official “A grade” in hardwood flooring. Select & Better is trade shorthand for FAS and Select combined, both real, published NHLA grades.
- Myth: “A manufacturer's ‘Rustic’ or ‘Character’ line always matches NHLA Common grade.” These are proprietary marketing names, not standardised NHLA grades, and they vary by manufacturer. Ask what grade, if any, actually stands behind the name.
- Myth: “A higher grade is a smarter buy because it will last longer.” Grade does not affect durability. Species hardness, finish, and, on engineered product, veneer thickness are what actually determine how long a floor lasts.
- Myth: “Grade and waste factor are the same calculation.” Grade is a mill-level yield classification; waste factor is the extra material a homeowner buys to cover cuts and future repairs at the job site. Neither number predicts the other.
Frequently asked questions
Does a higher hardwood grade mean a stronger or more durable floor?
No. NHLA grade describes visual character only, such as knots, colour variation, mineral streak, and sapwood, not structural strength or wear resistance. A No. 2 Common board and an FAS board of the same species have the same hardness and the same wear once finished; grade never changes what actually makes a floor durable.
What is the difference between FAS and Select grade?
Both meet the same NHLA minimum clear, defect-free wood yield standard of at least 83-1/3%, graded from the board's poorer face. FAS requires longer, wider boards to meet that standard; Select allows smaller minimum board sizes while holding to the same clear-wood percentage, which is why the two are commonly sold together as Select & Better.
What does “Select & Better” actually mean?
It is trade shorthand for FAS and Select combined, the two highest standard NHLA hardwood grades, sold together because they share essentially the same clear-wood standard. It is a real, published NHLA grading term, not a marketing invention, and there is no official “A grade” in flooring despite how often that phrase gets used in a showroom.
Is Character or Rustic grade a lower-quality hardwood floor?
No. Character and Rustic describe an appearance choice: more visible knots, mineral streak, and colour variation than a clear grade shows, generally at a lower relative cost. The wood is not defective or weaker; buyers who want a busier, more natural look choose it deliberately, and it tends to hide everyday scuffs and dust better than a very uniform clear grade.
Why do manufacturers use names like “Antique,” “Vintage,” or “Rustic” instead of official NHLA grade names?
Those are proprietary marketing names, not NHLA grades, and different manufacturers apply them to genuinely different levels of visual character. A board sold as one company's “Rustic” line is not guaranteed to match another company's “Character” line; ask what NHLA or NOFMA grade, if any, actually stands behind a proprietary name before comparing products.
Do No. 1 and No. 2 Common grades work for a hardwood floor at home?
Yes, and they are widely and legitimately used in residential flooring. Both permit more knots, mineral streak, and colour variation than Select & Better, under standards set by the NHLA rulebook, but neither grade indicates a weaker or lower-durability board. Many homeowners choose a Common grade deliberately for its natural, less uniform look and lower relative cost.
Sources
This guide reuses NHLA hardwood grading facts already verified and cited on this site's engineered hardwood guide, rather than re-deriving them; we are not affiliated with any of the bodies below.
- NHLA (National Hardwood Lumber Association): the rulebook behind FAS, Select, and “Select & Better” hardwood appearance grading, and the framework for the Common grades, reused from this site's engineered hardwood guide.
- NWFA / NOFMA (National Wood Flooring Association / National Oak Flooring Manufacturers Association): mill-grading and manufacturing standards for how a finished solid wood floor is milled and sorted, distinct from NHLA's raw-lumber grading.
Keep going: see the full engineered hardwood explained guide for how veneer thickness and grade are specified separately; browse hardwood species & Janka hardness for the spec that actually governs durability; check hardwood finishes explained for how the finish does the scratch resisting; measure and order the right amount with our measuring & waste factor guide; or start from room needs with the how-to-choose framework.
Educational information, not professional advice. Check the manufacturer's instructions and a qualified professional before you buy or install. Last verified: 20 August 2026. See our Disclaimer & Terms.