What are Splits in timber?

• A. Advanced checks that extend completely through the wood
• B. Separations of the wood fibers, through growth rings, parallel to grain
• C. Separations of the wood fibers, Between growth rings, parallel to grain
• D. Groups of cells running from the center of the tree horizontally to the bark

Answer: (A)

Splits are deep cracks that run from one face of the timber all the way to the opposite face. They’re essentially advanced checks, cracks along the grain that have progressed to traverse the full thickness of the piece. Because they cut completely through, splits weaken the timber more than shallow, surface-level checks and are considered a serious defect for structural use. The other descriptions describe crack patterns related to growth rings or simply refer to cell groups in the wood, which don’t capture the through-thickness nature of splits.