If you don't know a 2x4 isn't actually 2"x4".....

[emcon5]

Maybe you shouldn't be buying lumber.

Just saying.....

Marin judge orders Lowe's Home Centers to pay $1.6 million settlement - Marin Independent Journal

The settlement, ordered by Marin Superior Court Judge Paul M. Haakenson, is the culmination of a civil enforcement action filed in Marin Superior Court and led by the district attorneys of Marin, Los Angeles, Monterey, San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties. It was alleged Lowe's stores throughout the state unlawfully advertised structural dimensional building products for sale, such as lumber, using incorrect product dimensions. In some instances, Lowe's advertisements restated misleading or inaccurate product dimensions provided by the manufacturers or suppliers.

Karen Cobb, spokesperson for Lowe's, said in a statement: "Periodically, representatives of local Weights and Measures departments visit retailers and they expressed concerns about common product measurements, such as a 2x4 piece of lumber. These visits were initiated as a result of standards set by California's Division of Measurement Standards, which relies upon guidance from the National Institute of Standards and Technology concerning the sale of certain commodity products.

"Historically, Lowe's provided information about product dimensions received from vendors. Moving forward, customers will now be able to locate product by actual and common dimensions as provided by vendors for certain building products. For example, for a piece of lumber commonly known as a 2X4, customers will see both the common name (2x4) and the actual product dimensions (1.5 x 3.5 inches).

And people ask why I left California.

[look 171]

it could have happened anywhere else. What does this have to do with Ca? One dumb @#$$#% judge, and you blame the entire state?

[Porsche-O-Phile]

The problem is CA does have a disproportionate percentage of dumbass judges (and dumbass lawyers, dumbass politicians and just plain dumbasses in general).

I wonder if this ruling measure up to appellate court scrutiny.

[SilberUrS6]

Well, there was also a different problem - the 1.5" x 3.5" boards weren't actually measuring up to that - and that was the crux of the lawsuit.

[emcon5]

Originally Posted by look 171

it could have happened anywhere else. What does this have to do with Ca? One dumb @#$$#% judge, and you blame the entire state?

"led by the district attorneys of Marin, Los Angeles, Monterey, San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties"

It was a government shakedown.

[look 171]

They are all idiots and need to find something worthwhile to do.

[Z-man]

Wow.

2x4's have been that same size (1.5 x 3.5) since the day after they switched from using logs for houses (aka log cabins) to using planks...

-Z

[look 171]

Originally Posted by emcon5

"led by the district attorneys of Marin, Los Angeles, Monterey, San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties"

It was a government shakedown.

don't you worry, it will move east ward.

[look 171]

From now on, instead of telling my men to " put a 2x4 in there" I will have to say "put a 1.5x 3.5 in there.

[GWN7]

Wow just wow.......it's a industry standard. It's the dimensions of a rough cut piece of lumber before it's milled smooth. Or that's what it was before modern milling practices made the practice obsolete.

Appeal the judgment based on selective prosecution. If everyone is calling the same thing and they only picked on one company........

[creaturecat]

fwiw: It's a 4x2 in the UK.

[sand_man]

Originally Posted by Z-man

Wow.

2x4's have been that same size (1.5 x 3.5) since the day after they switched from using logs for houses (aka log cabins) to using planks...

-Z

This is what I always thought too!!?? I've known this since I was a little kid. Just thought it was part of construction industry jargon; referring to them as "2x4" instead of "1.5x3.5"

[Kraftwerk]

A law-suit about the actual dimensions of 2x4's?
wow!
1.6 mil
I wouldn't call the lawyers dumb, they won after all. The Judge is a dumb-ass for not dismissing these types of cases.

btw: a 20" bicycle wheel can be either 405 or 451 circumference.. if you don't like it, call my lawyer!

[SilberUrS6]

Originally Posted by Kraftwerk

A law-suit about the actual dimensions of 2x4's?

No.

If you look at the lawsuit, it's that the lumber did not even measure the 1.5" x 3.5" nominal standard, and that the lumber was out of specification, NOT that a 2x4 is not actually 2" by 4".

[emcon5]

Originally Posted by Porsche-O-Phile

I wonder if this ruling measure up to appellate court scrutiny.

Who knows, but we will never find out. Lowe's settled, rather than engage in a long expensive legal fight with a bunch of pedantic assclowns.

And they will of course raise prices to cover costs of the litigation on to consumers.

For a company the size of Lowe's, $1.6 million is not much more than a rounding error (their profits last year were $1.8 billion on $16.6 billion in revenue ).

[sand_man]

Originally Posted by Kraftwerk

btw: a 20" bicycle wheel can be either 405 or 451 circumference.. if you don't like it, call my lawyer!

That's a good point! Lots of "stuff" in all types of industries have stated dimensions, which vary when you take a physical measurement! Maybe now it can be a "2x4 +/- .50"

[bpu699]

Next lawsuit...

Penny nails aren't a penny....

120V really isn't...

Lifetime latex paint only lasts 10 years if youre lucky...

The list goes on...

Kalifornia is wacky...

[sand_man]

Originally Posted by SilberUrS6

No.

If you look at the lawsuit, it's that the lumber did not even measure the 1.5" x 3.5" nominal standard, and that the lumber was out of specification, NOT that a 2x4 is not actually 2" by 4".

I see.

[5String43]

I don't know if this is still available anywhere, but if you wanted lumber that actually measured, say, 2 x 4, or 4 x 6, or whatever, you specified "rough-cut." When you did that, you got material that actually measured to the specified dimensions. It was not, however, smooth, like todays lumber is. It was, well, rough cut.

[Crowbob]

Would I get sued in Kalifornia if I said my wood is a foot?