bräda

Bräda is a Swedish noun that refers to a flat, rectangular piece of wood cut to be used as a board or plank. It is a general carpentry term for a timber element with a relatively uniform thickness, produced by sawing logs and often planed to create a smooth surface. Brädor come in a range of thicknesses, widths, and lengths depending on the intended use, and they can be made from various wood species such as furu (pine), gran (spruce), and, for higher-end applications, ek (oak) or björk (birch).

Common uses for brädor include construction and interior work: flooring (golvbräda), wall and ceiling cladding, roof battens, shelves, furniture components, and other structural or decorative elements. They can be sold as rough-sawn (sågad) or planed and surfaced (hyvlad) brädor, and finishes may be untreated, stained, or varnished. The term also appears in phrases such as spelbräda or schackbräda when referring to boards used in games, though these contexts often specify the type of board more precisely.

In everyday language, bräda may also be used colloquially to refer to a skateboard, reflecting the idea of a flat board used for riding. The word is cognate with similar terms in other Germanic languages and is etymologically linked to the English word “board.” The plural form is brädor. Brädor are a fundamental element in carpentry and are chosen based on mechanical requirements, appearance, and environmental considerations.