tablones

Tablones (Spanish for boards or planks) are flat, rectangular pieces of material used in construction, carpentry, and manufacturing. In English usage, the term typically corresponds to boards or planks that are thicker and wider than standard boards. While most tablones are wooden, the category also includes engineered wood products and other materials cut into plank-like shapes.

Materials and forms: Wooden tablones come from softwoods such as pine or spruce and hardwoods such as oak or maple. Engineered variants include plywood planks, oriented strand board planks, and fiberboard. Sizes vary widely, but common ranges for general use are roughly 1/2 to 3 inches in thickness and 3 to 12 inches in width, with lengths from 6 to 16 feet. Finishes range from planed, smooth surfaces to rough-sawn textures.

Manufacture and processing: Tablones are produced by sawing logs or billets, followed by drying to reduce moisture content. Some tablones receive edge treatments, grooves, or tongue-and-groove profiles to enable interlocking assemblies. Exterior tablones often receive preservative treatments to resist decay and insects.

Uses: In construction, tablones serve as structural components (decking, flooring, wall cladding) or as surface elements. In historical contexts, large wooden planks were used for hull planking and shipbuilding. In landscaping and interior design, weather-resistant tablones are used for decking, fencing, and paneling, while heavy, straight stock supports workshop benches and formwork.

Standards and grading: Quality depends on straightness, grain, moisture content, and absence of major defects. National or regional standards specify dimensional tolerances, species limitations, and treatment requirements.

See also: lumber, boards, planks, decking.