The Wood Flooring Manufacturers Association (NOFMA) has established a grading system for unfinished wood flooring. The grade of your wood product will have direct bearing on how the flooring looks once it is sanded and finished, as grade signifies the amount of naturally occurring and manufactured variances and characters present in your wood species.

Here are the four NOFMA grades and what they mean:

Clear: Is a wood product made primarily from a species’ heartwood, the densest and oldest portion of a tree that often boasts a richer color than a species’ sapwood, located closer the bark. A clear-grade product has very few character marks and very little discoloration, resulting in a mostly uniform look.

Select: Includes a mix of both heartwood and sapwood and, therefore, has subtle color variations. Can have a few natural wood characters showing through.
#1 Common: Features considerable color variations and a range of characters.

#2 Common: Shows obvious natural wood variation and characters, including knotholes, as well as manufacturing marks.