Lumber Forks & Plywood Forks
Lumber forks and plywood forks are the industry's names for full taper & polish (FTP) forklift forks — blades that taper from heel to tip and are polished smooth, so they slide under tightly stacked material and back out without crushing, gouging, or dragging the bottom course. Same product, three names. Next Lift stocks the full FTP line in Class 2, 3, and 4, 42" to 72" long, in widths from 4" up to 12" — the wide blades are the lumber-yard favorites because they spread the load across soft material.
Why standard forks damage lumber loads
A lumber pack or plywood lift sits nearly flat on the deck or on thin stickers — there's no pallet opening. Forcing a standard-taper fork under it does three kinds of damage: the blunt blade splinters the bottom course going in, a narrow blade concentrates the whole load on two thin lines of contact, and the unpolished top face drags boards out of the stack when you withdraw. FTP forks fix all three: the heel-to-tip taper wedges in low, the width spreads contact across the load, and the polished face releases clean.
Most popular lumber & plywood fork sizes
| Blade size | Class | Capacity per pair @ 24" LC | Lengths | Typical use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7" × 1.5" | Class 3 | 9,600 lb | 42"–72" | Boards, trim, light packs |
| 8" × 1.5" | Class 3 | 10,800 lb | 42"–72" | Dimensional lumber, plywood lifts |
| 8" × 2" | Class 4 | 16,800 lb | 48"–72" | Full units of framing lumber |
| 10" × 1.75" | Class 4 | 18,200 lb | 42"–72" | Plywood and OSB units, engineered lumber |
| 12" × 1.5" | Class 4 | 16,200 lb | 42"–72" | Widest contact — drywall, sheet goods, soft stock |
Running a smaller truck or lighter loads? The FTP line also comes in 4"–6" widths for Class 2 and Class 3 (5,500–12,600 lb per pair) — same polished full-taper blade, sized for standard warehouse forklifts. All sizes are in the full taper & polish collection, and every rating is on the capacity chart.
All FTP forks hang on standard ITA hook-type carriages — no special mounting. Not sure whether your truck is Class 2, 3, or 4? Measure your carriage height: 16" is Class 2, 20" is Class 3, 25" is Class 4 — and note that many newer Hyster and Yale trucks in the 10,000–11,000 lb range run Class 4 carriages.
Choosing length and width for lumber
Length: forks should reach at least two-thirds under the load's width. For 4' lumber packs and plywood units, 48" works; 60"–72" gives cleaner handling on doubled or wider units. Width: wider is gentler — go 10"–12" for finished sheet goods and anything that marks easily, 7"–8" where you need to fit between stickers or bunks, 4"–6" for mixed pallet-and-material work on smaller trucks. For how FTP differs from standard blades, see standard taper vs full taper.
Shop lumber & plywood forks
Every size is in the full taper & polish collection, sold in pairs with free shipping to the lower 48 and a 1-year warranty. Need a width, length, or capacity we don't list — or block forks or telehandler mounting? We fabricate: call 937-387-8140 or email forks@next-lift.com.