The ends are roughly squared and the specimen weighed and measured, taking the cross-sectional dimensions midway of the length.

Weights should be to the nearest pound, lengths to the nearest 0.1 inch, and cross-sectional dimensions to the nearest 0.01 inch.
_Marking and sketching_: The butt end of the beam is marked _A_ and the top end _B_.

While facing _A_, the top side is marked _a_, the right hand _b_, the bottom _c_, the left hand _d_.
Sketches are made of each side and end, showing (1) size, location, and condition of knots, checks, splits, and other defects; (2) irregularities of grain; (3) distribution of heartwood and sapwood; and on the ends: (4) the location of the pith and the arrangement of the growth rings, (5) number of rings per inch, and (6) the proportion of late wood.
The number of rings per inch and the proportion of late wood should always be determined along a radius or a line normal to the rings.

The average number of rings per inch is the total number of rings divided by the length of the line crossing them.
The proportion of late wood is equal to the sum of the widths of the late wood crossed by the line, divided by the length of the line.

Rings per inch should be to the nearest 0.1; late wood to the nearest 0.1 per cent.
Since in large beams a great variation in rate of growth and relative amount of late wood is likely in different parts of the section, it is advisable to consider the cross section in three volumes, namely, the upper and lower quarters and the middle half.