What Is MGP10 Timber, and When Do You Need MGP12?

MGP10 is a strength grade for structural pine. MGP stands for machine graded pine, and the 10 means the timber's stiffness is about 10,000 MPa, rounded, according to WoodSolutions. It is the everyday grade for house frames. MGP12 is a stiffer grade from the same system, and F7 is a different grade that is a little stronger in bending but less stiff.

Below is what the grade means, how MGP10 compares with MGP12 and F7, whether it is treated, where it goes in a house and the sizes it comes in. These are published figures from timber makers and WoodSolutions, checked on 10 November 2026. They are a guide, not a design for your job.

What does MGP10 mean?

It is a stress grade: a label for how stiff and strong a piece of pine is, so a designer knows what it can carry. It does not tell you the species or the treatment.

Each piece is run through a grading machine at the mill. Timberlink, which makes MGP and F grade pine, says mills test for stiffness first. WoodSolutions says the number in MGP10, MGP12 and MGP15 is the rounded stiffness: the "10" refers to 10,000 MPa. It also says all timber graded this way has to be in-grade tested, which means samples of the finished timber are tested to check the grade holds up.

Timberlink gives MGP10 a stiffness of 10.0 GPa (the same as 10,000 MPa) and a bending strength of 17 MPa. Stiffness is how much a piece bends under load. Bending strength is how much load it takes before it breaks. Porta, another maker, says its MGP10 complies with AS/NZS 1748, the standard for machine graded structural timber.

What is the difference between MGP10 and MGP12?

MGP12 is stiffer than MGP10, so the same size piece can span further or carry more. Timber maker Hyne calls MGP10 its most common structural grade, MGP12 its high strength grade and MGP15 its ultra high strength grade.

You need MGP12 when your plans, your truss maker or the span table for the job says so. Span tables are written for one grade. A table that allows a certain span in MGP12 does not allow it in MGP10, so you cannot swap the cheaper grade in without checking. Timberlink's advice is simple: if the plans call for a grade, buy that grade.

Is MGP10 stronger than F7?

It depends on what you mean by stronger. MGP10 is stiffer, and F7 has slightly higher bending strength. Timberlink's comparison of F7 and MGP10 puts them at 10.0 GPa and 17 MPa for MGP10, and 7.9 GPa and 18 MPa for F7.

That small gap changes which one spans further:

• Where stiffness rules, such as floor and deck joists and pergola rafters, MGP10 spans further.
• Where bending strength rules, such as a deck bearer, F7 spans further. Timberlink says F7 "will span further than MGP10" as a deck floor bearer.

Timberlink also says most treated pine sold in Australia is MGP10 or F7, and most New Zealand pine sold here is F7. It makes its own MGP10 to reach 18 MPa so it can be used where F7 is specified. That is one maker's product, so check the stamp or the supplier's sheet before you swap one for the other.

Is MGP10 treated, and can you use it outside?

MGP10 can be treated or untreated. The grade only tells you strength, so you need to check the hazard class (H class) as well. For outside work above the ground you need H3 or higher.

Hyne sells the same MGP grades in two treatments. Hyne T2 Blue is termite treated (H2F equivalent) for indoor, above ground framing, and only south of the Tropic of Capricorn. Its T3 Green is H3 treated for inside and outside, above the ground.

Here is what each class is for, from WoodSolutions and Business Queensland:

WoodSolutions says H4 is not suitable for critical structural parts. Timberlink says most outdoor building projects need H3, and posts in the ground need H4. Do not judge the treatment by colour: Timberlink says colour alone no longer tells you. Business Queensland says treated pieces thicker than 15 mm carry a brand showing the H class. Our guide to H3 vs H4 treated pine covers outdoor treatment in more detail.

What is MGP10 used for in a house?

Mostly the frame. Porta lists wall frames, roof trusses, floor joists, bearers and lintels as uses for its MGP10, for inside work. Treated to H3, MGP10 also goes into decks and pergolas: Hyne lists deck joists and bearers and timber pergolas for its T3 Green.

Size and grade together set how far a piece can span. Here are sample rows from Hyne's floor joist span table for T3 Green MGP10 at 450 mm spacing. "Continuous" means one joist runs unbroken over two or more spans.

That table assumes a normal home floor with particleboard flooring, a sheet metal roof, wind class N3 and timber kept inside and protected. Change any of those and the span changes. Deck joists have their own tables, which our guide to deck joist spacing covers. Wall studs follow the spacing in our guide to stud spacing in Australia. For spans too long for sawn pine, plans often call for LVL, an engineered beam made from layers of veneer glued together.

A span table is a starting point. If you are taking out or cutting into a wall, read how to tell if a wall is load bearing first. An engineer or certifier has the final word on the size and grade for your job.

What sizes does MGP10 come in?

Hyne and Porta list the same nine sizes, from 70 x 35 mm to 240 x 45 mm. Sizes are depth by thickness, in millimetres.

Hyne's lengths run 2.4, 2.7, 3.0, 3.6, 4.2, 4.8, 5.4 and 6.0 m. Not every yard stocks every size in every grade, so ask before you plan around a 240 mm piece.

In Queensland, framing work valued over $3,300 needs a QBCC licence. The QBCC carpentry licence covers timber and steel wall framing and roof structures, subfloor framing and non-loadbearing internal walls. We build deck frames and do the framing inside our kitchen, bathroom and laundry renovations across the Gold Coast, to the grade and size on the plans. Brett holds QBCC licence 15316127. See our carpentry page for the work we do.

Where do these figures come from?

Checked on 10 November 2026: Timberlink, Is F7 or MGP10 graded timber better for outdoor structures in Australia? (undated); WoodSolutions, In-grade testing (undated), and Preservative treatments and use classes (undated); Hyne Timber, T2 Blue and T3 Green product pages (undated; the T3 Green spec sheet is dated June 2026) and its floor joist span table (version 4, undated); Porta, Structaframe MGP10 (undated); Business Queensland, Treated timber (updated 9 April 2020) and Spotted gum (updated 17 May 2021); and the QBCC pages on the carpentry licence class (published 30 August 2021) and who must hold a licence (published 16 April 2026). We will check these figures again every three months.

See our carpentry work, or check what your job will cost.