Scantling is a measurement of prescribed size, dimensions, or cross sectional areas.

Shipping

shipbuilding Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and other floating vessels. It normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation that traces its roots to befor ...

, the scantling refers to the collective dimensions of the framing (apart from the

keel The keel is the bottom-most longitudinal structural element on a vessel. On some sailboats, it may have a hydrodynamic and counterbalancing purpose, as well. As the laying down of the keel is the initial step in the construction of a ship, in Br ...

) to which planks or plates are attached to form the hull. The word is most often used in the plural to describe how much structural strength in the form of girders, I-beams, etc. is in a given section. The

scantling length Scantling Length is a distance slightly less than the waterline length of a ship, and generally less than the overall length of a ship. In the ABS Rules for Building and Classing Steel Vessels, it is defined as the distance on the summer load l ...

refers to the structural length of a ship. In shipping, a "full scantling vessel" is understood to be a geared ship, that can reach all parts of its own cargo spaces with its own gear.

Timber and stone

In regard to timber the scantling is (also "the scantlings are") the thickness and breadth, the sectional dimensions; in the case of stone the dimensions of thickness, breadth and length. The word is a variation of scantillon, a carpenter's or stonemason's measuring tool, also used of the measurements taken by it, and of a piece of timber of small size cut as a sample. Sometimes synonymous with

story pole A storey pole (or story pole, storey rod, story stick, jury stick, scantling, scantillon) is a length of narrow board usually cut to the height of one storey. It is used as a layout tool for any kind of repeated work in carpentry including stair-b ...

. The

Old French Old French (, , ; Modern French: ) was the language spoken in most of the northern half of France from approximately the 8th to the 14th centuries. Rather than a unified language, Old French was a linkage of Romance dialects, mutually intelligib ...

''escantillon'',

mod. The University of South Australia (UniSA) is a public research university in the Australian state of South Australia. It is a founding member of the Australian Technology Network of universities, and is the largest university in South Australi ...

'' échantillon'', is usually taken to be related to

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

''scandaglio'', sounding-line (

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

''scandere'', to climb; cf. ''scansio'', the metrical

scansion Scansion ( , rhymes with ''mansion''; verb: ''to scan''), or a system of scansion, is the method or practice of determining and (usually) graphically representing the metrical pattern of a line of verse. In classical poetry, these patterns are ...

). It was probably influenced by cantel, cantle, a small piece, a corner piece.

References

{{reflist *

Oxford English Dictionary The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' (''OED'') is the first and foundational historical dictionary of the English language, published by Oxford University Press (OUP). It traces the historical development of the English language, providing a com ...

Units of length Nautical terminology Timber framing