Plank (wood)

A plank is timber that is flat, elongated, and rectangular with parallel faces that are higher and longer than wide.

[1] Used primarily in carpentry, planks are critical in the construction of ships, houses, bridges, and many other structures.

Planks are often used as a work surface on elevated scaffolding, and need to be thick enough to provide strength without breaking when walked on.

The plank was the basis of maritime transport: wood (except some dense hardwoods) floats on water, and abundant forests meant wooden logs could be easily obtained and processed, making planks the primary material in ship building.

However, since the 20th century, wood has largely been supplanted in ship construction by iron and steel, to decrease cost and improve durability.