Statistical analysis of the commercial names of the woods in a country (Spain)

The subject of commercial naming for lumber has been extensively studied for a considerable time; however, none of these studies has so far used rigorous scientific procedures. Most of them have been simply a compilation of a number –greater or smaller– of common na mes, listed in order. This study uses statistical techniques to analyse common names. The methodology employed detects the most commonly used commercial names by means of the mode, and characterizes the dispersion presented by the alternatives through the Index of Qualitative Variation and the Bimodality Index (defined in this study). We also analyze the possible effect caused by the geographic region and the size of the company using the Exact Test for tables r x c and Logistical Regression. The results indicate a clear convergence in common names for European hardwoods. The rest of the lumbers have dispersions associated principally to only two names (tropical woods) or to a larger number of names (softwoods and non-tropical American hardwoods). Regarding the possible alterations owing to the geographic origin of the commercial name, only one of the 92 woods analysed presents significant values. The size of the lumber company does not have any influence on the type of commercial names it uses. To study the degree of compliance with the EN standard we used the Cohen’s Kappa coefficient. It is worth noting that society barely uses the names recommended in the standard.