I believe most carpenters in the UK would still say '2 by 4' and '2 by 1'. Odd, as those values are pretty much meaningless, as they refer to the original size

I believe most carpenters in the UK would still say '2 by 4' and '2 by 1'. Odd, as those values are pretty much meaningless, as they refer to the original size of the timber before it was planed down. In this sense, those dimensions have now become terms.