Scantling is a measurement of prescribed size, dimensions, or cross sectional areas. For comparison, see Form Factor: http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/form_factor

Shipping

In shipbuilding

Shipbuilding

Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and 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 before recorded history.Shipbuilding and ship repairs, both...

, the scantling refers to the collective dimensions of the various parts, particularly the framing and structural supports. 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

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 line from the fore side of the stem to the centerline of...

 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 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

Carpenter

A carpenter is a skilled craftsperson who works with timber to construct, install and maintain buildings, furniture, and other objects. The work, known as carpentry, may involve manual labor and work outdoors....

 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. The Old French

Old French

Old French was the Romance dialect continuum spoken in territories that span roughly the northern half of modern France and parts of modern Belgium and Switzerland from the 9th century to the 14th century...

 escantillon, mod.

French language

French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...

 chantillon, is usually taken to be related to Italian

Italian language

Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...

 scandaglio, sounding-line (Latin

Latin

Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...

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

Scansion

Scansion is the act of determining and graphically representing the metrical character of a line of verse.-Overview:Systems of scansion, and the assumptions that underlie them, are so numerous and contradictory that it is often difficult to tell whether differences in scansion indicate opposed...

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