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Wood Species - Moisture Content and Weight

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The amount of bounded water in wood is determined by the relative humidity (RH) of the surrounding atmosphere. The water content changes slowly as the relative humidity of the surrounding air changes.

Typical density values for fresh green wood versus air-dried seasoned wood:

For full table - rotate the screen!

Fresh and Dried Wood Species - Moisture Content and Weight
Wood SpeciesFresh Green WoodAir-dried Seasoned Wood
(20% moisture content per weight unit)
Specific GravityDensity
(lb/ft3)

Weight per Cord
(lb/cord)

Specific GravityDensity
(lb/ft3)

Weight per Cord
(lb/cord)
Afromosia       0.71 44  
Alder 0.72 45 3604 0.45 28 2218
Applewood or wild apple       0.66 - 0.83 41 - 52  
Ash, black   52     34  
Ash, Oregon   46     38  
Ash, white   48     41  
Ash, green 0.85 53 4237 0.64 40 3178
Aspen   43   0.42 26  
Baldcypress
Balsa       0.18 6.9 - 12.5  
Basswood   42     26  
Bamboo       0.30 - 0.40 19 - 25  
Beech, American   54     45  
Birch, British   57   0.67 44  
Birch,  Paper   50     38  
Black Ash       0.54 34  
Black locust 0.93 58 4614 0.79 49 3952
Black walnut 0.91 57 4579 0.61 38 3053
Boxwood / Buis  59 - 69
Buckeye, yellow 23.9
Bur oak 0.99 62 4923 0.69 43 3475
Butternut 25.2
Cottonwood 0.93 58 4620 0.45 28 2218
Cedar, Alaska   36     31  
Cedar, Eastern Red   37   0.37 33  
Cedar, Northern White   28     22  
Cedar, Southern White   26     23  
Cedar, Western Red   27     23  
Cherry, black   45     35  
Cherry, wild red 26.5
Chestnut   55     30  
Cocobolo 68.6
Coralwood 68.6
Corkwood 12.9
Cottonwood, Eastern   49     28  
Cottonwood, Northern Black   46     24  
Cypress, Southern   51   0.51 32  
Dogwood (flowering) 49.7
Douglas Fir, Coast Region   38   0.53 33  
Douglas Fir, Rocky Mountain  Region   35     30  
Ebony       0.96 - 1.12 60 - 70  
Elm, American   54     35  
Elm, Rock   53   0.82 44  
Elm, Slippery   56     37  
Eucalyptus, Karri West Autralia 51.8
Eucalyptus, Mahogany New South Wales 66
Fir, Balsam   45     25  
Fir, Commercial White   46     27  
Greenheart, British Guiana 66 - 77
Grenadilla, Mpingo 75 - 78
Gum, black   45     35  
Gum, red   50     34  
Hackberry 0.82 51 4039 0.59 37 2938
Hemlock, Eastern   50     28  
Hemlock, Western   41     29  
Hickory 1.03 64 5107 0.77 48 3830
Hickory, pecan   62     45  
Honeylocust 0.93 58 4638 0.72 45 3590
Hornbeam 47.6
Iroko       0.66 41  
Ironwood, black 67 - 81
Jacarandá, Brazilian rosewood 53
Larch   48   0.59 37  
Lignum Vitae       1.28 - 1.38 80 - 86  
Locust, black   58     48  
Magnolia, cucumber 32.2
Mahogany, Honduras       0.54 34  
Mahogany, African       0.50 - 0.85 31 - 53  
Maple, bigleaf   47     34  
Maple, black   54   0.75 40  
Maple, red   50     38  
Maple, silver   45     33  
Maple, sugar   56     44  
Maple, Soft 0.80 50 3960 0.53 33 2640
Mpingo 75 - 78
Mulberry 0.95 59 4710 0.71 44 3533
Oak, Red 0.98 61 4886 0.67 42 3350
Oak, white   63     47  
Osage orange 1.03 64 5120 0.91 57 4552
Persimmon 48.5
Pine, Lodgepole   39     29  
Pine, Northern White   36     25  
Pine, Norway   42     34  
Pine, Ponderosa   45     28  
Pine, Southern Yellow   52 - 53     36 - 41  
Pine, Sugar   52     25  
Pine, Oregon       0.53 33  
Pine, Parana       0.56 35  
Pine, Canadian       0.35 - 0.56 22 - 35  
Pine, Red       0.37 - 0.66 23 - 41  
Poplar, Yellow   38     28  
Post oak 1.03 64 5086 0.72 45 3590
Pecan 0.99 62 4937 0.72 45 3590
Redwood, American   50   0.45 28  
Redwood, European       0.51 32  
Rosewood, Bolivian 44.3
Rosewood, East Indian 48.7
Satinwood, Ceylon 64.4
Sourwood 37
Spruce, Engelman   39     23  
Spruce, Canadian   34   0.45 28  
Spruce, Sitka   33   0.45 28  
Sugar maple 0.95 59 4746 0.67 42 3350
Sycamore 1.01 63 5051 0.54 34 2755
Red elm 0.79 49 3947 0.58 36 2870
Sweetgum
Sycamore
Tamarack   47     37  
Teak       0.63 - 0.72 39 - 45  
Tupelo
Walnut, black   58     38  
White cedar   24     23  
White elm 0.88 55 4362 0.54 34 2755
Willow 0.87 54 4320 0.43 27 2160
  • density of  water 62.4 lb/ft3 (1000 kg/m3)
  • 1 lb/ft3 = 16.018 kg/m3 = 0.016 g/cm3 = 0.00926 oz/in3 = 2.57 oz/gal (Imperial) = 2.139 oz/gal (U.S.) = 0.0005787 lb/in3 = 27 lb/yd3 = 0.161 lb/gal (Imperial) = 0.134 lb/gal (U.S) = 0.0121 ton/yd3
  • water content in wood
  • Softwood - woods that come from gymnosperms (mostly conifers plants)
  • Hardwood - woods that come from angiosperms (flowering plants)

In green softwoods the moisture content of sapwood is usually greater than that of heartwood. In green hardwoods the difference in moisture content between heartwood and sapwood depends on the species. Variability of green moisture content exists even within individual boards cut from the same tree.

When wood is alive and fresh it consists primarily of water, i.e. most of the weight is actually water. Green wood is freshly sawn wood in which the cell walls are completely saturated with water. Additional water may reside in the lumina. The moisture content of green wood can range from less than 30% to more than 200% of dry wood weight.

  • Sapwood - the actively conducting portion of the stem in which parenchyma cells are still alive and metabolically active
  • Heartwood - the darker colored wood found to the interior of the sapwood

Moisture Content of Wood in Equilibrium with Relative Humidity and Temperature

- in Fahrenheit

- in Celsius

Example - Moisture Content in Wood - Summer vs. Winter

At a given location the typical summer condition inside a house is 25 oC temperature with 65% relative humidity. The typical winter condition in the same house is 18 oC temperature with 15% relative humidity.

From the chart above we can estimate the moisture content in the wood in the house at summer time to be 12%. The moisture content at winter time can be estimated to be 3-4%. 

Wood changes dimensions with moisture - it swells when it gains moisture - and it shrinks when it loses moisture.

Typical wood shrinkage from green to ovendry moisture content is typical 3-8% in radial grain direction and 6-12% in tangential grain direction. Volumetric shrinkage is typical 11-18%. Longitudinal shrinkage parallel to the grain is generally quite small. Typical values from green to ovendry wood are 0.1-0.2%.

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