Wood - Compressive Strength vs. Moisture Content
Moisture content influence compressive (parallel to grain) strength of Red Spruce, Longleaf Pine and Douglas Fir:
Indicated strengths are relative to wood containing 2% moisture.
- Red Spruce - air dried : 14% moisture content, kiln dried : 6% moisture content
- Longleaf Pine - green wood : 20 % moisture content
- Douglas Fir - green wood : 24 % moisture content
Example - Compressive Strength of Moist Spruce
The compressive strenght of spruce is normally in the range 18 - 39 MPa (2610 - 5655 psi). The diagram above indicatees that maximum strengt is reduced to 50% for spruce with 16% moisture. The reduced range can be calculated as
[18 - 39 MPa (2610 - 5655 psi)] * 0.5
= 9 - 19.5 MPa (1305 - 2828 psi)
Related Topics
• Miscellaneous
Engineering related topics like Beaufort Wind Scale, CE-marking, drawing standards and more.
Related Documents
Fire Wood - the Cord
The cord unit for purchasing fuel wood.
Hardwood and Softwood Species
Species of hardwood vs. softwood.
Lumber - Weights
Weights of green, kiln dried and pressure treated lumber boards.
Machine Stress Rated (MSR) and Machine Evaluated (MEL) Lumber
Grading of lumber in North America
Moisture Content Calculation
Calculate the moisture content in products like wood on wet and dry basis.
Softwood and Hardwood - Structural Strength Classes
Strength classes, bending stress and mean density of hardwood and softwood
Structural Lumber - Properties
Properties of structural lumber.
Wood - Combustion Heat Values
Combustion of wood and firewood heat values for species like Pine, Elm, Hickory and more.
Wood - Density vs. Moisture Content
The density of wood versus moisture content.
Wood and Bio Mass - Combustion Heat
Combustion heat values for wet and dry wood - Btu/pounds, kJ/kg and kcal/kg.
Wood Beams - Strength of Material
Bending and compression strength of wood species used in beams.
Wood Columns - Safe Loads
Safe loads for wood columns.
Wood Hardness
Soft and hardwood - the Janka Hardness scale.
Wood Headers - Max. Supported Weight
Weight supported by a double or triple wood headers.
Wood Species - Densities
Densities of various wood species - apple, ash, cedar, elm and more.
Wood Species - Moisture Content and Weight
Weight of green and air-dried fire wood.
Wood, Panel and Structural Timber Products - Mechanical Properties
Density, fibre stress, compressive strength and modulus of elasticity of clear wood, panel and structural timber products.