How much does SPF (White Spruce) lumber weigh?
An SPF 2×4, 8 ft weighs at 12% moisture content, kiln-dried.
24.4 lb/ft³ · 5.33 bd ft ·
SPF (White Spruce) is a softwood with a basic specific gravity of 0.33 (ovendry mass over green volume, USDA Wood Handbook Table 5-3b) — 24.4 lb/ft³ once dried to 12% moisture content. Its Janka side hardness is 410 lbf, the 39th hardest of the 46 species on this site. Green — freshly cut and still wet — its moisture content runs 52% in the heartwood to 113% in the sapwood. Big-box stores sell it under the SPF grade stamp, in the stud bins often labeled whitewood.
That SPF stamp marks a species group — spruce, pine, and fir species milled and sold interchangeably — with white spruce among its principal members. Specific gravity also depends on the basis it's measured on: the 0.33 above is basic specific gravity, ovendry mass over green volume. Referenced to the volume at 12% MC instead, the same wood computes to about 0.35. Engineering documents assign the whole SPF group one shared design specific gravity for fastener and connection sizing — for that, use the value printed in your design code, not any single species' column.
SPF (White Spruce) weight by size
| Size | Actual (dry) | 8 ft, 12% MC | Per foot | Green range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2×2 | 1-1/2″ × 1-1/2″ | 3.0 lb | 0.38 lb/ft | 4.2–6.0 lb |
| 2×3 | 1-1/2″ × 2-1/2″ | 5.1 lb | 0.63 lb/ft | 7.0–9.8 lb |
| 2×4 | 1-1/2″ × 3-1/2″ | 7.1 lb | 0.89 lb/ft | 9.7–13.6 lb |
| 2×6 | 1-1/2″ × 5-1/2″ | 11.2 lb | 1.40 lb/ft | 15.3–21.4 lb |
| 2×8 | 1-1/2″ × 7-1/4″ | 14.7 lb | 1.84 lb/ft | 20.4–28.6 lb |
| 2×10 | 1-1/2″ × 9-1/4″ | 18.8 lb | 2.35 lb/ft | 25.8–36.2 lb |
| 2×12 | 1-1/2″ × 11-1/4″ | 22.8 lb | 2.85 lb/ft | 31.3–43.8 lb |
| 4×4 | 3-1/2″ × 3-1/2″ | 16.6 lb | 2.07 lb/ft | 22.1–30.9 lb |
Board-to-board variation of ±10-15% is normal even within one species and size. How these numbers are computed.
Related
- All species: wood species index
- By density: Lighter: Engelmann Spruce (SG 0.33) · Denser: E. White Pine (SG 0.34)