Lumber Weight

How much does a 1×2 weigh?

A Douglas Fir 1×2, 8 ft weighs 2.1 lb (1.0 kg) at 12% moisture content, kiln-dried.

33.9 lb/ft³ · 1.33 bd ft ·

At 8 ft and 12% moisture content, a 1×2 weighs anywhere from 1.3 lb in N. White Cedar to 3.2 lb in Black Locust, across the 31 species this site carries in that size.

1×2 nominal vs 3/4″ × 1-1/2″ actual
Dashed: nominal 1×2. Solid: actual dressed size, surfaced dry (PS 20-25).

A nominal 1×2 measures 3/4″ × 1-1/2″ once surfaced dry, per NIST PS 20-25 — the number every weight below actually uses.

1×2 weight by species

1×2, one piece, 8 ft at 12% MC
SpeciesSG (green)8 ft, 12% MCGreen rangeJanka lbf
Yellow Cedar 0.42 2.0 lb 2.3–4.7 lb 580
American Beech 0.56 2.7 lb 3.7–4.1 lb 1,300
American Elm 0.46 2.2 lb 3.7–3.8 lb 830
Baldcypress 0.42 2.0 lb 3.9–4.8 lb 510
Basswood 0.32 1.5 lb 2.5–3.2 lb 410
Black Cherry 0.47 2.2 lb 3.1 lb 950
Black Locust 0.66 3.2 lb — 1,700
Black Walnut 0.51 2.4 lb 3.7–4.1 lb 1,010
Douglas Fir 0.45 2.1 lb 2.6–4.1 lb 710
Cottonwood 0.37 1.7 lb 3.9–4.1 lb 430
E. White Pine 0.34 1.6 lb 2.3–3.6 lb 380
Hem-Fir 0.42 2.0 lb 3.3–4.8 lb 540
Incense Cedar 0.35 1.6 lb 2.1–4.6 lb 470
N. White Cedar 0.29 1.3 lb — 320
Ponderosa Pine 0.38 1.8 lb 2.3–4.0 lb 460
Aspen 0.35 1.6 lb 2.9–3.2 lb 350
Red Alder 0.37 1.7 lb 3.1 lb 590
Red Maple 0.49 2.3 lb 3.3–4.1 lb 950
Red Oak 0.56 2.7 lb 4.0–4.3 lb 1,290
Redwood 0.38 1.8 lb 3.0–5.0 lb 480
Hickory 0.64 3.1 lb 4.1–4.6 lb 1,880
Sitka Spruce 0.37 1.7 lb 2.2–3.8 lb 510
Sugar Maple 0.56 2.7 lb 3.9–4.1 lb 1,450
Sugar Pine 0.34 1.6 lb 2.9–4.6 lb 380
Sweetgum 0.46 2.2 lb 3.5–4.6 lb 850
W. Red Cedar 0.31 1.4 lb 2.1–4.6 lb 350
W. White Pine 0.35 1.6 lb 2.4–3.7 lb 420
White Ash 0.55 2.6 lb 3.4 lb 1,320
White Oak 0.6 2.9 lb 4.2–4.5 lb 1,360
Yellow Birch 0.55 2.6 lb 4.0 lb 1,260
Yellow Poplar 0.4 1.9 lb 3.1–3.5 lb 540

Weights assume 12% moisture content and the actual dressed size shown above; green figures use each species' own heartwood-to-sapwood moisture range where the USDA Wood Handbook publishes one. Expect ±10-15% piece-to-piece variation in any real stack. How these are computed.