Lumber Weight

Wood density chart

Density is not one number per species — it rises with moisture content, so this table gives it at four reference points, densest first at 12% MC. Click a column header to re-sort.

Wood density by species and moisture content
Specieslb/ft³ at 8%12%15%19%kg/m³ at 12%SG (green)
Black Locust 51.0 51.6 51.9 52.4 826 0.66
Shagbark Hickory 49.3 49.8 50.2 50.7 798 0.64
White Oak 45.8 46.4 46.8 47.3 743 0.6
American Beech 42.4 43.0 43.4 44.0 689 0.56
Red Oak 42.4 43.0 43.4 44.0 689 0.56
Sugar Maple 42.4 43.0 43.4 44.0 689 0.56
White Ash 41.5 42.1 42.6 43.2 675 0.55
Yellow Birch 41.5 42.1 42.6 43.2 675 0.55
Longleaf Pine 40.7 41.3 41.8 42.3 662 0.54
Black Walnut 38.2 38.8 39.3 39.9 622 0.51
Red Maple 36.5 37.2 37.6 38.2 595 0.49
Tamarack 36.5 37.2 37.6 38.2 595 0.49
Western Larch 35.7 36.3 36.8 37.4 582 0.48
Black Cherry 34.9 35.5 36.0 36.6 569 0.47
Shortleaf Pine 34.9 35.5 36.0 36.6 569 0.47
Southern Yellow Pine (Loblolly) 34.9 35.5 36.0 36.6 569 0.47
American Elm 34.1 34.7 35.2 35.8 556 0.46
Interior Douglas Fir 34.1 34.7 35.2 35.8 556 0.46
Sweetgum 34.1 34.7 35.2 35.8 556 0.46
Douglas Fir 33.2 33.9 34.4 35.0 543 0.45
Alaska Yellow Cedar 30.8 31.5 31.9 32.5 504 0.42
Baldcypress 30.8 31.5 31.9 32.5 504 0.42
Hem-Fir (Western Hemlock) 30.8 31.5 31.9 32.5 504 0.42
Red Pine 30.0 30.7 31.1 31.7 491 0.41
Yellow Poplar 29.2 29.9 30.3 30.9 478 0.4
Eastern Hemlock 27.7 28.3 28.7 29.3 453 0.38
Lodgepole Pine 27.7 28.3 28.7 29.3 453 0.38
Ponderosa Pine 27.7 28.3 28.7 29.3 453 0.38
Redwood 27.7 28.3 28.7 29.3 453 0.38
Eastern Cottonwood 26.9 27.5 27.9 28.5 440 0.37
Red Alder 26.9 27.5 27.9 28.5 440 0.37
Red Spruce 26.9 27.5 27.9 28.5 440 0.37
Sitka Spruce 26.9 27.5 27.9 28.5 440 0.37
White Fir 26.9 27.5 27.9 28.5 440 0.37
Grand Fir 25.3 25.9 26.4 26.9 415 0.35
Incense Cedar 25.3 25.9 26.4 26.9 415 0.35
Quaking Aspen 25.3 25.9 26.4 26.9 415 0.35
Western White Pine 25.3 25.9 26.4 26.9 415 0.35
Eastern White Pine 24.5 25.1 25.6 26.1 403 0.34
Sugar Pine 24.5 25.1 25.6 26.1 403 0.34
Balsam Fir 23.8 24.4 24.8 25.3 390 0.33
Engelmann Spruce 23.8 24.4 24.8 25.3 390 0.33
SPF (White Spruce) 23.8 24.4 24.8 25.3 390 0.33
Basswood 23.0 23.6 24.0 24.5 378 0.32
Western Red Cedar 22.2 22.8 23.2 23.7 365 0.31
Northern White Cedar 20.7 21.3 21.7 22.2 341 0.29

Every column here comes from the same model: basic specific gravity (the SG column, ovendry mass over green volume) converted to density at a given moisture content by Wood Handbook Eq. 4-13/4-14. Weight then follows from density times a piece's actual dressed volume — see methodology for the full derivation and its known limits.