---
title: "Lumber Weight Calculator (kg/m³)"
description: "Weight of any board by species and size, dry or green — density table for 18 species included. Free."
image: "https://nestingcalc.com/og-default.png"
url: "https://nestingcalc.com/lumber-weight-calculator/"
locale: "en"
---

# Lumber Weight Calculator (kg/m³)

Weight of any board by species and size, dry or green — density table for 18 species included. Free.

Enter species, thickness, width, length and quantity. The calculator uses average density values per species to estimate board and total weight — useful for shipping, loading and structure checks.

Interactive calculator (open in browser): [https://nestingcalc.com/lumber-weight-calculator/](https://nestingcalc.com/lumber-weight-calculator/)

## Wood density table (18 species)

| Species | kg/m³ | lb/ft³ |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pine (~500 kg/m³) | 500 | 31.2 |
| Spruce (~450) | 450 | 28.1 |
| Fir (~480) | 480 | 30.0 |
| Cedar (~380) | 380 | 23.7 |
| Poplar (~420) | 420 | 26.2 |
| Red oak (~750) | 750 | 46.8 |
| White oak (~770) | 770 | 48.1 |
| Hard maple (~700) | 700 | 43.7 |
| Birch (~620) | 620 | 38.7 |
| Ash (~700) | 700 | 43.7 |
| Beech (~720) | 720 | 44.9 |
| Walnut (~650) | 650 | 40.6 |
| Cherry (~600) | 600 | 37.5 |
| Mahogany (~600) | 600 | 37.5 |
| Teak (~660) | 660 | 41.2 |
| MDF (~750) | 750 | 46.8 |
| Plywood (~540) | 540 | 33.7 |
| Engineered oak (~700) | 700 | 43.7 |

## Entering US lumber sizes: actual, not nominal

The calculator takes millimeters and meters, so convert from the **actual** dressed size, not the name on the tag. A 2x4 is 1-1/2 × 3-1/2 in, which you enter as **38.1 × 88.9 mm**; a 2x6 is 1-1/2 × 5-1/2 in (38.1 × 139.7 mm). An 8 ft stud is 2.4384 m, a 12 ft board 3.6576 m.

A 2x4x8 tallies **5.33 board feet** on an invoice, but the wood in it is only 1.5 × 3.5 × 96 / 144 = **3.5 board feet** — 65.6% of the nominal figure. Weight follows the real volume. Rough 4/4 hardwood is tallied close to its rough size, so there the tally is a fair proxy for volume. Run the tally itself in the [Board feet calculator](https://nestingcalc.com/board-feet-calculator/).

## Weight per board foot, kiln-dried vs green

US purchasing runs on board feet, so here is what one weighs. Figures use the calculator's own species densities (dry ≈ 12% moisture) and its green factor of ×1.5. One board foot = 144 in³ = 0.00236 m³.

| Species | Dry lb/bf | Dry kg/bf | Green lb/bf | Dry lb per MBF |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Cedar | 1.98 | 0.90 | 2.97 | 1,977 |
| Poplar | 2.18 | 0.99 | 3.28 | 2,185 |
| Spruce | 2.34 | 1.06 | 3.51 | 2,341 |
| Fir | 2.50 | 1.13 | 3.75 | 2,497 |
| Pine | 2.60 | 1.18 | 3.90 | 2,601 |
| Cherry | 3.12 | 1.42 | 4.68 | 3,121 |
| Walnut | 3.38 | 1.53 | 5.07 | 3,382 |
| Hard maple / ash | 3.64 | 1.65 | 5.46 | 3,642 |
| Red oak | 3.90 | 1.77 | 5.85 | 3,902 |
| White oak | 4.01 | 1.82 | 6.01 | 4,006 |

Applied to dimension lumber tallied in nominal board feet, these overestimate by about half.

## Worked example: a lift of studs and a pickup run

A 200-piece lift of 2x4x8 pine. Enter 38.1 × 88.9 mm, length 2.4384 m, quantity 200, species pine (500 kg/m³). Volume per piece: 0.0381 × 0.0889 × 2.4384 = 0.00826 m³, so each stud weighs **4.13 kg (9.11 lb)** dry. The lift: **826 kg (1,821 lb)**. The same lift green: 6.19 kg (13.65 lb) per stud, **1,239 kg (2,731 lb)** total. Lift counts vary by mill; check the tally.

Now the pickup. With 1,800 lb of usable payload, the payload field returns **197 dry studs** but only **131 green ones**. By contrast, 120 bf of 4/4 red oak at 3.90 lb/bf is **468 lb (212 kg)**. Sheet goods are dense: one 4×8 sheet of 23/32 in plywood (18.26 mm, 540 kg/m³) is 64.6 lb, and 3/4 in MDF (750 kg/m³) is 93.7 lb.

## Kiln-dried, air-dried and green: adjusting for moisture

The dry setting assumes about 12% moisture content. Below fiber saturation, weight scales with (1 + MC); shrinkage shifts volume slightly, so treat these as close estimates.

-   **Framing lumber stamped KD19 or S-DRY** may be up to 19% MC: 1.19 / 1.12 = about **6% heavier** than the dry result.
-   **Furniture-grade kiln-dried hardwood at 8%**: 1.08 / 1.12 = about **4% lighter**.
-   **Air-dried stock** stored outdoors usually levels off around 15–20% MC, so it lands between the dry and green results.
-   **Fresh-sawn or wet-stored wood**: use the green setting (×1.5).

If the moisture is unknown, measure a few boards and convert with the [Moisture content](https://nestingcalc.com/moisture-content-calculator/) rather than guessing.

## Common mistakes in lumber weight estimates

1.  **Entering nominal dimensions.** Typing 2 × 4 in as 50.8 × 101.6 mm overstates a 2x4 by 52%.
2.  **Converting nominal board feet straight to weight.** An invoice for 10 MBF of 2x4s holds only about 6.6 MBF of actual wood.
3.  **Using the payload figure wrong.** A pickup's payload on the door-jamb sticker includes passengers, the rack and tools. Subtract them before you load lumber.
4.  **Treating pressure-treated lumber as dry.** Treated lumber often arrives wet from the treating process. Use the green setting until it has dried.
5.  **Forgetting the trailer's own weight.** For a trailer, the payload you can carry is the GVWR minus the empty weight of the trailer, not the GVWR alone.

## From cut list to delivery: an ordering sequence

1.  Write the cut list in actual dimensions, not nominal sizes.
2.  Tally board feet for pricing; keep the actual-volume figure separately for weight.
3.  Run each species and moisture state through the calculator, then add the results.
4.  Check the total against the vehicle: pickup payload, trailer GVWR minus tare, or truck freight capacity.
5.  Split the delivery if the load is over the limit, rather than counting on rounding.

At truckload scale, moisture decides whether a load fills its space or its weight limit first. A flatbed carrying roughly 45,000 lb of freight holds about **11.5 MBF** of dry red oak but only **7.7 MBF** green. Dry pine at 2.60 lb/bf needs 17.3 MBF to reach the limit, so volume often runs out first. [Cube-Out vs Weigh-Out: Which Limit Stops Your Container First?](https://nestingcalc.com/guides/container-loading-cube-out-weigh-out/) walks through that trade-off.

## FAQ

How accurate are the weights?

Densities are species averages; individual boards vary with grain, moisture and origin. Expect ±10–15% — good for handling and transport planning, not for precise structural loads.

Why does fresh wood weigh more?

Freshly cut (green) timber can hold 50–100% additional water weight versus kiln-dried lumber. The calculator applies a +50% factor as a practical middle value.

Can I add MDF and plywood?

Yes, engineered boards are in the species list with typical densities. For mixed panels, calculate each type separately.

How much does 1 m³ of wood weigh?

Dry pine ≈ 500 kg, beech ≈ 720 kg, oak ≈ 750–770 kg per m³. Use the calculator for your exact dimensions, or see the full species density table above.

How much does a cubic metre of red oak weigh?

Roughly 980 kg green (at about 75% moisture) and about 755 kg air-dried to 12% MC. The same species nearly doubles in weight between fresh and dry — moisture, not the wood itself, is the biggest variable.

Green vs kiln-dried: why the big weight difference?

Green wood is full of water: spruce at 80% MC weighs about 640 kg/m³, but the same wood at 12% MC is around 420 kg/m³ — a third lighter. The cell-wall material never changes; only the water does.

What is basic density (Gb)?

Basic density is oven-dry mass divided by green (swollen) volume, in kg/m³. It is the standard basis for green-weight calculations because it pairs one fixed number (dry mass) with the volume state you actually handle in the forest or on the truck.

How do I convert board feet to weight?

Convert volume first: 1 MBF = 2.36 m³. Then multiply by density: 1 MBF of kiln-dried pine at 450 kg/m³ weighs about 1,060 kg. Volume in, mass out — the calculator does the same chain from metric or imperial inputs.

Which species are heaviest per cubic metre?

Among common greens: melaleuca tops the table at about 1,156 kg/m³ fresh, against about 980 for red oak and acacia, and 640 for spruce. Among air-dried woods, oak and ash cluster near 700–760 kg/m³ while spruce sits near 420–450.

Does moisture change board dimensions too?

Yes — below the fibre saturation point (about 28%) wood shrinks as it dries, and tangential shrinkage runs roughly twice the radial, which is why flatsawn boards cup. Weight and dimensions move together; both are moisture-driven.

How much can my trailer carry in volume?

Divide payload by green density: 10 t ÷ 640 kg/m³ ≈ 15.6 m³ of green spruce, but 10 t ÷ 980 kg/m³ ≈ only 10.2 m³ of green oak. The trailer's weight limit, not its box, sets the number for fresh wood.

Can I calculate a whole truckload?

Yes — multiply the per-piece weight by the piece count, or enter the load's total volume with the species and moisture of the batch. Mixed loads: run each species separately, then add the weights.

## Related calculators

-   [Board Feet Calculator](https://nestingcalc.com/board-feet-calculator/)

    Calculate board feet, total volume and lumber cost for any board — free.

-   [Green Log Weight Calculator](https://nestingcalc.com/log-weight-calculator/)

    Weight of round timber at any moisture content, by species — Wood Handbook 2021 data.

-   [Timber Unit Converter (m³, BF, MBF, Hoppus)](https://nestingcalc.com/timber-unit-converter/)

    Convert between cubic metres, board feet, Hoppus units and prices — free.

-   [Stowage Factor Calculator](https://nestingcalc.com/stowage-factor-calculator/)

    SF = volume ÷ tonnes — check timber parcels against IMO reference ranges.

## Related guides

-   [Wood Density Table: What Every Species Weighs (kg/m³ and lb/ft³)](https://nestingcalc.com/guides/wood-species-weight-comparison/)

    Density of 18 woods and panels, air-dry, with pounds per cubic foot and kilograms per board foot — the table behind every weight the calculators return.

-   [Lumber Weight by Species: Charts, Moisture and Truck Payload](https://nestingcalc.com/guides/lumber-weight-chart/)

    A load of green oak and a load of dry spruce are two different trucks. Species density, moisture content and payload limits — how they add up.

-   [How to Calculate Board Feet (and Log Scaling Rules)](https://nestingcalc.com/guides/how-to-calculate-board-feet/)

    The board foot is how lumber is bought and sold. The formula takes a minute; the scaling rules and pricing traps take a bit more.

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