Moisture Content of Freshly Sawn Wood

Home » Knowledge Base » Knowledge Base Article





	Today's Sponsors: Dispoz-A-Blade Diversi-Tech DMC DODDS Don Hall & Associates Donald Dean and Sons Doucet Machineries Inc. Downdrafttable.org Durable Wood Products E.W. Tooling Inc. Eagle America Eagle Machinery and Repair Co. EasyCoper Tool Company ECabinet Systems Edge-It Edgebanding Electrophysics Elias Woodwork & Manufacturing Elkom North America Endeavor Hardwoods EnRoute WOOD ETemplate Digital Measuring Eterna Lighting ETK International Eurosoft, Inc. EX-FACTORY Excel Dowel and Wood Products Inc. ExpressSander.com Extrema Machinery FastCap Finish Systems FlexiCAM FORDAQ Forest City Tool FormWood Industries Freeborn Tool Company FS Cruing FS Tool Corporation FS Tool Outlet.com Fuhr International Fuji Spray Furniture D Cube G&M Woodcopy Lathes Gabbiani Machine Glue Machinery Corporation Goby Walnut Products Granite Road Great Lakes Kiln Drying Association Great Northern Lumber Greco Manufacturing GreCon Green Forest Products GUHDO Hanson and Leja Lumber Company CIM-Tech Clear Lake Lumber CNC Auto-Motion CNC Parts Dept. CNCROUTERSTORE.com CNT Motion Systems Colonial Saw Construction Programs and Results Construction Recruiters COOLwoodworkingstuff.com Copemaster Cordes Machine Country Saw & Knife, Inc. Courmatt International Inc. CP Adhesives CraftMaster Manufacturing CSH Custom Service Hardware Inc. CTD Machines Custom Woodworking Business Cutlist Plus D.S. Brown Machinery Dancer Logging Delle Vedove USA, Inc. Delmac Machinery Group Delmhorst Instrument Co. Delta Denray Machine DeVilbiss Diehl Machines Direct Source Imports

WOODWEB DISCLAIMS any and all RESPONSIBILITY and LIABILITY for the accuracy and application of the information below. Readers agree to evaluate the significance and limitations of the information provided, and accept full responsibility for the application of this information. Read More ...

Would you like to add information to this article?
Interested in writing or submitting an article?
Have a question about this article?

Moisture Content of Freshly Sawn Wood

It's a lot. November 28, 2006

Question
I am trying to get a range of what the moisture content would be of lumber sawn from trees cut down within two weeks of being sawn. Pine and local oaks here in Georgia are what I am interested in.

Forum Responses
(Sawing and Drying Forum)
From contributor P:
Here in NC, I have sawn fresh white oak and the MC is over 30%. After 1 year of air drying 1" stock, it drops to about 12-16%. Pine is usually very wet also and after 4 months air drying, it might be down to 12%.

From Professor Gene Wengert, forum technical advisor:
Southern pine is often around 100% MC, although a few logs can be wetter. Red oak is around 75% to 80% MC; white oak is 65% MC, give or take. A log with bark on loses very little moisture in 2 weeks of storage.

From the original questioner:
Thanks. I was trying to get an idea of the weight of fresh sawn lumber to keep from overloading my pickup. It sure squats down loaded with 30 - 1"x10"x10's fresh off the mill. Using your info and WOODWEB's weight scale, I should be able to arrive at an approximate figure.

From contributor R:
Doc, I am a novice at this, but how could southern pine be 100% moisture? Wouldn't that mean it was all water and no wood? 100% of its weight is water? Please set me straight.

From Professor Gene Wengert, forum technical advisor:
Moisture in lumber is calculated as the weight of water compared to the oven-dry weight of wood. So, at 100%, there is an equal amount of water and of oven-dry wood. Although half of the weight of the wet sample is water (making you think 50% MC, which is called the weight weight basis MC), the MC on the oven-dry basis is 100%.

From the original questioner:
Using 100% moisture content and loblolly as the pine type - the weight of 30 fresh sawn 1x10x10'6" boards came to about 1280 lbs. These numbers make me wonder what a typical portable sawmiller handles weight wise in one day counting the slabs and all. Thank you to all those that responded.

Have you reviewed the related Knowledge Base areas below?

KnowledgeBase: Knowledge Base

KnowledgeBase: Primary Processing

KnowledgeBase: Primary Processing: Air Drying Lumber

KnowledgeBase: Primary Processing: Sawmilling

Would you like to add information to this article? ... Click Here

If you have a question regarding a Knowledge Base article, your best chance at uncovering an answer is to search the entire Knowledge Base for related articles or to post your question at the appropriate WOODWEB Forum. Before posting your message, be sure to review our Forum Guidelines.

Questions entered in the Knowledge Base Article comment form will not generate responses! A list of WOODWEB Forums can be found at WOODWEB's Site Map.

When you post your question at the Forum, be sure to include references to the Knowledge Base article that inspired your question. The more information you provide with your question, the better your chances are of receiving responses.

Return to beginning of article.

Refer a Friend || Read This Important Information || Site Map || Privacy Policy

Letters, questions or comments? E-Mail us and let us know what you think. Be sure to review our Frequently Asked Questions page.

Contact us to discuss advertising or to report problems with this site.

To report a problem, send an e-mail to our Webmaster

Copyright © 1996-2008 - WOODWEB ® Inc.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any manner without permission of the Editor.
Review WOODWEB's Copyright Policy.

The editors, writers, and staff at WOODWEB try to promote safe practices. What is safe for one woodworker under certain conditions may not be safe for others in different circumstances. Readers should undertake the use of materials and methods discussed at WOODWEB after considerate evaluation, and at their own risk.

WOODWEB, Inc.
RR4 Box 265A
Montrose, PA 18801

Contact WOODWEB