Volumetric and specific weight of wood by species

Wood has been used in construction work since ancient times. This material is still very popular thanks to its good technical characteristics. Wood itself is a natural structured material consisting of wood cells and intercellular voids. This does not guarantee that one piece of wood will be equal to another piece of identical size. Therefore, during work, it is often necessary to calculate the required amount of material and such parameters as the total weight of wood and the weight of one cubic meter of wood.

Depending on the type of construction work, wood must be measured in different ways. The weight of 1 m3 of wood is strongly affected by material density, so to solve practical calculation tasks correctly it is necessary to determine the density value. Two types of density are distinguished:

• specific weight, or density of wood substance;

• volumetric weight, or density of a structured physical body.

Wood substance means the mass of solid wood material without natural voids. This type of density is measured in laboratory conditions because it requires additional measurements that cannot be performed under ordinary conditions. For wood of all types and tree species, this value is constant and equals 1540 kg/m3.

The density of wood itself is fairly easy to determine under ordinary conditions. It is enough to weigh a piece of wood and measure its volume. The resulting data are processed using standard arithmetic according to the formula: Y = M / V, where Y is the specific weight of the wood, M is the mass of the wood, and V is the occupied volume.

Table of Volumetric Weight of 1 m³ of Wood Depending on Moisture

The density of wood substance, as already mentioned, is constant. However, wood has a complex multicellular fibrous structure. Walls made of wood substance serve as a framework in the wood structure. Accordingly, each tree species and type has different cell structures, shapes and cell sizes, so the specific weight of wood differs, as does the weight of 1 m3 of wood.

Moisture also plays a major role in changing the specific weight of wood. Due to the structure of this material, as moisture increases, wood density also increases. However, this rule does not apply to the density of wood substance.

The table above shows the specific weight of wood. It is compiled with consideration of material moisture and shows the approximate weight of 1 m³ of wood.