SPECIES · DIMENSIONS · MOISTURE
How much does your lumber weigh?
From a single board to your whole project. Compare 30 woods and calculate weight from the dimensions that matter.
Switch units to convert the same quantity. Nominal size is a product label; weight uses actual dimensions.
- Per piece
- 16.67 lb
- Solid volume
- 3.33 ft³
- Actual volume equivalent
- 40 bd ft
- Excluded tare
- Not added
Use documented density and measured dimensions for your material. The initial 50 lb/ft³ example is hypothetical.
Formula and limitations
US volume = actual thickness (in) × actual width (in) × length (ft) ÷ 144 × count. Weight = volume × density. Metric inputs use mm, mm and m. Nominal presets provide a reference section, not a deduction applied to every product. The model assumes a solid rectangular section; grooves, hollows and packaging are excluded.
ONE BOARD · SIX REFERENCE WEIGHTS
Same dimensions.
Different mass.
One 8-foot board, ¾ inch thick and 5½ inches wide. These estimates use the published 12% moisture reference for each wood.
Compare all 30 woods and change the size ↗SAME SIZE · DIFFERENT WOOD
Compare species weights
Domestic hardwoods, construction softwoods and imported decking woods. This is a practical reference selection, not a sales-ranked top 30. Compare equal quantities at the stated 12% moisture reference condition.
Decking 1×6 nominal → 0.75 × 5.5 in actual (19.05 × 139.7 mm). Same rectangular geometry for every row; not a claim that each species is sold in this profile. Size reference.
| Wood | Density lb/ft³ (kg/m³) | Example lb (kg) | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black walnutDomestic hardwood | 38608.7 | 8.713.95 | USDA average ↗12% moisture basis |
| Coast Douglas-firSoftwood | 34544.63 | 7.793.53 | USDA average ↗12% moisture basis |
| GarapaImported hardwood | 49.32790 | 11.35.13 | Study sample ↗12% moisture basis |
| IpeImported hardwood | 65.551,050 | 15.026.81 | Study sample ↗12% moisture basis |
| Western red cedarSoftwood | 23368.42 | 5.272.39 | USDA average ↗12% moisture basis |
| White oakDomestic hardwood | 48768.89 | 114.99 | USDA average ↗12% moisture basis |
USDA entries use the density column in Wood (2007), Table 6.7.2, not the specific-gravity column. Ipe, Cumaru and Garapa use the sample densities in Coatings (2020), Table 2. Metric values and board weights are calculated conversions; rounded outputs do not imply precise product weights.
NOMINAL → ACTUAL → VOLUME
A 2×4 is a name.
1½ × 3½ is a section.
For the dry surfaced Southern Pine reference, nominal 2×4 loads a 1½ × 3½ inch actual section. An 8-foot piece contains about 0.292 ft³ of wood—not the 0.444 ft³ implied by treating the name as measurements.
At an illustrative 40 lb/ft³, that is 11.67 lb rather than 17.78 lb.
Sizing source and scope ↗What are you working out?
A NUMBER NEEDS A BASIS
Show your inputs.
Keep the uncertainty.
Two boards with the same product name may not share the same dimensions, moisture condition or weight. Species presets retain their source and moisture basis; use measured dimensions and product evidence when available.
Understand density and specific gravity ↗The essential field notes
View the library ↗Measure what is actually there
Why product names are not measurement inputs.
↗02Water changes the number
Separate moisture condition from a species label.
↗03Why woods weigh differently
Understand the density behind a species comparison.
↗04When an estimate is not enough
Prepare for a weighing or supplier confirmation.
↗Shipping and handling lumber?
Start with lumber weight, then account for packaging and confirm the information needed for transport.