If a species is not footnoted with a number (1-18), then the specific gravity for that species has not been verified by Wagner. In most cases, with unverified species, these species have the same botanical name as the verified version but just a different common name. Many species (botanical name) in the world have many different common names. The footnote descriptions are shown at the bottom of the page.*
Wood Species Types in Alphabetical Order
To obtain the most accurate moisture content measurements with your Wagner moisture meter, you must set the meter for the correct species settings value for the species you are going to measure. For our customers' convenience, we have calibrated our meter's species settings in terms of specific gravity.*
For those instances where you need to measure moisture in a wood species that is not shown in your User’s Manual, Wagner has compiled this extensive database of wood species with their associated specific gravity values.
The sources for our database include the United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Products Laboratory.
The published specific gravity values are the average for each species. There can and will be some variability of the specific gravity (density) within any species of wood, but the average specific gravity value (again, from the most valid published sources) will provide the best settings for your Wagner moisture meter.
Common Name | Botanical Name | Specific Gravity | Verified |
---|---|---|---|
Hura crepitans | 0.40 | ||
Radiata Pine | Pinus radiata | 0.45 | 2 |
Ragua | Aleurites moluccana | 0.14 | |
Rain Tree | Tetramerista glabra | 0.73 | |
Raisal | Cupressus torulosa | 0.47 | |
Raisalla | Cupressus torulosa | 0.47 | |
Raisinier Montagne | Podocarpus guatemalensis | 0.54 | |
Raja Kayu | Koompassia excelsa | 0.75 | |
Rajado | Peltogyne porphyrocardia | 0.69 | |
Rak | Melanorrhoea spp. | 0.75 | |
Rakich | Calophyllum inophyllum | 0.55 | |
Rakich | Calophyllum tomentosum | 0.59 | |
Hura crepitans | 0.40 | ||
Hura crepitans | 0.40 | ||
Ramala | Campnosperma brevipetiolata | 0.33 | |
Ramin | Gonystylus bancanus | 0.56 | 2 |
Ramin | Gonystylus forbesii | 0.61 | |
Ramin | Gonystylus macrophyllum | 0.54 | |
Ramin Telur | Gonystylus macrophyllum | 0.54 | |
Ramlluw | Campnosperma brevipetiolata | 0.33 | |
Ramluw | Campnosperma brevipetiolata | 0.33 | |
Ramulo | Campnosperma brevipetiolata | 0.33 | |
Ranggu | Koordersiodendron pinnatum | 0.71 | |
Tabebuia serratifolia | 0.99 | ||
Rapanea | Rapanea melanophleos | 0.74 | |
Rarningobchey | Spathodea campanulata | 0.25 | |
Rasula | Cupressus torulosa | 0.47 | |
Rata-Kekuna | Aleurites moluccana | 0.14 | |
Re Vang | Machilus odoratissima | 0.59 | |
Red Alder | Alnus rubra | 0.41 | 1 |
Red Ash | 0.55 | 7 | |
Fraxinus americana | 0.60 | ||
Fraxinus pennsylvanica | 0.56 | ||
Red Ash | Fraxinus profunda | 0.51 | 2 |
Red Balata | Manilkara bidentata | 0.95 | |
Red Balau | Shorea guiso | 0.75 | |
Red Balau | Shorea plagata | 0.75 | |
Fagus grandifolia | 0.64 | ||
Betula papyrifera | 0.55 | ||
Prioria copaifera | 0.42 | ||
Red Cedar | Cedrela huberi | 0.40 | 4 |
Cedrela odorata | 0.39 | ||
Red Cedar | Cedrela toona | 0.47 | |
Libocedrus decurrens | 0.37 | ||
Swietenia macrophylla | 0.47 | ||
Thuja plicata | 0.32 | ||
Taxodium distichum | 0.46 | ||
Red Deal | Pinus sylvestris | 0.45 | 14 |
Red Elm | Ulmus campestris | 0.52 | 13 |
Red Elm | Ulmus crassifolia | 0.62 | |
Red Elm | Ulmus procera | 0.53 | 13 |
Ulmus rubra | 0.53 | ||
Abies amabilis | 0.43 | ||
Abies magnifica | 0.38 | ||
Abies procera | 0.39 | ||
Pseudotsuga menziesii | 0.48 | ||
Red Forest Gum | Eucalyptus tereticornis | 0.82 | |
Red Gum | Eucalyptus rostrata | 0.74 | |
Red Gum | Eucalyptus tereticornis | 0.82 | |
Liquidambar styraciflua | 0.52 | ||
Red Haiawaballi | Tetragastris altissima | 0.74 | |
Red Ironwood | Lophira alata | 0.94 | |
Red Ivory | Pygeum africanum | 0.61 | |
Red Ivorywood | Rhamnus zeyheri | 0.86 | |
Juniperus virginiana | 0.47 | ||
Red Kwarie | Vochysia ferruginea | 0.52 | |
Red Kwarie | Vochysia guianensis | 0.52 | |
Red Lancewood | Manilkara bidentata | 0.95 | |
Red Larch | Larix leptolepis | 0.49 | |
Red Lauan | Shorea negrosensis | 0.59 | 4 |
Robinia pseudoacacia | 0.69 | ||
Khaya nyassica | 0.44 | ||
Red Maple | Acer rubrum | 0.54 | 1 |
Red Mora | Mora excelsa | 0.89 | |
Pterocarpus indicus | 0.57 | ||
Red Oak | Lophira alata | 0.94 | |
Quercus coccinea | 0.67 | ||
Quercus palustris | 0.63 | ||
Quercus rubra | 0.63 | ||
Quercus velutina | 0.61 | ||
Pinus radiata | 0.45 | ||
Red Pine | Pinus resinosa | 0.46 | 1 |
Red Pine | Pinus sylvestris | 0.45 | 14 |
Red Planchonella | Planchonella euphlebia | 0.89 | |
Red River Gum | Eucalyptus rostrata | 0.74 | |
Pterocarpus soyauxii | 0.64 | ||
Red Selangan | Shorea guiso | 0.75 | |
Red Selangan Batu | Shorea guiso | 0.75 | |
Red Selangan Batu | Shorea plagata | 0.75 | |
Red Silion | Manilkara zapota | 0.71 | |
Red Spruce | Picea rubens | 0.40 | 1 |
Red stinkwood | Pygeum africanum | 0.61 | |
Red tola | Oxystigma oxyphyllum | 0.53 | |
Red wattle | Acacia crassicarpa | 0.50 | |
Swietenia macrophylla | 0.47 | ||
Redani | Cedrela toona | 0.47 | |
Red-Arilled Afzelia | Afzelia quanzensis | 0.62 | |
Juniperus virginiana | 0.47 | ||
Pinus sylvestris | 0.45 | ||
Redwood | Piptadeniastrum africanum | 0.63 | |
Pterocarpus soyauxii | 0.64 | ||
Redwood Old-Growth | Sequoia sempervirens | 0.40 | 1 |
Redwood Young-Growth | Sequoia sempervirens | 0.35 | 1 |
Pinus radiata | 0.45 | ||
Rengas | Melanorrhoea spp. | 0.75 | |
Rengkong | Anisoptera curtisii | 0.52 | |
Swietenia macrophylla | 0.47 | ||
Nyssa sylvatica | 0.50 | ||
Resak | Tarrietia sylvatica | 0.82 | |
Rhode Kwari | Vochysia guianensis | 0.52 | |
Rhodesian Copalwood | Guibourtia coleosperma | 0.66 | |
Rhodesian Mahogany | Afzelia quanzensis | 0.62 | |
Rhodesian Mahogany | Guibourtia coleosperma | 0.66 | |
Rhodesian Teak | Guibourtia coleosperma | 0.66 | |
Pterocarpus angolensis | 0.59 | ||
Rhu | Casuarina equisetifolia | 0.87 | |
Riemhout | Micropholis guianensis | 0.67 | |
Rikhan | Populus ciliata | 0.37 | |
Rimda | Hopea odorata | 0.63 | |
Rimpumara | Mesua ferrea | 0.92 | |
Rinda | Hopea odorata | 0.63 | |
Pterocarpus indicus | 0.57 | ||
River Gum | Eucalyptus rostrata | 0.74 | |
River Red Gum | Eucalyptus rostrata | 0.74 | |
Ro | Musanga cecropioides | 0.23 | |
Robinia pseudoacacia | 0.69 | ||
Roble | Amburana cearensis | 0.58 | 4 |
Platymiscium pinnatum | 0.87 | ||
Quercus alba | 0.68 | ||
Quercus bicolor | 0.72 | ||
Quercus coccinea | 0.67 | ||
Quercus macrocarpa | 0.64 | ||
Quercus michauxii | 0.67 | ||
Quercus palustris | 0.63 | ||
Quercus stellata | 0.67 | ||
Quercus velutina | 0.61 | ||
Roble | Quercus virginiana | 0.84 | |
Tabebuia serratifolia | 0.99 | ||
Roble | Tabebuia spp. | 0.55 | 2 |
Roble | Terminalia amazonia | 0.76 | |
Quercus alba | 0.68 | ||
Quercus bicolor | 0.72 | ||
Quercus coccinea | 0.67 | ||
Quercus macrocarpa | 0.64 | ||
Quercus michauxii | 0.67 | ||
Quercus palustris | 0.63 | ||
Quercus stellata | 0.67 | ||
Quercus velutina | 0.61 | ||
Roble Amarillo | Quercus virginiana | 0.84 | |
Roble Amarillo | Terminalia amazonia | 0.76 | |
Platymiscium pinnatum | 0.87 | ||
Tabebuia serratifolia | 0.99 | ||
Roble Colorado | Platymiscium pinnatum | 0.87 | 4 |
Quercus alba | 0.68 | ||
Quercus bicolor | 0.72 | ||
Quercus coccinea | 0.67 | ||
Quercus macrocarpa | 0.64 | ||
Quercus michauxii | 0.67 | ||
Quercus palustris | 0.63 | ||
Quercus stellata | 0.67 | ||
Quercus velutina | 0.61 | ||
Roble Colorado | Quercus virginiana | 0.84 | |
Amburana cearensis | 0.58 | ||
Roble de Esmeraldas | Terminalia amazonia | 0.76 | |
Roble de Pelota | Grevillea robusta | 0.54 | |
Roble de Seda | Grevillea robusta | 0.54 | |
Amburana cearensis | 0.58 | ||
Roble del Pais | Amburana cearensis | 0.58 | 4 |
Quercus alba | 0.68 | ||
Quercus bicolor | 0.72 | ||
Quercus coccinea | 0.67 | ||
Quercus macrocarpa | 0.64 | ||
Quercus michauxii | 0.67 | ||
Quercus palustris | 0.63 | ||
Quercus stellata | 0.67 | ||
Quercus velutina | 0.61 | ||
Roble Encino | Quercus virginiana | 0.84 | |
Roble Macuelizo | Terminalia amazonia | 0.76 | |
Platymiscium pinnatum | 0.87 | ||
Platymiscium pinnatum | 0.87 | ||
Roble Redoso | Grevillea robusta | 0.54 | |
Quercus alba | 0.68 | ||
Quercus bicolor | 0.72 | ||
Quercus coccinea | 0.67 | ||
Quercus macrocarpa | 0.64 | ||
Quercus michauxii | 0.67 | ||
Quercus palustris | 0.63 | ||
Roblecito | Quercus petraea | 0.65 | |
Quercus stellata | 0.67 | ||
Quercus velutina | 0.61 | ||
Roblecito | Quercus virginiana | 0.84 | |
Rock Elm | Chlorophora excelsa | 0.70 | |
Rock Elm | Ulmus alata | 0.65 | |
Rock Elm | Ulmus crassifolia | 0.62 | |
Rock Elm | Ulmus thomasii | 0.63 | 1 |
Acer nigrum | 0.57 | ||
Acer saccharum | 0.63 | ||
Pseudotsuga menziesii | 0.48 | ||
Abies lasiocarpa | 0.32 | ||
Picea engelmannii | 0.35 | ||
Abies concolor | 0.39 | ||
Roco | Chlorophora excelsa | 0.70 | |
Fagus sylvatica | 0.67 | ||
Hymenaea courbaril | 0.83 | ||
Hymenaea courbaril | 0.83 | ||
Rode Salie | Tetragastris altissima | 0.74 | |
Rode Stinkhout | Pygeum africanum | 0.61 | |
Cedrela odorata | 0.39 | ||
Rokko | Chlorophora excelsa | 0.70 | |
Rokko | Chlorophora regia | 0.59 | |
Romanian Beech | Fagus sylvatica | 0.67 | 13 |
Astronium graveolens | 0.89 | ||
Astronium graveolens | 0.80 | ||
Rone | Testulea gabonensis | 0.76 | |
Ronko | Terminalia ivorensis | 0.54 | |
Astronium graveolens | 0.89 | ||
Astronium graveolens | 0.80 | ||
Roode | Mora excelsa | 0.89 | |
Roode More | Mora excelsa | 0.89 | |
Astronium graveolens | 0.89 | ||
Astronium graveolens | 0.80 | ||
Rorum | Heritiera javanica | 0.65 | |
Rosarosa | Heritiera ornithocephala | 0.70 | |
Cedrela odorata | 0.39 | ||
Rose Kadambu | Mitragyna parvifolia | 0.59 | |
Rosenhout | Aniba duckei | 0.56 | |
Rosewood | Byrsonima coriacea | 0.68 | |
Rosewood | Dalbergia stevensonii | 0.88 | |
Pterocarpus indicus | 0.57 | ||
Rosita | Hieronyma alchorneoides | 0.58 | |
Rostamarinde | Marmaroxylon racemosum | 1.07 | |
Rostrata Gom | Eucalyptus rostrata | 0.74 | |
Rostrata Gum | Eucalyptus rostrata | 0.74 | |
Rostrata-Gom | Eucalyptus rostrata | 0.74 | |
Rotes Tola | Oxystigma oxyphyllum | 0.53 | |
Quercus robur | 0.57 | ||
Ru | Casuarina equisetifolia | 0.87 | |
Ru Lait | Casuarina equisetifolia | 0.87 | |
Rubber Tree | Tieghemella heckelii | 0.60 | |
Rubberwood | Hevea brasiliensis | 0.51 | 16 |
Rufa | Syzygium buettnerianum | 0.73 | |
Prunus serotina | 0.50 | ||
Fagus sylvatica | 0.67 | ||
Rumu | Heritiera javanica | 0.65 | |
Rungun | Heritiera javanica | 0.65 | |
Russian Whitewood | Picea abies | 0.43 |
Footnotes:
* Legal disclaimer:
Wagner has compiled species’ average specific gravity (SG) values (wood volume at 12% moisture content (MC) and oven-dry weight) from industry-accepted 3rd-party sources (USDA Forest Products Laboratory as an example) and provides this list for free with no implied warranty. Where an SG value listed in Wagner Meters’ manuals or website has been verified by Wagner, this is indicated as such, and not indicated as verified if a verification process has not been completed by Wagner for that species. Wagner is not responsible for any 3rd-party oversights or errors in their (the 3rd-parties) published SG values.
Where no published average SG value could be found for a species for the wood volume at 12% MC and oven-dry weight basis, Wagner has derived the proper SG value through a robust algorithm (see detailed explanation below under the heading ‘Specific Gravity (SG) Values of Wood and Their Referenced Moisture Content’).
Specific Gravity (SG) Values of Wood and Their Referenced Moisture Content
Wagner Meters’ moisture meters’ species settings are calibrated to wood samples that are at a nominal 12% moisture content (MC). It should also be recognized that the measurement accuracy of non-pin wood moisture meters is almost solely dependent on wood density; that is because wood species that have differing wood density but the same absolute amount of water will have different MC values because the definition of MC is the ratio of water weight to wood weight. Some online and other technical references that cite specific gravity (SG) values for different wood species list the SG when the wood is a different MC other than 12%. For example, some SG values listed are the values when the wood is dried all the way down to where the MC is actually zero. Other listed values are when the wood is “green” at perhaps 80% MC or even higher.
The reason that it matters what the MC was when the SG was determined is that the volume of a wood sample will shrink when it is dried down from high MC values to lower MC values. So as the volume of the wood sample shrinks, the density (SG) of the wood increases because the formula for the wood density is the weight of the wood sample divided by the volume of the wood sample, or more simply the ratio of the weight of the wood to its volume. As the weight stays the same during shrinkage, the volume decreases. Online and other references will not only provide SG values at some specific MC but also their “shrinkage ratio”. The shrinkage ratio is defined to be the percent of the volume of the wood that shrinks per decrease in MC value. For instance, one might see a 2% shrinkage ratio which means that for every 1% drop in MC the wood will shrink by 2% of its volume.
Wagner chose to calibrate its meters at a nominal 12% MC because this is close to where most wood will be in service and will be measured by our meters. Therefore we publish SG values for wood species to be used by our meters that correlate to a 12% MC value. Since online and other references publish SG values at sometimes 0% MC or “green” MC, you will often see different values online than what we publish. We correct these published values by applying correction factors based on MC at referenced SG values and shrinkage ratio published values. It should be noted that a wood sample will not begin shrinking significantly until the MC drops below fiber saturation point, which is generally between 28% and 32%, so we use 30% as the average fiber saturation point.
As an example, let’s say we have a published SG value of 0.50 referenced to 0% MC with a shrinkage ratio of 0.1% of volume per percent MC. We want to convert to an SG value referenced to 12% MC. A sample at 12 % MC will be 1.2% larger in volume (swells 12 * 0.1%). Since 0.50 equals the weight of the sample divided by volume, we now know the volume will actually be 1.2% larger, so the SG should be adjusted by a factor of 1 divided by (1 + 1.2%) or 1 divided by (1.012) = 0.50/1.012 = 0.49). So, in this specific case, the 12 % MC referenced SG value will be slightly less than the published value referenced at 0% MC.