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 |
---|---|---|---|
Wa | Hopea odorata | 0.63 | |
Waciwaci | Sterculia vitiensis | 0.34 | |
Wadara | Couratari pulchra | 0.53 | 4 |
Wahoo | Ulmus alata | 0.65 | |
Juglans cinerea | 0.38 | ||
Juglans nigra | 0.55 | ||
Juglans nigra | 0.55 | ||
Pinus glabra | 0.44 | ||
Pinus palustris | 0.59 | ||
Triplochiton scleroxylon | 0.32 | ||
Wanakwar | Vochysia tomentosa | 0.52 | |
Wanakwari | Vochysia ferruginea | 0.52 | |
Wanakwari | Vochysia guianensis | 0.52 | |
Wana-Kwari | Vochysia guianensis | 0.52 | |
Wanania | Minquartia guianensis | 0.83 | |
Wanekwalie | Vochysia guianensis | 0.52 | |
Wanga | Staudtia stipitata | 0.79 | |
Wangu | Calophyllum inophyllum | 0.55 | |
Wangu | Calophyllum tomentosum | 0.59 | |
Wanini | Irvingia gabonensis | 0.76 | |
Turraeanthus africanus | 0.51 | ||
Wantal | Intsia bijuga | 0.65 | |
Wanton | Morus mesozygia | 0.71 | |
Warasar | Heritiera javanica | 0.65 | |
Pterocarpus indicus | 0.57 | ||
Waroeasi | Intsia bijuga | 0.65 | |
Waroesi | Virola surinamensis | 0.51 | |
Tabebuia serratifolia | 0.99 | ||
Tabebuia serratifolia | 0.99 | ||
Tabebuia serratifolia | 0.99 | ||
Tabebuia serratifolia | 0.99 | ||
Fraxinus nigra | 0.49 | ||
Fraxinus pennsylvanica | 0.56 | ||
Fraxinus pennsylvanica | 0.56 | ||
Water Beech | Carpinus caroliniana | 0.64 | |
Ulmus americana | 0.50 | ||
Nyssa aquatica | 0.50 | ||
Water Gum | Syzygium buettnerianum | 0.73 | |
Water Hickory | Carya aquatica | 0.62 | 1 |
Acer rubrum | 0.54 | ||
Water Oak | Quercus arkansana | 0.53 | |
Water Oak | Quercus nigra | 0.63 | 1 |
Quercus palustris | 0.63 | ||
Water tupelo | Nyssa aquatica | 0.50 | 1 |
Watho | Brachylaena hutchinsii | 0.85 | |
Juglans nigra | 0.55 | ||
Triplochiton scleroxylon | 0.32 | ||
Triplochiton scleroxylon | 0.32 | ||
We | Virola surinamensis | 0.51 | |
Weedee | Podocarpus guatemalensis | 0.54 | |
Weeping Willow | Casuarina equisetifolia | 0.87 | |
Tabebuia serratifolia | 0.99 | ||
Weide | Salix alba | 0.38 | |
Salix nigra | 0.39 | ||
Terminalia superba | 0.40 | ||
Weissbuche | Carpinus betulus | 0.61 | |
Pterocarpus soyauxii | 0.64 | ||
Wenga | Piptadeniastrum africanum | 0.63 | |
Wenge | Millettia laurentii | 0.81 | 14 |
Wenge | Millettia stuhlmannii | 0.83 | 14 |
Wensone | Musanga cecropioides | 0.23 | |
Wepa | Berlinia acuminata | 0.64 | |
Weru | Anisoptera costata | 0.52 | |
Pometia pinnata | 0.60 | ||
Wesele | Intsia bijuga | 0.65 | |
West African Cordia | Cordia platythyrsa | 0.39 | |
Western Hemlock | Tsuga heterophylla | 0.44 | |
West Indian Boxwood | Gossypiospermum praecox | 0.77 | |
Cedrela odorata | 0.39 | ||
Hymenaea courbaril | 0.83 | ||
West Indian Mahogany | Swietenia mahagoni | 0.57 | |
West Indian Maracaibo Boxwood | Gossypiospermum praecox | 0.77 | |
Albizia lebbeck | 0.54 | 3 | |
West Indies Mahogany | Swietenia mahagoni | 0.57 | |
Picea rubens | 0.40 | ||
Westa | Alnus nepalensis | 0.26 | |
Alnus rubra | 0.41 | ||
Thuja plicata | 0.32 | ||
Abies grandis | 0.37 | ||
Abies lasiocarpa | 0.32 | ||
Populus balsamifera | 0.34 | ||
Populus trichocarpa | 0.35 | ||
Western Black Willow | Salix alba | 0.38 | |
Salix nigra | 0.39 | ||
Western Catalpa | Catalpa speciosa | 0.37 | |
Western Catawba | Catalpa speciosa | 0.37 | |
Thuja plicata | 0.32 | ||
Abies amabilis | 0.43 | ||
Abies concolor | 0.39 | ||
Abies grandis | 0.37 | ||
Abies lasiocarpa | 0.32 | ||
Abies magnifica | 0.38 | ||
Abies procera | 0.39 | ||
Western hackberry | Celtis occidentalis | 0.53 | |
Western Hemlock | Tsuga heterophylla | 0.45 | 1 |
Tsuga heterophylla | 0.45 | ||
Tsuga heterophylla | 0.45 | ||
Pinus contorta | 0.41 | ||
Western Larch | Larix occidentalis | 0.52 | 1 |
Acer macrophyllum | 0.48 | ||
Betula papyrifera | 0.55 | ||
Pinus ponderosa | 0.40 | ||
Alnus rubra | 0.41 | ||
Western Red Cedar | Thuja plicata | 0.32 | 1 |
Thuja plicata | 0.32 | ||
Pinus ponderosa | 0.40 | ||
Picea engelmannii | 0.35 | ||
Picea sitchensis | 0.40 | ||
Larix occidentalis | 0.52 | ||
Betula papyrifera | 0.55 | ||
Abies grandis | 0.37 | ||
Western White Pine | Pinus monticola | 0.35 | 1 |
Picea engelmannii | 0.35 | ||
Western White Spruce | Picea glauca | 0.36 | 3 |
Pinus ponderosa | 0.40 | ||
Hymenaea courbaril | 0.83 | ||
Westindisches Buchs | Gossypiospermum praecox | 0.77 | |
Hymenaea courbaril | 0.83 | ||
Wewoko | Mitragyna stipulosa | 0.53 | |
Pinus strobus | 0.35 | ||
Prunus serotina | 0.50 | ||
Whistling Pine | Casuarina equisetifolia | 0.87 | |
Terminalia superba | 0.40 | ||
White Afzelia | Afzelia pachyloba | 0.62 | |
White Ash | Fraxinus americana | 0.60 | 1 |
Fraxinus pennsylvanica | 0.56 | ||
Abies concolor | 0.39 | ||
Abies lasiocarpa | 0.32 | ||
White Baltic | Picea abies | 0.43 | |
Tilia americana | 0.37 | ||
White Birch | Betula papyrifera | 0.53 | 3 |
White Bombay | Terminalia procera | 0.54 | |
White Bombway | Terminalia procera | 0.54 | |
White Bombwe | Terminalia procera | 0.54 | |
Prioria copaifera | 0.42 | ||
Chamaecyparis lawsoniana | 0.43 | ||
Chamaecyparis nootkatensis | 0.44 | ||
Chamaecyparis thyoides | 0.32 | ||
Libocedrus decurrens | 0.37 | ||
White Cedar | Melia azedarach | 0.51 | |
Thuja occidentalis | 0.31 | ||
Taxodium distichum | 0.46 | ||
White Cypress-Pine | Callitris glauca | 0.59 | 1 |
White Deal | Picea abies | 0.43 | |
Diospyros virginiana | 0.71 | ||
Ulmus americana | 0.50 | ||
Abies amabilis | 0.43 | ||
Abies balsamea | 0.35 | ||
White Fir | Abies concolor | 0.39 | 1 |
Abies grandis | 0.37 | ||
Abies lasiocarpa | 0.32 | ||
Abies magnifica | 0.38 | ||
Abies procera | 0.39 | ||
White Fir | Picea abies | 0.43 | |
White Haiawaballi | Tetragastris altissima | 0.74 | |
Tsuga canadensis | 0.40 | ||
Tsuga heterophylla | 0.45 | ||
Carya tomentosa | 0.72 | ||
Ilex opaca | 0.55 | ||
White Lauan | Shorea contorta | 0.37 | 4 |
White Lauan | Shorea leprosula | 0.50 | 4 |
White Lauan | Shorea leptoclados | 0.38 | 4 |
White Lauan | Shorea smithiana | 0.43 | 4 |
Terminalia superba | 0.40 | ||
Robinia pseudoacacia | 0.69 | ||
White Mahogany | Vochysia hondurensis | 0.52 | |
Turraeanthus africanus | 0.51 | ||
Acer rubrum | 0.54 | ||
Acer saccharinum | 0.47 | ||
Acer saccharum | 0.63 | ||
White Meranti | Shorea assamica | 0.51 | 4 |
White Meranti | Shorea cochinchinensis | 0.50 | 4 |
White Meranti | Shorea hypochra | 0.58 | 4 |
White Mora | Mora excelsa | 0.89 | |
White Mulberry | Morus alba | 0.60 | |
White Oak | Quercus alba | 0.68 | 1 |
Quercus bicolor | 0.72 | ||
Quercus macrocarpa | 0.64 | ||
Quercus michauxii | 0.67 | ||
Quercus stellata | 0.67 | ||
White Oak | Quercus virginiana | 0.84 | |
White Olive | Terminalia amazonia | 0.76 | |
White Oliver | Terminalia amazonia | 0.76 | |
White Oliver | Terminalia amazonica | 0.76 | |
White Olivier | Terminalia guyanensis | 0.60 | |
White Pine | Picea abies | 0.43 | |
Pinus monticola | 0.35 | ||
White Planchonella | Planchonella euphlebia | 0.89 | |
Liriodendron tulipifera | 0.42 | ||
Fraxinus americana | 0.60 | ||
Sassafras albidum | 0.46 | ||
Pinus sylvestris | 0.45 | ||
White Siris | Albizia procera | 0.55 | |
Abies balsamea | 0.35 | ||
Picea engelmannii | 0.35 | ||
White Spruce | Picea glauca | 0.36 | 3 |
White Stringybark | Eucalyptus globoidea | 0.70 | |
White Thingan | Hopea odorata | 0.63 | |
White Tulip Oak | Pterygota horsfieldii | 0.65 | |
Juglans cinerea | 0.38 | ||
White Willow | Salix alba | 0.38 | |
White Yemeri | Vochysia hondurensis | 0.52 | |
Liriodendron tulipifera | 0.42 | ||
Whitewood | Picea abies | 0.43 | |
Populus deltoides | 0.40 | ||
Tilia americana | 0.37 | ||
Tabebuia serratifolia | 0.99 | ||
Wiatho | Brachylaena hutchinsii | 0.85 | |
Wild Almond | Pygeum turnerianum | 0.44 | |
Prunus serotina | 0.50 | ||
Wild Cashew | Anacardium excelsum | 0.33 | |
Wild Cherry | Prunus avium | 0.58 | 13 |
Prunus serotina | 0.50 | ||
Wild Date | Aleurites moluccana | 0.14 | |
Wild Mango | Irvingia gabonensis | 0.76 | |
Wild Nutmeg | Virola surinamensis | 0.51 | |
Carya aquatica | 0.62 | ||
Wild Pine | Podocarpus guatemalensis | 0.54 | |
Wild Pitch Pine | Podocarpus guatemalensis | 0.54 | |
Wilg | Salix alba | 0.38 | |
Salix nigra | 0.39 | ||
Willow | Salix alba | 0.38 | |
Willow | Salix fragilis | 0.38 | |
Salix nigra | 0.39 | ||
Tilia americana | 0.37 | ||
Willow Oak | Quercus phellos | 0.69 | 1 |
Winged Elm | Ulmus alata | 0.65 | |
Wishmore | Tarrietia utilis | 0.54 | |
Wiswiskwari | Vochysia ferruginea | 0.52 | |
Wiswiskwari | Vochysia guianensis | 0.52 | |
Witte Mora | Mora excelsa | 0.89 | |
Turraeanthus africanus | 0.51 | ||
Tabebuia serratifolia | 0.99 | ||
Wonton | Morus mesozygia | 0.71 | |
Turraeanthus africanus | 0.51 | ||
Wosima | Tieghemella heckelii | 0.60 | |
Wosime | Tieghemella heckelii | 0.60 | |
Wossie | Vochysia guianensis | 0.52 | |
Wowovoko | Mitragyna stipulosa | 0.53 | |
Wych Elm | Ulmus glabra | 0.53 |
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.