8
8. Calculating wood density
Calculating the density of a wood type can be necessary when the wood type is
not in the table in chapter
7 or when it is suspected that the local wood has the density considerably different from the
average for this type.
Follow these steps to calculate the density of the wood type:
a) cut a regular cube of the wood and measure it’s size with the accuracy of 1 mm
(e.g. 46 * 64 * 32) mm; calculate it’s volume (in cm3)
V = a * b * h
(e.g. 94.2 cm3)
b) weight the cube with the accuracy of 1 gram; note the result G in grams (e.g. 62g)
c) measure the approximate moisture contents with Wood
Moisture Meter WIP-22D setting:
thickness –according to h,
density – based on your expertise or tables
Note the result W % (e.g. 17.2%)
d) calculate the density with the following formula:
G 100
g =
x
V 100
+
W
where:
G – weight of the sample (g)
V – volume of the sample (cm3)
W – moisture contents (%)
g – density (g/cm3)
For the example values given in a, b and c the result is:
62 100
g =
x
= 0.56
94.2 100
+
17.2
e) now you can use the calculated density (e.g. 0.56) for any future measurements of this
type of timber.
