# Log Weight Calculator

Created by Kenneth Alambra
Reviewed by Dominik Czernia, PhD and Jack Bowater
Last updated: Feb 02, 2023

This log weight calculator or wood weight calculator will help you estimate the weight of a log or board made of any of the common species of wood at any desired length and cross-sectional dimensions.

In this calculator, you will learn to answer the question "How much does a log weigh?" and what affects the weight of wood. You will learn about the wood density chart, also known as the "green" log weight chart, as well as how to calculate volume of a log using Huber's Formula. Keep on reading to start learning how to calculate the weight of a log.

## Weight of wood and the wood density chart

The weight of wood mainly depends on three factors: the wood species, the volume of the log, and its moisture content. The wood species tells us the density of the wood. However, the density of the wood varies depending on its moisture content.

The moisture content of wood is the amount of water within the wood. It ranges between 150% or more for fresh wood and as low as 5% for processed and dried wood. For wood, we determine its moisture content by taking the percentage of the water's weight in freshly-cut wood to the same wood's oven-dry weight. A 250-kg freshly-cut wood weighing 100 kg after oven-drying would have a moisture content of 150%. The higher the moisture content is, the heavier the wood weighs. In this calculator, we consider the "green" density of wood, which is the density of a piece of freshly cut wood.

The green density varies from tree to tree and does not pertain to a particular moisture content for each tree species. As a reference, you can check the wood density chart below, which is also sometimes called the green log weight chart, for the green density of the most common tree species found on the market today:

Species

Density lb/ft³

Species

Density lb/ft³

Alder, red

46

Magnolia ev.

59

Apple

55

Maple, red

50

Ash, green

47

Maple, silver

45

Ash, Oregon

48

Maple, sugar

56

Ash, white

48

Oak, black

62

Aspen, quaking

43

Oak, Cali. black

66

Bald cypress

51

Oak, English

52

Basswood

42

Oak, live

76

Beech

54

Oak, pin

64

Birch, paper

50

Oak, post

63

Birch, Yellow

57

Oak, red

63

Butternut

46

Oak, scarlet

64

Cedar, incense

45

Oak, white

62

Cedar, western red

28

Osage orange

62

Cherry, black

45

Pecan

61

Chestnut

55

Persimmon

63

Chinaberry

50

Pine, loblolly

53

Cottonwood

49

Pine, lodgepole

39

Elm, American

54

Pine, longleaf

55

Fir, Douglas

39

Pine, ponderosa

46

Fir, noble

29

Pine, slash

58

Fir, white

47

Pine, sugar

52

Gum, black

45

Pine, white

36

Gum, red

50

Poplar, yellow

38

Hackberry

50

Redwood coastal

50

Hemlock eastern

49

Sassafras

44

Hemlock western

41

Spruce, Red

34

Hickory Shagbark

64

Spruce, Sitka

32

Honey locust

63

Sweetgum

55

Horse chestnut

41

Sycamore

52

Larch

51

Tamarack

47

Locust, black

58

Walnut, black

58

Locust, honey

61

Willow

32

Even though it shows the density, this is also known as the green log weight chart because it instantly shows us the green weight of wood per cubic foot of volume.

💡 Learn more about density and the densities of other common materials, such as metals, non-metals, and gas (to name a few), by checking out our density calculator.

## How much does a log weigh? - Huber's formula

Knowing the green density of the tree species we are considering is the first step toward answering "How to calculate the weight of a log?". In the next step, we must multiply this density by the log's volume to obtain its weight. We can express that in equation form, as shown below:

$\small \text{weight} = \rho_\text{green}\times v$

Where:

• $\small\text{weight}$ is the weight of the log in pounds ($\small\text{lb}$);
• $\small\rho_\text{green}$ is the "green" weight of the wood per cubic foot ($\small\tfrac{\text{lb}}{\text{ft}^3}$); and
• $\small v$ is the volume of the log in cubic feet ($\small\text{ft}^3$)

🙋 Need the calculated weight in other units? Check our weight converter for the essential conversion factors for your conversion needs.

For this wood weight calculator, we use Huber's formula to determine a log's volume. In Huber's formula, we first need to find the log's diameter at the center of the entire log's length. We can do this either by directly measuring the diameter in the middle of the log or by getting the average of the diameters on both ends of the log.

Due to the nature of a tree, the log's diameter near the top end of the tree is smaller than the log's diameter towards the base (or roots). Keeping these concepts in mind, we now have Huber's log volume formula:

$\small v = L\times\frac{\pi \times {d_\text{m}}^2}{4}$

Where:

• $\small v$ is the volume of the log in cubic feet;
• $\small L$ is the length of the log in feet; and
• $\small d_\text{m}$ is the diameter at the mid-section of the log which is equal to $\small\frac{d_\text{s}+d_\text{s}}{2}$, where:
• $\small d_\text{s}$ is the diameter at the smaller end of the log in feet; and
• $\small d_\text{l}$ is the diameter at the larger end of the log in feet.

## Using our log weight calculator

Determining the weight of wood in the shape of a log or board is made easy using our log weight calculator. Here are the instructions on how to use our calculator:

1. Choose the shape of wood you have - either a log or board.
2. Select the tree species that you are considering from the drop-down selection in the "Species" field. Choosing a species locks in the density value of your wood. You can view the weight of wood per cubic foot value in our calculator's advanced mode if you want to check or change it.
3. Input the dimensions of your wooden log or board. Entering these values automatically finds the volume of the wood. At this time, the weight per piece of log or board will also be already displayed.
4. If you have multiple wood quantities with the same dimensions, enter their quantity to calculate their total weight.

## The importance of knowing how to calculate the weight of a log

As with other materials in construction, knowing the weight of a material aids in logistical considerations and in assessing whether or not equipment can carry the load.

Since we cannot always have a weighing scale around us, knowing how to calculate the weight of a log using the measurements we can find on-site, whether with the help of our wood weight calculator or through manual calculations, can sometimes save the day.

If you're splitting your wood for firewood and want to know how much you've got, you might find our cord of wood calculator interesting and useful.

Kenneth Alambra
Wood specifications
Shape
Log
Species
Alder, red
Diameter at smaller end of the log, dₛ
in
Diameter at the larger end of the log, dₗ
in
Diameter at mid-section, dₘ
in
Length, L
ft
Volume
cu ft
Output value
Log weight per piece
lb
I know the...
quantity of wood pieces
Quantity
Total weight
lb
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