Last updated: Jul 24, 2024

Log Weight Calculator

Q: What is green weight?

Green weight is a term for the weight of freshly cut wood . Because green wood (or freshly cut wood) still contains lots of moisture in itself, it has a different density and, thus, a different weight compared to dried wood.

Q: Which type of wood is best for outdoor furniture?

Teak, Black Locust, Acacia, California Redwood, and Ipe are some of the many weather-resistant types of wood. Consider buying your outdoor furniture made with these types of wood, or even build one yourself!

Q: How much English oak can be carried by a pickup truck?

A typical pickup truck can carry up to 453.6 kg (1,000 lbs) . Since the density of oak happens to be quite high, your pickup truck would be able to hold up to 3 logs of English oak with the average diameter of 17.5 in (44.45 cm) and a length of 3.3 ft (100 cm) . Anyhow, the number of oak logs your pickup truck could handle will highly depend on the measurements of each log, as well as whether your log is green or dried.

Table of contents

Weight of wood and the wood density chart How much does a log weigh? — Huber's formula Using our log weight calculator The importance of knowing how to calculate the weight of a log Want to learn more?FAQs

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	Maple, red	50
Apple	55	Maple, silver	45
Ash, green	47	Maple, sugar	56
Ash, Oregon	48	Oak, black	62
Ash, white	48	Oak, Cali. black	66
Aspen, quaking	43	Oak, English	52
Bald cypress	51	Oak, live	76
Basswood	42	Oak, pin	64
Beech	54	Oak, post	63
Birch, paper	50	Oak, red	63
Birch, Yellow	57	Oak, scarlet	64
Butternut	46	Oak, white	62
Cedar, incense	45	Osage orange	62
Cedar, western red	28	Pecan	61
Cherry, black	45	Persimmon	63
Chestnut	55	Pine, loblolly	53
Chinaberry	50	Pine, lodgepole	39
Cottonwood	49	Pine, longleaf	55
Elm, American	54	Pine, ponderosa	46
Fir, Douglas	39	Pine, slash	58
Fir, noble	29	Pine, sugar	52
Fir, white	47	Pine, white	36
Gum, black	45	Poplar, yellow	38
Gum, red	50	Redwood coastal	50
Hackberry	50	Sassafras	44
Hemlock eastern	49	Spruce, Red	34
Hemlock western	41	Spruce, Sitka	32
Hickory Shagbark	64	Sweetgum	55
Horse chestnut	41	Sycamore	52
Larch	51	Tamarack	47
Locust, black	58	Walnut, black	58
Locust, honey	63	Willow	32
Magnolia ev.	59

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 $\small\frac{d_\text{s}+d_\text{l}}{2}$ , 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.

Simple illustration of a log and its dimensions.

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:

Choose the shape of wood you have — either a log or board.
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 enter a specific wood density by selecting the last dropdown option for the "Species" field.
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.
If you have multiple wood quantities with the same dimensions, enter their quantity to calculate their total weight. If you have these wood pieces organized in a stack, you can measure your stack and enter its width and height in our calculator. That is after you select the "I know the... stack dimensions" option in our tool. 🙂

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.

Want to learn more?

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.

FAQs

What is green weight?

Green weight is a term for the weight of freshly cut wood. Because green wood (or freshly cut wood) still contains lots of moisture in itself, it has a different density and, thus, a different weight compared to dried wood.

How do I measure the diameter of a log?

To properly take measurements of a log, follow these easy steps:

First, measure the smallest diameter of your log with a measuring tape.
Then, move on to the biggest diameter of your log.
Don't forget to note them down!
Find the average of your log's diameter:

(smallest diameter + biggest diameter) / 2
That's it!

Which type of wood is best for outdoor furniture?

Teak, Black Locust, Acacia, California Redwood, and Ipe are some of the many weather-resistant types of wood. Consider buying your outdoor furniture made with these types of wood, or even build one yourself!

How much English oak can be carried by a pickup truck?

A typical pickup truck can carry up to 453.6 kg (1,000 lbs). Since the density of oak happens to be quite high, your pickup truck would be able to hold up to 3 logs of English oak with the average diameter of 17.5 in (44.45 cm) and a length of 3.3 ft (100 cm).

Anyhow, the number of oak logs your pickup truck could handle will highly depend on the measurements of each log, as well as whether your log is green or dried.

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