WOOD SPECIES · Softwood
Norway spruce: density, weight and properties
Picea abies
Norway spruce (Picea abies) averages 450 kg/m³ at 12% moisture content, according to CIRAD’s Tropix database. The figures below are averages for clear, mature wood; individual boards vary with origin, growth and moisture.
Key figures
- Density at 12% moisture
- 450 kg/m³Average for mature wood; varies with origin and growth
- Monnin hardness at 12%
- 2.2French surface-hardness index; not convertible to Janka
- Bending strength (modulus of rupture)
- 78 MPa
- Stiffness (modulus of elasticity)
- 11,900 MPa
- Compression parallel to grain
- 46 MPa
- Tangential shrinkage, green to oven-dry
- 8.2%
- Radial shrinkage, green to oven-dry
- 3.9%
- Fibre saturation point
- 33%
Weight at 12% moisture content
Volume × 450 kg/m³, the same calculation as the weight calculator. Green or wet wood weighs considerably more.
| Piece | Size | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| 1 cubic metre | 1,000 × 1,000 × 1,000 mm | 450 kg |
| 1 board foot | 12 × 12 × 1 in | 1.06 kg |
| 1×4 board, 8 ft | 3/4 × 3 1/2 in actual × 8 ft | 1.86 kg |
| 1×6 board, 8 ft | 3/4 × 5 1/2 in actual × 8 ft | 2.92 kg |
| 2×4 board, 8 ft | 1 1/2 × 3 1/2 in actual × 8 ft | 3.72 kg |
| 2×6 board, 10 ft | 1 1/2 × 5 1/2 in actual × 10 ft | 7.3 kg |
Movement across the width
How much a board 11 1/4 in (286 mm) wide changes when its moisture content moves by a few percentage points. The estimate uses the total shrinkage above and a linear relation below the fibre saturation point of 33% (Wood Handbook Eq. 4-9). Flat-sawn boards move with tangential shrinkage, quartersawn boards with radial shrinkage.
| Moisture change | Flat-sawn | Quartersawn |
|---|---|---|
| 3 percentage points | 2.1 mm (0.084 in) | 1 mm (0.04 in) |
| 6 percentage points | 4.3 mm (0.168 in) | 2 mm (0.08 in) |
Wood movement across the grain · Moisture content and acclimatising wood
Natural durability
Durability of the heartwood against wood-decay fungi: class 4 on the EN 350 scale from 1 (very durable) to 5 (not durable), as reported by Tropix. The rating applies to heartwood only.
Working and finishing
Easy to machine, but hard knots can be loose. Tropix warns that spruce splits readily and holds nails poorly; it is used with its sapwood and has low durability, so it must be treated where it can get wet. Its mechanical properties depend directly on ring width.
Typical uses
- Framing and structural timber
- Glued-laminated timber
- Panelling
- Interior joinery and millwork
- Musical instruments
- Boxes, crates and pallets
Calculate with this material
Species with similar density
- Poplar 450 kg/m³
- Cedro (Spanish cedar) 460 kg/m³
- Yellow-poplar (tulipwood) 470.4 kg/m³
Sources & references
Uses and working notes summarise the cited source. Check the moisture content, grade and origin of the wood you actually buy.