WOOD SPECIES · Hardwood
Yellow birch: density, weight and properties
Betula alleghaniensis
Yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis) averages 694.4 kg/m³ at 12% moisture content, according to the USDA Wood Handbook. The figures below are averages for clear, mature wood; individual boards vary with origin, growth and moisture.
Key figures
- Density at 12% moisture
- 694.4 kg/m³Specific gravity 0.62 (oven-dry mass, volume at 12%) × 1.12 × 1,000 kg/m³, Wood Handbook Eq. 4-14
- Basic specific gravity (oven-dry mass, green volume)
- 0.55
- Janka side hardness at 12%
- 5,600 N (≈ 1,259 lbf)
- Bending strength (modulus of rupture)
- 114 MPa
- Stiffness (modulus of elasticity)
- 13,900 MPa
- Compression parallel to grain
- 56.3 MPa
- Tangential shrinkage, green to oven-dry
- 9.5%
- Radial shrinkage, green to oven-dry
- 7.3%
- Volumetric shrinkage, green to oven-dry
- 16.8%
- Fibre saturation point
- 30%Not measured: Wood Handbook default
Weight at 12% moisture content
Volume × 694.4 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 | 694.4 kg |
| 1 board foot | 12 × 12 × 1 in | 1.64 kg |
| 1×4 board, 8 ft | 3/4 × 3 1/2 in actual × 8 ft | 2.87 kg |
| 1×6 board, 8 ft | 3/4 × 5 1/2 in actual × 8 ft | 4.51 kg |
| 2×4 board, 8 ft | 1 1/2 × 3 1/2 in actual × 8 ft | 5.74 kg |
| 2×6 board, 10 ft | 1 1/2 × 5 1/2 in actual × 10 ft | 11.3 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 30% (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 | 2.7 mm (0.107 in) | 2.1 mm (0.082 in) |
| 6 percentage points | 5.4 mm (0.214 in) | 4.2 mm (0.164 in) |
Wood movement across the grain · Moisture content and acclimatising wood
Natural durability
The Wood Handbook groups the heartwood as slightly or nonresistant to decay (Table 14-1). Keep it dry, or use treated wood where decay can develop.
Working and finishing
Heavy, hard and strong with good shock resistance and a fine, uniform texture; the heartwood is light reddish brown. Birch shrinks considerably during drying (Wood Handbook, chapter 2), as its radial shrinkage of 7.3% shows.
Typical uses
- Furniture
- Interior joinery and millwork
- Doors and sashes
- Sliced veneer
- Boxes, crates and pallets
Calculate with this material
Species with similar density
- Sapele 690 kg/m³
- Hard maple (sugar maple) 705.6 kg/m³
- Red oak 705.6 kg/m³
Sources & references
- USDA FPL · Wood Handbook (2021), ch. 5: Mechanical properties of wood
- USDA FPL · Wood Handbook (2021), ch. 4: Moisture relations and physical properties of wood
- USDA FPL · Wood Handbook (2021), ch. 14: Biodeterioration of wood
- USDA FPL · Wood Handbook (2021), ch. 2: Characteristics and availability of commercially important woods
Uses and working notes summarise the cited source. Check the moisture content, grade and origin of the wood you actually buy.