Wood Species Library
100 species with the numbers a woodworker actually uses — hardness, density, and how much each one moves — plus a movement calculator preset on every page. Data from the USDA Wood Handbook.
Reading the table: tangential shrinkage is what a flatsawn board’s width does; radial is quartersawn. The bigger the gap between the two, the more flatsawn boards want to cup. For a specific board and humidity swing, use the wood movement calculator.
Hardwoods
| Species | Janka lbf | SG | Tang. % | Radial % | Movement |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| African Mahogany (Khaya) | 1,070 | 0.46 | 4.5 | 2.5 | low |
| African Padauk | 1,970 | 0.72 | 5.2 | 3.3 | low |
| Afrormosia | 1,560 | 0.61 | 6.4 | 3 | moderate |
| American Basswood | 410 | 0.37 | 9.3 | 6.6 | high |
| American Beech | 1,300 | 0.64 | 11.9 | 5.5 | high |
| American Chestnut | 540 | 0.43 | 6.7 | 3.4 | moderate |
| American Elm | 830 | 0.50 | 9.5 | 4.2 | high |
| American Holly | 1,020 | 0.57 | 9.9 | 4.8 | high |
| American Sycamore | 770 | 0.49 | 8.4 | 5 | moderate |
| Balsam Poplar | 300 | 0.34 | 7.1 | 3 | moderate |
| Bigleaf Maple | 850 | 0.48 | 7.1 | 3.7 | moderate |
| Bigtooth Aspen | 420 | 0.39 | 7.9 | 3.3 | moderate |
| Black Ash | 850 | 0.49 | 7.8 | 5 | moderate |
| Black Cherry | 950 | 0.50 | 7.1 | 3.7 | moderate |
| Black Locust | 1,700 | 0.69 | 7.2 | 4.6 | moderate |
| Black Maple | 1,180 | 0.57 | 9.3 | 4.8 | high |
| Black Oak | 1,210 | 0.61 | 11.1 | 4.4 | high |
| Black Tupelo (Blackgum) | 810 | 0.50 | 8.7 | 5.1 | moderate |
| Black Walnut | 1,010 | 0.55 | 7.8 | 5.5 | moderate |
| Black Willow | 430 | 0.39 | 8.7 | 3.3 | moderate |
| Bur Oak | 1,370 | 0.64 | 8.8 | 4.4 | moderate |
| Butternut | 490 | 0.38 | 6.4 | 3.4 | moderate |
| Chestnut Oak | 1,130 | 0.66 | 9.7 | 5.3 | high |
| Eastern Cottonwood | 430 | 0.40 | 9.2 | 3.9 | high |
| Flowering Dogwood | — | 0.73 | 11.3 | 7.1 | high |
| Green Ash | 1,200 | 0.56 | 7.1 | 4.6 | moderate |
| Hackberry | 880 | 0.53 | 8.9 | 4.8 | moderate |
| Honduran Mahogany | 800 | 0.45 | 4.1 | 3 | low |
| Honeylocust | 1,580 | 0.66 | 6.6 | 4.2 | moderate |
| Ipe | 3,510 | 0.91 | 8 | 6.6 | moderate |
| Iroko | 1,260 | 0.66 | 3.8 | 2.8 | low |
| Jatoba (Brazilian Cherry) | 2,350 | 0.77 | 8.5 | 4.5 | moderate |
| Northern Catalpa | 550 | 0.41 | 4.9 | 2.5 | low |
| Northern Red Oak | 1,290 | 0.63 | 8.6 | 4 | moderate |
| Oregon Ash | 1,160 | 0.55 | 8.1 | 4.1 | moderate |
| Paper Birch | 910 | 0.55 | 8.6 | 6.3 | moderate |
| Pecan (Hickory) | 1,820 | 0.66 | 8.9 | 4.9 | moderate |
| Persimmon | 2,300 | 0.74 | 11.2 | 7.9 | high |
| Pignut Hickory | 2,140 | 0.75 | 11.5 | 7.2 | high |
| Pin Oak | 1,500 | 0.63 | 9.5 | 4.3 | high |
| Post Oak | 1,360 | 0.67 | 9.8 | 5.4 | high |
| Purpleheart | 2,520 | 0.86 | 6.1 | 3.2 | moderate |
| Quaking Aspen | 350 | 0.38 | 6.7 | 3.5 | moderate |
| Red Alder | 590 | 0.41 | 7.3 | 4.4 | moderate |
| Red Maple | 950 | 0.54 | 8.2 | 4 | moderate |
| Rock Elm | 1,320 | 0.63 | 8.1 | 4.8 | moderate |
| Sapele | 1,410 | 0.62 | 7.4 | 4.6 | moderate |
| Sassafras | 630 | 0.46 | 6.2 | 4 | moderate |
| Scarlet Oak | 1,400 | 0.67 | 10.8 | 4.4 | high |
| Shagbark Hickory | 1,880 | 0.72 | 10.5 | 7 | high |
| Silver Maple | 700 | 0.47 | 7.2 | 3 | moderate |
| Slippery Elm | 860 | 0.53 | 8.9 | 4.9 | moderate |
| Southern Magnolia | 1,020 | 0.50 | 6.6 | 5.4 | moderate |
| Southern Red Oak | 1,060 | 0.59 | 11.3 | 4.7 | high |
| Spanish Cedar | 600 | 0.41 | 6.3 | 4.2 | moderate |
| Sugar Maple (Hard Maple) | 1,450 | 0.63 | 9.9 | 4.8 | high |
| Sweet Birch | 1,470 | 0.65 | 9 | 6.5 | moderate |
| Sweetgum | 850 | 0.52 | 10.2 | 5.3 | high |
| Teak | 1,070 | 0.55 | 5.8 | 2.5 | low |
| Water Tupelo | 880 | 0.50 | 7.6 | 4.2 | moderate |
| Wenge | 1,930 | 0.81 | 8.1 | 4.8 | moderate |
| White Ash | 1,320 | 0.60 | 7.8 | 4.9 | moderate |
| White Oak | 1,360 | 0.68 | 10.5 | 5.6 | high |
| Yellow Birch | 1,260 | 0.62 | 9.5 | 7.3 | high |
| Yellow-Poplar (Tulipwood) | 540 | 0.42 | 8.2 | 4.6 | moderate |
Softwoods
| Species | Janka lbf | SG | Tang. % | Radial % | Movement |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska Yellow-Cedar | 580 | 0.44 | 6 | 2.8 | moderate |
| Atlantic White-Cedar | 350 | 0.32 | 5.4 | 2.9 | low |
| Baldcypress | 510 | 0.46 | 6.2 | 3.8 | moderate |
| Balsam Fir | 400 | 0.35 | 6.9 | 2.9 | moderate |
| Black Spruce | 520 | 0.42 | 6.8 | 4.1 | moderate |
| Douglas-Fir | 660 | 0.48 | 7.6 | 4.8 | moderate |
| Eastern Hemlock | 500 | 0.40 | 6.8 | 3 | moderate |
| Eastern Redcedar (Aromatic) | 900 | 0.47 | 4.7 | 3.1 | low |
| Eastern White Pine | 380 | 0.35 | 6.1 | 2.1 | moderate |
| Engelmann Spruce | 390 | 0.35 | 7.1 | 3.8 | moderate |
| Grand Fir | 490 | 0.37 | 7.5 | 3.4 | moderate |
| Incense-Cedar | 470 | 0.37 | 5.2 | 3.3 | low |
| Jack Pine | 570 | 0.43 | 6.6 | 3.7 | moderate |
| Loblolly Pine (Southern Yellow) | 690 | 0.51 | 7.4 | 4.8 | moderate |
| Lodgepole Pine | 480 | 0.41 | 6.7 | 4.3 | moderate |
| Longleaf Pine (Heart Pine) | 870 | 0.59 | 7.5 | 5.1 | moderate |
| Noble Fir | 410 | 0.39 | 8.3 | 4.3 | moderate |
| Northern White-Cedar | 320 | 0.31 | 4.9 | 2.2 | low |
| Pacific Silver Fir | 430 | 0.43 | 9.2 | 4.4 | high |
| Ponderosa Pine | 460 | 0.40 | 6.2 | 3.9 | moderate |
| Port-Orford-Cedar | 720 | 0.43 | 6.9 | 4.6 | moderate |
| Red Pine | 560 | 0.46 | 7.2 | 3.8 | moderate |
| Red Spruce | 490 | 0.40 | 7.8 | 3.8 | moderate |
| Redwood | 480 | 0.40 | 4.4 | 2.6 | low |
| Shortleaf Pine | 690 | 0.51 | 7.7 | 4.6 | moderate |
| Sitka Spruce | 510 | 0.40 | 7.5 | 4.3 | moderate |
| Slash Pine | 760 | 0.59 | 7.6 | 5.4 | moderate |
| Sugar Pine | 380 | 0.36 | 5.6 | 2.9 | low |
| Tamarack | 590 | 0.53 | 7.4 | 3.7 | moderate |
| Western Hemlock | 540 | 0.45 | 7.8 | 4.2 | moderate |
| Western Larch | 830 | 0.52 | 9.1 | 4.5 | high |
| Western Redcedar | 350 | 0.32 | 5 | 2.4 | low |
| Western White Pine | 420 | 0.38 | 7.4 | 4.1 | moderate |
| White Fir | 480 | 0.39 | 7 | 3.3 | moderate |
| White Spruce | 480 | 0.36 | 8.2 | 4.7 | moderate |
Values from the Wood Handbook, FPL-GTR-282 (2021 edition), USDA Forest Products Laboratory (public domain): shrinkage green→ovendry, specific gravity at 12% MC, Janka side hardness where published. Species averages — individual boards vary.