Coast Douglas-fir wood movement, board-foot & weight calculator
- Janka
- 710lbf
- Density
- 33.5lb/ft³
- T/R ratio
- 1.6
- Spec. gravity
- 0.48
Coast Douglas-fir is a North American softwood. It has a Janka side hardness of 710 lbf, a specific gravity of 0.48, and an air-dry density near 34 lb/ft³ (537 kg/m³) (mechanical values at 12% moisture content). It shrinks 7.6% tangentially and 4.8% radially from green to oven-dry (T/R ratio 1.6), so a 12-inch flatsawn board moves about 0.18 in (≈ 3/16 in) across a 6-point moisture swing (about 6%→12% MC).
Compute Coast Douglas-fir: movement, weight & board footage
Every number below is worked from Coast Douglas-fir's own shrinkage and density figures, not looked up from a table — change the width, moisture swing, or board size in the calculators linked alongside.
Cross-grain movement by board width
| Board width | Flatsawn (tangential) | Quartersawn (radial) |
|---|---|---|
| 2″ | 0.03″ (≈ 1/32 in) | 0.019″ (≈ 1/32 in) |
| 3″ | 0.046″ (≈ 1/32 in) | 0.029″ (≈ 1/32 in) |
| 4″ | 0.061″ (≈ 1/16 in) | 0.038″ (≈ 1/32 in) |
| 6″ | 0.091″ (≈ 3/32 in) | 0.058″ (≈ 1/16 in) |
| 8″ | 0.122″ (≈ 1/8 in) | 0.077″ (≈ 1/16 in) |
| 10″ | 0.152″ (≈ 5/32 in) | 0.096″ (≈ 3/32 in) |
| 12″ | 0.182″ (≈ 3/16 in) | 0.115″ (≈ 1/8 in) |
| 16″ | 0.243″ (≈ 1/4 in) | 0.154″ (≈ 5/32 in) |
Need a different width or moisture swing? Run the movement calculator preloaded with Coast Douglas-fir. At a T/R ratio of 1.58, Coast Douglas-fir is stable — it moves moderately more across the face than through the thickness — normal behaviour for a furniture hardwood, and predictable if boards are acclimatised before milling.
Board footage & weight, standard sizes
| Nominal size × length | Board feet | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| 1×4 × 8′ | 2.67 bd ft | 7.4 lb |
| 1×6 × 8′ | 4 bd ft | 11.2 lb |
| 1×8 × 8′ | 5.33 bd ft | 14.9 lb |
| 1×10 × 8′ | 6.67 bd ft | 18.6 lb |
| 1×12 × 8′ | 8 bd ft | 22.3 lb |
| 2×4 × 8′ | 5.33 bd ft | 14.9 lb |
| 2×6 × 8′ | 8 bd ft | 22.3 lb |
| 2×8 × 8′ | 10.67 bd ft | 29.8 lb |
Different length or size? Run the board foot calculator or the weight calculator, both preloaded with Coast Douglas-fir.
Seasonal movement by city
| City | Driest month (EMC) | Most-humid month (EMC) | EMC swing | 12″ board movement |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phoenix, AZ | Jun · 4.4% | Dec · 9% | 4.6 pts | 0.14″ (≈ 1/8 in) |
| Chicago, IL | May · 12.3% | Dec · 15.1% | 2.8 pts | 0.085″ (≈ 3/32 in) |
| Miami, FL | Apr · 12.2% | Sep · 14.4% | 2.2 pts | 0.067″ (≈ 1/16 in) |
| Boston, MA | Apr · 11.5% | Sep · 12.8% | 1.3 pts | 0.04″ (≈ 1/32 in) |
| Denver, CO | Jul · 8% | Dec · 10.5% | 2.5 pts | 0.076″ (≈ 1/16 in) |
| Seattle, WA | Jul · 12% | Dec · 16.9% | 4.9 pts | 0.149″ (≈ 5/32 in) |
Driven by Coast Douglas-fir's tangential shrinkage of 7.6%. These are outdoor equilibrium-moisture figures, so they are an upper bound — a climate-controlled interior swings less. How this is calculated.
How Coast Douglas-fir compares
Ranked against the 196 species in the Wood Handbook tables this site carries.
- Hardness: at 710 lbf, Coast Douglas-fir is harder than 37% of the 157 species with a Janka figure.
- Weight: at 33.5 lb/ft³ it is heavier than 36% of the 170 species measured — an 8-foot 1×6 board weighs about 11.2 lb.
- Stability: its T/R ratio of 1.58 is more even than 76% of the 196 species here — as humidity changes, 24% of them hold their shape more evenly.
See Coast Douglas-fir plotted against every species we carry: the full Janka hardness chart and the full density chart .
Species with a similar working profile
Closest matches on hardness, weight and stability together — useful when Coast Douglas-fir is unavailable or priced out.
- Eastern Redcedar is a common substitute for Coast Douglas-fir : nearly identical hardness, about the same weight, and similarly stable in service.
- Black Ash is a common substitute for Coast Douglas-fir : 20% harder, about the same weight, and similarly stable in service.
- American Sycamore is a common substitute for Coast Douglas-fir : nearly identical hardness, about the same weight, and similarly stable in service.
- Red Alder is a common substitute for Coast Douglas-fir : 17% softer, 14% lighter, and similarly stable in service.
| Species | Janka | Density | T/R |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern Redcedar | 650 lbf | 32.8 | 1.52 |
| Black Ash | 850 lbf | 34.2 | 1.56 |
| American Sycamore | 770 lbf | 34.2 | 1.68 |
| Red Alder | 590 lbf | 28.7 | 1.66 |
About Coast Douglas-fir
Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) is also known locally as red-fir, Douglas- spruce, and yellow-fir. Its range extends from the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific Coast and from Mexico to central British Columbia. Sapwood of Douglas-fir is narrow in old-growth trees but may be as much as 7 cm (3 in.) wide in second-growth trees of commercial size. Young trees of moderate to rapid growth have reddish heartwood and are called red-fir. Very narrow- ringed heartwood of old-growth trees may be yellowish brown and is known on the market as yellow-fir. The wood of Douglas-fir varies widely in weight and strength. Wood with higher density should be used when lumber of high strength is needed for structural uses. Douglas-fir is used mostly for building and construction purposes in the form of lumber, piles, and plywood. Considerable quantities are used for railroad crossties, cooperage stock, mine timbers, poles, and fencing. Douglas-fir lumber is used in the manufacture of sashes, doors, laminated beams, general millwork, railroad-car construction, boxes, pallets, and crates. Small amounts are used for flooring, furniture, ship and boat construction, and tanks. Douglas-fir plywood has found application in construction, furniture, cabinets, marine use, and other products.
Durability & sustainability
Decay resistance: the Wood Handbook rates Coast Douglas-fir heartwood moderately resistant to fungal decay (Table 14-1 rates the Douglas-fir genus as a whole, without splitting by growth region or variety) . Ratings are for heartwood only and the table's own note cautions that resistance varies substantially within a species; treat this as a general indicator, not a guarantee, especially for ground contact. Wood Handbook, Chapter 14: Biodeterioration of Wood (Arango, Lebow, Glaeser), USDA Forest Products Laboratory, FPL-GTR-282 (2021), Table 14-1. Public domain.
CITES status: not listed on any CITES Appendix — no international-trade restriction applies to Coast Douglas-fir.
Properties
| Specific gravity | 0.48 |
|---|---|
| Janka hardness (side) | 710 lbf |
| Density (air-dry, 12% MC) | 33.5 lb/ft³ (537 kg/m³) ovendry-weight basis: 30 lb/ft³ |
| Weight per board foot (air-dry) | 2.79 lb |
| Radial shrinkage (green→oven-dry) | 4.8% |
| Tangential shrinkage (green→oven-dry) | 7.6% |
| Volumetric shrinkage (green→oven-dry) | 12.4% |
| T/R ratio (stability indicator) | 1.6 |
Shrinkage is total green-to-oven-dry (Table 4-3); strength values are at 12% MC. Full bases and the derivation formulas are on the methodology page.
Data: USDA Forest Products Laboratory, Wood Handbook FPL-GTR-282 (2021), public domain.