Eastern White Pine wood movement, board-foot & weight calculator
- Janka
- 380lbf
- Density
- 24.5lb/ft³
- T/R ratio
- 2.9
- Spec. gravity
- 0.35
Eastern White Pine is a North American softwood. It has a Janka side hardness of 380 lbf, a specific gravity of 0.35, and an air-dry density near 25 lb/ft³ (392 kg/m³) (mechanical values at 12% moisture content). It shrinks 6.1% tangentially and 2.1% radially from green to oven-dry (T/R ratio 2.9), so a 12-inch flatsawn board moves about 0.15 in (≈ 5/32 in) across a 6-point moisture swing (about 6%→12% MC).
Compute Eastern White Pine: movement, weight & board footage
Every number below is worked from Eastern White Pine'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″ | 0.024″ (≈ 1/32 in) | 0.008″ (≈ 0 in) |
| 3″ | 0.037″ (≈ 1/32 in) | 0.013″ (≈ 0 in) |
| 4″ | 0.049″ (≈ 1/16 in) | 0.017″ (≈ 1/32 in) |
| 6″ | 0.073″ (≈ 1/16 in) | 0.025″ (≈ 1/32 in) |
| 8″ | 0.098″ (≈ 3/32 in) | 0.034″ (≈ 1/32 in) |
| 10″ | 0.122″ (≈ 1/8 in) | 0.042″ (≈ 1/32 in) |
| 12″ | 0.146″ (≈ 5/32 in) | 0.05″ (≈ 1/16 in) |
| 16″ | 0.195″ (≈ 3/16 in) | 0.067″ (≈ 1/16 in) |
Need a different width or moisture swing? Run the movement calculator preloaded with Eastern White Pine. At a T/R ratio of 2.9, Eastern White Pine is unstable — it moves far more tangentially than radially, the pattern behind cupped tabletops and opened joints — quartersawn stock and generous allowance for seasonal movement matter here.
Board footage & weight, standard sizes
| Nominal size × length | Board feet | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| 1×4 × 8′ | 2.67 bd ft | 5.4 lb |
| 1×6 × 8′ | 4 bd ft | 8.2 lb |
| 1×8 × 8′ | 5.33 bd ft | 10.9 lb |
| 1×10 × 8′ | 6.67 bd ft | 13.6 lb |
| 1×12 × 8′ | 8 bd ft | 16.3 lb |
| 2×4 × 8′ | 5.33 bd ft | 10.9 lb |
| 2×6 × 8′ | 8 bd ft | 16.3 lb |
| 2×8 × 8′ | 10.67 bd ft | 21.8 lb |
Different length or size? Run the board foot calculator or the weight calculator, both preloaded with Eastern White Pine.
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 | 0.112″ (≈ 1/8 in) |
| Chicago, IL | May · 12.3% | Dec · 15.1% | 2.8 pts | 0.068″ (≈ 1/16 in) |
| Miami, FL | Apr · 12.2% | Sep · 14.4% | 2.2 pts | 0.054″ (≈ 1/16 in) |
| Boston, MA | Apr · 11.5% | Sep · 12.8% | 1.3 pts | 0.032″ (≈ 1/32 in) |
| Denver, CO | Jul · 8% | Dec · 10.5% | 2.5 pts | 0.061″ (≈ 1/16 in) |
| Seattle, WA | Jul · 12% | Dec · 16.9% | 4.9 pts | 0.12″ (≈ 1/8 in) |
Driven by Eastern White Pine's tangential shrinkage of 6.1%. These are outdoor equilibrium-moisture figures, so they are an upper bound — a climate-controlled interior swings less. How this is calculated.
How Eastern White Pine compares
Ranked against the 196 species in the Wood Handbook tables this site carries.
- Hardness: at 380 lbf, Eastern White Pine is harder than 4% of the 157 species with a Janka figure — one of the softer woods here, easy to work and easy to dent.
- Weight: at 24.5 lb/ft³ it is heavier than 6% of the 170 species measured — an 8-foot 1×6 board weighs about 8.2 lb.
- Stability: its T/R ratio of 2.9 is more even than 0% of the 196 species here — as humidity changes, every other species here holds its shape more evenly.
See Eastern White Pine plotted against every species we carry: the full Janka hardness chart and the full density chart .
About Eastern White Pine
Eastern white pine (Pinus strobus) grows from Maine to northern Georgia and in the Great Lake States. It is also known as white pine, northern white pine, Weymouth pine, and soft pine. About one-half the production of eastern white pine lumber occurs in New England, about one-third in the Great Lake States, and most of the remainder in the middle Atlantic and south Atlantic States. The heartwood of eastern white pine is light brown, often with a reddish tinge. It turns darker on exposure to air. The wood has comparatively uniform texture and is straight grained. It is easily kiln dried, has low shrinkage, and ranks high in stability. It is also easy to work and can be readily glued. Eastern white pine is lightweight, moderately soft, moderately low in strength, low in shock resistance, and low in stiffness. Practically all eastern white pine is converted into lumber, which is used in a great variety of ways. A large proportion, mostly second-growth knotty wood or lower grades, is used for structural lumber. High-grade lumber is used for patterns. Other important uses are sashes, doors, furniture, interior woodwork, knotty paneling, caskets, shade and map rollers, and toys.
Durability & sustainability
Decay resistance: the Wood Handbook rates Eastern White Pine heartwood slightly or nonresistant to fungal decay — it isn't named individually in the table, so it falls under the table's own "pines other than those listed" category . 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. Table 14-1 separately rates Pine, eastern white, old growth as moderately resistant — our species record doesn't distinguish that case, so if it matters for your application, source lumber accordingly. 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 Eastern White Pine.
Properties
| Specific gravity | 0.35 |
|---|---|
| Janka hardness (side) | 380 lbf |
| Density (air-dry, 12% MC) | 24.5 lb/ft³ (392 kg/m³) ovendry-weight basis: 21.8 lb/ft³ |
| Weight per board foot (air-dry) | 2.04 lb |
| Radial shrinkage (green→oven-dry) | 2.1% |
| Tangential shrinkage (green→oven-dry) | 6.1% |
| Volumetric shrinkage (green→oven-dry) | 8.2% |
| T/R ratio (stability indicator) | 2.9 |
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.