Hackberry wood movement, board-foot & weight calculator
- Janka
- 880lbf
- Density
- 37lb/ft³
- T/R ratio
- 1.9
- Spec. gravity
- 0.53
Hackberry is a North American hardwood. It has a Janka side hardness of 880 lbf, a specific gravity of 0.53, and an air-dry density near 37 lb/ft³ (593 kg/m³) (mechanical values at 12% moisture content). It shrinks 8.9% tangentially and 4.8% radially from green to oven-dry (T/R ratio 1.9), so a 12-inch flatsawn board moves about 0.21 in (≈ 7/32 in) across a 6-point moisture swing (about 6%→12% MC).
Compute Hackberry: movement, weight & board footage
Every number below is worked from Hackberry'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″ | 0.036″ (≈ 1/32 in) | 0.019″ (≈ 1/32 in) |
| 3″ | 0.053″ (≈ 1/16 in) | 0.029″ (≈ 1/32 in) |
| 4″ | 0.071″ (≈ 1/16 in) | 0.038″ (≈ 1/32 in) |
| 6″ | 0.107″ (≈ 3/32 in) | 0.058″ (≈ 1/16 in) |
| 8″ | 0.142″ (≈ 5/32 in) | 0.077″ (≈ 1/16 in) |
| 10″ | 0.178″ (≈ 3/16 in) | 0.096″ (≈ 3/32 in) |
| 12″ | 0.214″ (≈ 7/32 in) | 0.115″ (≈ 1/8 in) |
| 16″ | 0.285″ (≈ 9/32 in) | 0.154″ (≈ 5/32 in) |
Need a different width or moisture swing? Run the movement calculator preloaded with Hackberry. At a T/R ratio of 1.85, Hackberry 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 | 8.2 lb |
| 1×6 × 8′ | 4 bd ft | 12.3 lb |
| 1×8 × 8′ | 5.33 bd ft | 16.4 lb |
| 1×10 × 8′ | 6.67 bd ft | 20.6 lb |
| 1×12 × 8′ | 8 bd ft | 24.7 lb |
| 2×4 × 8′ | 5.33 bd ft | 16.4 lb |
| 2×6 × 8′ | 8 bd ft | 24.7 lb |
| 2×8 × 8′ | 10.67 bd ft | 32.9 lb |
Different length or size? Run the board foot calculator or the weight calculator, both preloaded with Hackberry.
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 | 0.164″ (≈ 5/32 in) |
| Chicago, IL | May · 12.3% | Dec · 15.1% | 2.8 pts | 0.1″ (≈ 3/32 in) |
| Miami, FL | Apr · 12.2% | Sep · 14.4% | 2.2 pts | 0.078″ (≈ 3/32 in) |
| Boston, MA | Apr · 11.5% | Sep · 12.8% | 1.3 pts | 0.046″ (≈ 1/32 in) |
| Denver, CO | Jul · 8% | Dec · 10.5% | 2.5 pts | 0.089″ (≈ 3/32 in) |
| Seattle, WA | Jul · 12% | Dec · 16.9% | 4.9 pts | 0.174″ (≈ 3/16 in) |
Driven by Hackberry's tangential shrinkage of 8.9%. These are outdoor equilibrium-moisture figures, so they are an upper bound — a climate-controlled interior swings less. How this is calculated.
How Hackberry compares
Ranked against the 196 species in the Wood Handbook tables this site carries.
- Hardness: at 880 lbf, Hackberry is harder than 47% of the 157 species with a Janka figure.
- Weight: at 37 lb/ft³ it is heavier than 50% of the 170 species measured — an 8-foot 1×6 board weighs about 12.3 lb.
- Stability: its T/R ratio of 1.85 is more even than 47% of the 196 species here — as humidity changes, 53% of them hold their shape more evenly.
See Hackberry 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 Hackberry is unavailable or priced out.
- Sweetgum is a common substitute for Hackberry : nearly identical hardness, about the same weight, and similarly stable in service.
- Black Cherry is a common substitute for Hackberry : nearly identical hardness, about the same weight, and similarly stable in service.
- Red Maple is a common substitute for Hackberry : nearly identical hardness, about the same weight, and less stable in service.
- American Sycamore is a common substitute for Hackberry : 13% softer, about the same weight, and similarly stable in service.
| Species | Janka | Density | T/R |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sweetgum | 850 lbf | 36.3 | 1.92 |
| Black Cherry | 950 lbf | 34.9 | 1.92 |
| Red Maple | 950 lbf | 37.7 | 2.05 |
| American Sycamore | 770 lbf | 34.2 | 1.68 |
About Hackberry
Hackberry (Celtis occidentalis) and sugarberry (C. laevigata) supply the lumber known in the trade as hackberry. Hackberry grows east of the Great Plains from Alabama, Georgia, Arkansas, and Oklahoma northward, except along the Canadian boundary. Sugarberry overlaps the southern part of the hackberry range and grows throughout the Southern and South Atlantic States. Sapwood of both species varies from pale yellow to greenish or grayish yellow. The heartwood is commonly darker. The wood resembles elm in structure. Hackberry lumber is moderately heavy. It is moderately strong in bending, moderately weak in compression parallel to grain, moderately hard to very hard, and high in shock resistance, but low in stiffness. Hackberry has high shrinkage but keeps its shape well during drying. Most hackberry is cut into lumber; small amounts are used for furniture parts, dimension stock, and veneer.
Durability & sustainability
Decay resistance: the Wood Handbook rates Hackberry heartwood slightly or nonresistant to fungal decay . 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 Hackberry.
Properties
| Specific gravity | 0.53 |
|---|---|
| Janka hardness (side) | 880 lbf |
| Density (air-dry, 12% MC) | 37 lb/ft³ (593 kg/m³) ovendry-weight basis: 33.1 lb/ft³ |
| Weight per board foot (air-dry) | 3.08 lb |
| Radial shrinkage (green→oven-dry) | 4.8% |
| Tangential shrinkage (green→oven-dry) | 8.9% |
| Volumetric shrinkage (green→oven-dry) | 13.8% |
| T/R ratio (stability indicator) | 1.9 |
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.