Live Oak wood movement, board-foot & weight calculator
- Janka
- —
- Density
- 61.5lb/ft³
- T/R ratio
- 1.4
- Spec. gravity
- 0.88
Live Oak is a North American hardwood. It has a specific gravity of 0.88, and an air-dry density near 62 lb/ft³ (985 kg/m³) (mechanical values at 12% moisture content). It shrinks 9.5% tangentially and 6.6% radially from green to oven-dry (T/R ratio 1.4), so a 12-inch flatsawn board moves about 0.23 in (≈ 7/32 in) across a 6-point moisture swing (about 6%→12% MC).
Compute Live Oak: movement, weight & board footage
Every number below is worked from Live Oak'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″ | 0.038″ (≈ 1/32 in) | 0.026″ (≈ 1/32 in) |
| 3″ | 0.057″ (≈ 1/16 in) | 0.04″ (≈ 1/32 in) |
| 4″ | 0.076″ (≈ 1/16 in) | 0.053″ (≈ 1/16 in) |
| 6″ | 0.114″ (≈ 1/8 in) | 0.079″ (≈ 3/32 in) |
| 8″ | 0.152″ (≈ 5/32 in) | 0.106″ (≈ 3/32 in) |
| 10″ | 0.19″ (≈ 3/16 in) | 0.132″ (≈ 1/8 in) |
| 12″ | 0.228″ (≈ 7/32 in) | 0.158″ (≈ 5/32 in) |
| 16″ | 0.304″ (≈ 5/16 in) | 0.211″ (≈ 7/32 in) |
Need a different width or moisture swing? Run the movement calculator preloaded with Live Oak. At a T/R ratio of 1.44, Live Oak is very stable — it moves almost as much radially as tangentially, so flatsawn boards have little reason to cup and wide panels stay flat with ordinary care.
Board footage & weight, standard sizes
| Nominal size × length | Board feet | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| 1×4 × 8′ | 2.67 bd ft | 13.7 lb |
| 1×6 × 8′ | 4 bd ft | 20.5 lb |
| 1×8 × 8′ | 5.33 bd ft | 27.3 lb |
| 1×10 × 8′ | 6.67 bd ft | 34.2 lb |
| 1×12 × 8′ | 8 bd ft | 41 lb |
| 2×4 × 8′ | 5.33 bd ft | 27.3 lb |
| 2×6 × 8′ | 8 bd ft | 41 lb |
| 2×8 × 8′ | 10.67 bd ft | 54.7 lb |
Different length or size? Run the board foot calculator or the weight calculator, both preloaded with Live Oak.
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 | 0.175″ (≈ 3/16 in) |
| Chicago, IL | May · 12.3% | Dec · 15.1% | 2.8 pts | 0.106″ (≈ 3/32 in) |
| Miami, FL | Apr · 12.2% | Sep · 14.4% | 2.2 pts | 0.084″ (≈ 3/32 in) |
| Boston, MA | Apr · 11.5% | Sep · 12.8% | 1.3 pts | 0.049″ (≈ 1/16 in) |
| Denver, CO | Jul · 8% | Dec · 10.5% | 2.5 pts | 0.095″ (≈ 3/32 in) |
| Seattle, WA | Jul · 12% | Dec · 16.9% | 4.9 pts | 0.186″ (≈ 3/16 in) |
Driven by Live Oak's tangential shrinkage of 9.5%. These are outdoor equilibrium-moisture figures, so they are an upper bound — a climate-controlled interior swings less. How this is calculated.
How Live Oak compares
Ranked against the 196 species in the Wood Handbook tables this site carries.
- Weight: at 61.5 lb/ft³ it is heavier than 97% of the 170 species measured — an 8-foot 1×6 board weighs about 20.5 lb.
- Stability: its T/R ratio of 1.44 is more even than 88% of the 196 species here — as humidity changes, 12% of them hold their shape more evenly.
See Live Oak plotted against every species we carry: the full density chart .
Species with a similar working profile
Closest matches on hardness, weight and stability together — useful when Live Oak is unavailable or priced out.
- Ipe is a common substitute for Live Oak : about the same weight, and more stable in service.
| Species | Janka | Density | T/R |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ipe | 3,680 lbf | 64.3 | 1.21 |
Durability & sustainability
CITES status: not listed on any CITES Appendix — no international-trade restriction applies to Live Oak.
Properties
| Specific gravity | 0.88 |
|---|---|
| Janka hardness (side) | — |
| Density (air-dry, 12% MC) | 61.5 lb/ft³ (985 kg/m³) ovendry-weight basis: 54.9 lb/ft³ |
| Weight per board foot (air-dry) | 5.13 lb |
| Radial shrinkage (green→oven-dry) | 6.6% |
| Tangential shrinkage (green→oven-dry) | 9.5% |
| Volumetric shrinkage (green→oven-dry) | 14.7% |
| T/R ratio (stability indicator) | 1.4 |
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. Values shown as “—” have no matched entry in the Wood Handbook strength tables (5-3b/5-5b).
Data: USDA Forest Products Laboratory, Wood Handbook FPL-GTR-282 (2021), public domain.