Ponderosa Pine wood movement, board-foot & weight calculator
- Janka
- 460lbf
- Density
- 28lb/ft³
- T/R ratio
- 1.6
- Spec. gravity
- 0.4
Ponderosa Pine is a North American softwood. It has a Janka side hardness of 460 lbf, a specific gravity of 0.4, and an air-dry density near 28 lb/ft³ (449 kg/m³) (mechanical values at 12% moisture content). It shrinks 6.2% tangentially and 3.9% radially from green to oven-dry (T/R ratio 1.6), 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 Ponderosa Pine: movement, weight & board footage
Every number below is worked from Ponderosa 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″ | 0.025″ (≈ 1/32 in) | 0.016″ (≈ 0 in) |
| 3″ | 0.037″ (≈ 1/32 in) | 0.023″ (≈ 1/32 in) |
| 4″ | 0.05″ (≈ 1/16 in) | 0.031″ (≈ 1/32 in) |
| 6″ | 0.074″ (≈ 1/16 in) | 0.047″ (≈ 1/32 in) |
| 8″ | 0.099″ (≈ 3/32 in) | 0.062″ (≈ 1/16 in) |
| 10″ | 0.124″ (≈ 1/8 in) | 0.078″ (≈ 1/16 in) |
| 12″ | 0.149″ (≈ 5/32 in) | 0.094″ (≈ 3/32 in) |
| 16″ | 0.198″ (≈ 3/16 in) | 0.125″ (≈ 1/8 in) |
Need a different width or moisture swing? Run the movement calculator preloaded with Ponderosa Pine. At a T/R ratio of 1.59, Ponderosa Pine 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 | 6.2 lb |
| 1×6 × 8′ | 4 bd ft | 9.3 lb |
| 1×8 × 8′ | 5.33 bd ft | 12.4 lb |
| 1×10 × 8′ | 6.67 bd ft | 15.6 lb |
| 1×12 × 8′ | 8 bd ft | 18.7 lb |
| 2×4 × 8′ | 5.33 bd ft | 12.4 lb |
| 2×6 × 8′ | 8 bd ft | 18.7 lb |
| 2×8 × 8′ | 10.67 bd ft | 24.9 lb |
Different length or size? Run the board foot calculator or the weight calculator, both preloaded with Ponderosa 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 | 0.114″ (≈ 1/8 in) |
| Chicago, IL | May · 12.3% | Dec · 15.1% | 2.8 pts | 0.069″ (≈ 1/16 in) |
| Miami, FL | Apr · 12.2% | Sep · 14.4% | 2.2 pts | 0.055″ (≈ 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 | 0.062″ (≈ 1/16 in) |
| Seattle, WA | Jul · 12% | Dec · 16.9% | 4.9 pts | 0.122″ (≈ 1/8 in) |
Driven by Ponderosa Pine's tangential shrinkage of 6.2%. These are outdoor equilibrium-moisture figures, so they are an upper bound — a climate-controlled interior swings less. How this is calculated.
How Ponderosa Pine compares
Ranked against the 196 species in the Wood Handbook tables this site carries.
- Hardness: at 460 lbf, Ponderosa Pine is harder than 13% of the 157 species with a Janka figure — one of the softer woods here, easy to work and easy to dent.
- Weight: at 28 lb/ft³ it is heavier than 18% of the 170 species measured — an 8-foot 1×6 board weighs about 9.3 lb.
- Stability: its T/R ratio of 1.59 is more even than 74% of the 196 species here — as humidity changes, 26% of them hold their shape more evenly.
See Ponderosa Pine 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 Ponderosa Pine is unavailable or priced out.
- Red Alder is a common substitute for Ponderosa Pine : 28% harder, about the same weight, and similarly stable in service.
- Old Growth Redwood is a common substitute for Ponderosa Pine : nearly identical hardness, about the same weight, and similarly stable in service.
- Spanish-cedar is a common substitute for Ponderosa Pine : 30% harder, about the same weight, and similarly stable in service.
- Sitka Spruce is a common substitute for Ponderosa Pine : 11% harder, about the same weight, and similarly stable in service.
| Species | Janka | Density | T/R |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red Alder | 590 lbf | 28.7 | 1.66 |
| Old Growth Redwood | 480 lbf | 28 | 1.69 |
| Spanish-cedar | 600 lbf | 28.7 | 1.5 |
| Sitka Spruce | 510 lbf | 28 | 1.74 |
About Ponderosa Pine
Ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) is also known as western yellow, bull, and blackjack pine. Jeffrey pine (P. jeffreyi), which grows in close association with ponderosa pine in California and Oregon, is usually marketed with ponderosa pine and sold under that name. Major ponderosa pine producing areas are in Oregon, Washington, and California. Other important producing areas are in Idaho and Montana; lesser amounts come from the southern Rocky Mountain region, the Black Hills of South Dakota, and Wyoming. The heartwood of ponderosa pine is light reddish brown, and the wide sapwood is nearly white to pale yellow. The wood of the outer portions of ponderosa pine of sawtimber size is generally moderately light in weight, moderately low in strength, moderately soft, moderately stiff, and moderately low in shock resistance. It is generally straight grained and has moderately low shrinkage. It is quite uniform in texture and has little tendency to warp and twist. Ponderosa pine is used mainly for lumber and to a lesser extent for piles, poles, posts, mine timbers, veneer, and railroad crossties. The clear wood is used for sashes, doors, blinds, molding, paneling, interior woodwork, and built-in cases and cabinets. Low-grade lumber is used for boxes and crates. Much intermediate- or low-grade lumber is used for sheathing, subflooring, and roof boards. Knotty ponderosa pine is used for interior woodwork.
Durability & sustainability
Decay resistance: the Wood Handbook rates Ponderosa 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. 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 Ponderosa Pine.
Properties
| Specific gravity | 0.4 |
|---|---|
| Janka hardness (side) | 460 lbf |
| Density (air-dry, 12% MC) | 28 lb/ft³ (449 kg/m³) ovendry-weight basis: 25 lb/ft³ |
| Weight per board foot (air-dry) | 2.33 lb |
| Radial shrinkage (green→oven-dry) | 3.9% |
| Tangential shrinkage (green→oven-dry) | 6.2% |
| Volumetric shrinkage (green→oven-dry) | 9.7% |
| 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.