Red Pine wood movement, board-foot & weight calculator
- Janka
- 560lbf
- Density
- 32.1lb/ft³
- T/R ratio
- 1.9
- Spec. gravity
- 0.46
Red Pine is a North American softwood. It has a Janka side hardness of 560 lbf, a specific gravity of 0.46, and an air-dry density near 32 lb/ft³ (514 kg/m³) (mechanical values at 12% moisture content). It shrinks 7.2% tangentially and 3.8% radially from green to oven-dry (T/R ratio 1.9), so a 12-inch flatsawn board moves about 0.17 in (≈ 3/16 in) across a 6-point moisture swing (about 6%→12% MC).
Compute Red Pine: movement, weight & board footage
Every number below is worked from Red 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″ | 0.029″ (≈ 1/32 in) | 0.015″ (≈ 0 in) |
| 3″ | 0.043″ (≈ 1/32 in) | 0.023″ (≈ 1/32 in) |
| 4″ | 0.058″ (≈ 1/16 in) | 0.03″ (≈ 1/32 in) |
| 6″ | 0.086″ (≈ 3/32 in) | 0.046″ (≈ 1/32 in) |
| 8″ | 0.115″ (≈ 1/8 in) | 0.061″ (≈ 1/16 in) |
| 10″ | 0.144″ (≈ 5/32 in) | 0.076″ (≈ 1/16 in) |
| 12″ | 0.173″ (≈ 3/16 in) | 0.091″ (≈ 3/32 in) |
| 16″ | 0.23″ (≈ 7/32 in) | 0.122″ (≈ 1/8 in) |
Need a different width or moisture swing? Run the movement calculator preloaded with Red Pine. At a T/R ratio of 1.89, Red 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 | 7.1 lb |
| 1×6 × 8′ | 4 bd ft | 10.7 lb |
| 1×8 × 8′ | 5.33 bd ft | 14.3 lb |
| 1×10 × 8′ | 6.67 bd ft | 17.8 lb |
| 1×12 × 8′ | 8 bd ft | 21.4 lb |
| 2×4 × 8′ | 5.33 bd ft | 14.3 lb |
| 2×6 × 8′ | 8 bd ft | 21.4 lb |
| 2×8 × 8′ | 10.67 bd ft | 28.5 lb |
Different length or size? Run the board foot calculator or the weight calculator, both preloaded with Red 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 | 0.132″ (≈ 1/8 in) |
| Chicago, IL | May · 12.3% | Dec · 15.1% | 2.8 pts | 0.081″ (≈ 3/32 in) |
| Miami, FL | Apr · 12.2% | Sep · 14.4% | 2.2 pts | 0.063″ (≈ 1/16 in) |
| Boston, MA | Apr · 11.5% | Sep · 12.8% | 1.3 pts | 0.037″ (≈ 1/32 in) |
| Denver, CO | Jul · 8% | Dec · 10.5% | 2.5 pts | 0.072″ (≈ 1/16 in) |
| Seattle, WA | Jul · 12% | Dec · 16.9% | 4.9 pts | 0.141″ (≈ 5/32 in) |
Driven by Red Pine's tangential shrinkage of 7.2%. These are outdoor equilibrium-moisture figures, so they are an upper bound — a climate-controlled interior swings less. How this is calculated.
How Red Pine compares
Ranked against the 196 species in the Wood Handbook tables this site carries.
- Hardness: at 560 lbf, Red Pine is harder than 25% of the 157 species with a Janka figure.
- Weight: at 32.1 lb/ft³ it is heavier than 32% of the 170 species measured — an 8-foot 1×6 board weighs about 10.7 lb.
- Stability: its T/R ratio of 1.89 is more even than 43% of the 196 species here — as humidity changes, 57% of them hold their shape more evenly.
See Red 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 Red Pine is unavailable or priced out.
- American Chestnut is a common substitute for Red Pine : nearly identical hardness, about the same weight, and similarly stable in service.
- Yellow-poplar is a common substitute for Red Pine : nearly identical hardness, about the same weight, and similarly stable in service.
- Butternut is a common substitute for Red Pine : 13% softer, 17% lighter, and similarly stable in service.
- Tamarack is a common substitute for Red Pine : nearly identical hardness, 15% heavier, and similarly stable in service.
| Species | Janka | Density | T/R |
|---|---|---|---|
| American Chestnut | 540 lbf | 30.1 | 1.97 |
| Yellow-poplar | 540 lbf | 29.4 | 1.78 |
| Butternut | 490 lbf | 26.6 | 1.88 |
| Tamarack | 590 lbf | 37 | 2 |
About Red Pine
Red pine (Pinus resinosa) is frequently called Norway pine. This species grows in New England, New York, Pennsylvania, and the Great Lake States. The heartwood of red pine varies from pale red to reddish brown. The sapwood is nearly white with a yellowish tinge and is generally from 5 to 10 cm (2 to 4 in.) wide. The wood resembles the lighter weight wood of the Southern Pine species group. Red pine is moderately heavy, moderately strong and stiff, moderately soft, and moderately high in shock resistance. It is generally straight grained, not as uniform in texture as eastern white pine (Pinus strobus), and somewhat resinous. The wood has moderately high shrinkage, but it is not difficult to dry and is dimensionally stable when dried. Red pine is used principally for lumber, cabin logs, and pulpwood, and to a lesser extent for piles, poles, posts, and fuel. Red pine lumber is used primarily for building construction, including treated lumber for decking, siding, flooring, sashes, doors, general millwork, and boxes, pallets, and crates.
Durability & sustainability
Decay resistance: the Wood Handbook rates Red 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 Red Pine.
Properties
| Specific gravity | 0.46 |
|---|---|
| Janka hardness (side) | 560 lbf |
| Density (air-dry, 12% MC) | 32.1 lb/ft³ (514 kg/m³) ovendry-weight basis: 28.7 lb/ft³ |
| Weight per board foot (air-dry) | 2.68 lb |
| Radial shrinkage (green→oven-dry) | 3.8% |
| Tangential shrinkage (green→oven-dry) | 7.2% |
| Volumetric shrinkage (green→oven-dry) | 11.3% |
| 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.