Yellow Birch wood movement, board-foot & weight calculator
- Janka
- 1,260lbf
- Density
- 43.3lb/ft³
- T/R ratio
- 1.3
- Spec. gravity
- 0.62
Yellow Birch is a North American hardwood. It has a Janka side hardness of 1,260 lbf, a specific gravity of 0.62, and an air-dry density near 43 lb/ft³ (694 kg/m³) (mechanical values at 12% moisture content). It shrinks 9.5% tangentially and 7.3% radially from green to oven-dry (T/R ratio 1.3), 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 Yellow Birch: movement, weight & board footage
Every number below is worked from Yellow Birch'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) | 0.029″ (≈ 1/32 in) |
| 3″ | 0.057″ (≈ 1/16 in) | 0.044″ (≈ 1/32 in) |
| 4″ | 0.076″ (≈ 1/16 in) | 0.058″ (≈ 1/16 in) |
| 6″ | 0.114″ (≈ 1/8 in) | 0.088″ (≈ 3/32 in) |
| 8″ | 0.152″ (≈ 5/32 in) | 0.117″ (≈ 1/8 in) |
| 10″ | 0.19″ (≈ 3/16 in) | 0.146″ (≈ 5/32 in) |
| 12″ | 0.228″ (≈ 7/32 in) | 0.175″ (≈ 3/16 in) |
| 16″ | 0.304″ (≈ 5/16 in) | 0.234″ (≈ 7/32 in) |
Need a different width or moisture swing? Run the movement calculator preloaded with Yellow Birch. At a T/R ratio of 1.3, Yellow Birch 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 | 9.6 lb |
| 1×6 × 8′ | 4 bd ft | 14.4 lb |
| 1×8 × 8′ | 5.33 bd ft | 19.2 lb |
| 1×10 × 8′ | 6.67 bd ft | 24.1 lb |
| 1×12 × 8′ | 8 bd ft | 28.9 lb |
| 2×4 × 8′ | 5.33 bd ft | 19.2 lb |
| 2×6 × 8′ | 8 bd ft | 28.9 lb |
| 2×8 × 8′ | 10.67 bd ft | 38.5 lb |
Different length or size? Run the board foot calculator or the weight calculator, both preloaded with Yellow Birch.
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 Yellow Birch'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 Yellow Birch compares
Ranked against the 196 species in the Wood Handbook tables this site carries.
- Hardness: at 1,260 lbf, Yellow Birch is harder than 64% of the 157 species with a Janka figure.
- Weight: at 43.3 lb/ft³ it is heavier than 66% of the 170 species measured — an 8-foot 1×6 board weighs about 14.4 lb.
- Stability: its T/R ratio of 1.3 is more even than 96% of the 196 species here — as humidity changes, 4% of them hold their shape more evenly.
See Yellow Birch 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 Yellow Birch is unavailable or priced out.
- Iroko is a common substitute for Yellow Birch : nearly identical hardness, 13% lighter, and similarly stable in service.
- Black Walnut is a common substitute for Yellow Birch : 20% softer, 11% lighter, and similarly stable in service.
- White Ash is a common substitute for Yellow Birch : nearly identical hardness, about the same weight, and less stable in service.
- Honeylocust is a common substitute for Yellow Birch : 25% harder, about the same weight, and less stable in service.
| Species | Janka | Density | T/R |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iroko | 1,260 lbf | 37.7 | 1.36 |
| Black Walnut | 1,010 lbf | 38.4 | 1.42 |
| White Ash | 1,320 lbf | 41.9 | 1.59 |
| Honeylocust | 1,580 lbf | 41.9 | 1.57 |
About Yellow Birch
The three most important species are yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis), sweet birch (B. lenta), and paper birch (B. papyrifera). These three species are the source of most birch lumber and veneer. Other birch species of some commercial importance are river birch (B. nigra), and gray birch (B. populifolia). Paper birch is transcontinental, yellow birch grows principally in the Northeast and Canada, and sweet birch grows principally in the Northeast; yellow and sweet birch also grow along the Appalachian Mountains to northern Georgia. Yellow birch has white sapwood and light reddish-brown heartwood. Sweet birch has light-colored sapwood and dark brown heartwood tinged with red. For both yellow and sweet birch, the wood is heavy, hard, and strong, and it has good shock-resisting ability. The wood is fine and uniform in texture. Paper birch is lower in weight, softer, and lower in strength than yellow and sweet birch. Birch shrinks considerably during drying. Yellow and sweet birch lumber is used primarily for the manufacture of furniture, boxes, baskets, crates, wooden ware, cooperage, interior woodwork, and doors; veneer plywood is used for doors, furniture, paneling, cabinets, aircraft, and other specialty uses. Paper birch is used for toothpicks, tongue depressors, ice cream sticks, and turned products, including spools, bobbins, small handles, and toys.
Durability & sustainability
CITES status: not listed on any CITES Appendix — no international-trade restriction applies to Yellow Birch.
Properties
| Specific gravity | 0.62 |
|---|---|
| Janka hardness (side) | 1,260 lbf |
| Density (air-dry, 12% MC) | 43.3 lb/ft³ (694 kg/m³) ovendry-weight basis: 38.7 lb/ft³ |
| Weight per board foot (air-dry) | 3.61 lb |
| Radial shrinkage (green→oven-dry) | 7.3% |
| Tangential shrinkage (green→oven-dry) | 9.5% |
| Volumetric shrinkage (green→oven-dry) | 16.8% |
| T/R ratio (stability indicator) | 1.3 |
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.