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SESK: Stuff Everyone Should Know · sesk.info/wood-moisture-content-basis

Wood moisture content is figured as a percentage of which weight?

The weight of the ovendry wood.

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  1. The weight of the wet board
  2. The weight of the surrounding air
  3. The weight of the oven-dry wood ✔

Why: Moisture content compares the water in a board to what the wood would weigh with all water removed. That is why a very wet board can read above 100%.

Huh, didn't know that: The oven-drying method is the most widely accepted way to measure moisture content, but it is slow and requires cutting the wood.

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What weighs more, a pound of leaves or a pound of logs? Neither, they both weigh one pound.
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References

Answer: The weight of the oven-dry wood. Moisture content compares the water in a board to what the wood would weigh with all water removed. That is why a very wet board can read above 100%.

  1. Wood Handbook: Wood as an Engineering Material, FPL-GTR-282 (USDA Forest Products Laboratory, 2021) research.fs.usda.gov/treesearch/62200
    The amount of water contained in the wood, usually expressed as a percentage of the weight of the ovendry wood.
    Checked 2026-10-10.

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