Wood movement chart: shrinkage by species
Wood shrinks as it dries and swells as it takes on moisture, mostly across the grain. The species on this site that move least around the growth rings are iroko (3.8%), mahogany (4.1%), cocobolo (4.3%), from the USDA Wood Handbook's shrinkage tables.
One source: USDA Forest Products Laboratory, the authority for species properties it measured
All 92 species, most stable first
Shrinkage is from green to oven-dry, as a percentage of the green size. Tangential is how a flatsawn board's width moves; radial is a quartersawn board's. "12 in board" is how much a 12 in wide flatsawn board swells going from 6% to 12% moisture content.
| Iroko | 3.8% | 2.8% | 8.8% | 1.4 | 0.09 in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mahogany | 4.1% | 3.0% | 7.8% | 1.4 | 0.1 in |
| Cocobolo | 4.3% | 2.7% | 7.0% | 1.6 | 0.11 in |
| Redwood | 4.4% | 2.6% | 6.8% | 1.7 | 0.15 in |
| African mahogany | 4.5% | 2.5% | 8.8% | 1.8 | 0.11 in |
| Brazilian rosewood | 4.6% | 2.9% | 8.5% | 1.6 | 0.11 in |
| Merbau | 4.6% | 2.7% | 7.8% | 1.7 | 0.11 in |
| Eastern red cedar | 4.7% | 3.1% | 7.8% | 1.5 | 0.12 in |
| Northern white cedar | 4.9% | 2.2% | 7.2% | 2.2 | 0.16 in |
| Western red cedar | 5.0% | 2.4% | 6.8% | 2.1 | 0.17 in |
| Rubberwood | 5.1% | 2.3% | 7.4% | 2.2 | 0.13 in |
| Incense cedar | 5.2% | 3.3% | 7.7% | 1.6 | 0.13 in |
| Cativo | 5.3% | 2.4% | 8.9% | 2.2 | 0.13 in |
| Atlantic white cedar | 5.4% | 2.9% | 8.8% | 1.9 | 0.13 in |
| Obeche | 5.4% | 3.0% | 9.2% | 1.8 | 0.14 in |
| Jelutong | 5.5% | 2.3% | 7.8% | 2.4 | 0.14 in |
| Sugar pine | 5.6% | 2.9% | 7.9% | 1.9 | 0.14 in |
| Indian rosewood | 5.8% | 2.7% | 8.5% | 2.1 | 0.15 in |
| Teak | 5.8% | 2.5% | 7.0% | 2.3 | 0.15 in |
| Alaska yellow cedar | 6.0% | 2.8% | 9.2% | 2.1 | 0.15 in |
| Eastern white pine | 6.1% | 2.1% | 8.2% | 2.9 | 0.15 in |
| Okoume | 6.1% | 4.1% | 11.3% | 1.5 | 0.15 in |
| Purpleheart | 6.1% | 3.2% | 9.9% | 1.9 | 0.15 in |
| Limba | 6.2% | 4.5% | 10.8% | 1.4 | 0.16 in |
| Ponderosa pine | 6.2% | 3.9% | 9.7% | 1.6 | 0.16 in |
| Sassafras | 6.2% | 4.0% | 10.3% | 1.6 | 0.16 in |
| Spanish cedar | 6.3% | 4.2% | 10.3% | 1.5 | 0.16 in |
| Afrormosia | 6.4% | 3.0% | 10.7% | 2.1 | 0.16 in |
| Butternut | 6.4% | 3.4% | 10.6% | 1.9 | 0.16 in |
| Peroba rosa | 6.4% | 3.8% | 11.6% | 1.7 | 0.16 in |
| Honeylocust | 6.6% | 4.2% | 10.8% | 1.6 | 0.17 in |
| Magnolia | 6.6% | 5.4% | 12.3% | 1.2 | 0.17 in |
| American chestnut | 6.7% | 3.4% | 11.6% | 2 | 0.17 in |
| Aspen | 6.7% | 3.5% | 11.5% | 1.9 | 0.17 in |
| Avodire | 6.7% | 4.6% | 12.0% | 1.5 | 0.17 in |
| Lodgepole pine | 6.7% | 4.3% | 11.1% | 1.6 | 0.19 in |
| Eastern hemlock | 6.8% | 3.0% | 9.7% | 2.3 | 0.17 in |
| Port Orford cedar | 6.9% | 4.6% | 10.1% | 1.5 | 0.17 in |
| Wallaba | 6.9% | 3.6% | 10.0% | 1.9 | 0.18 in |
| Fir | 7.0% | 3.3% | 9.8% | 2.1 | 0.18 in |
| Cherry | 7.1% | 3.7% | 11.5% | 1.9 | 0.18 in |
| Black locust | 7.2% | 4.6% | 10.2% | 1.6 | 0.18 in |
| Red pine | 7.2% | 3.8% | 11.3% | 1.9 | 0.18 in |
| Red alder | 7.3% | 4.4% | 12.6% | 1.7 | 0.18 in |
| Kempas | 7.4% | 6.0% | 14.5% | 1.2 | 0.19 in |
| Sapele | 7.4% | 4.6% | 14.0% | 1.6 | 0.19 in |
| Tamarack | 7.4% | 3.7% | 13.6% | 2 | 0.19 in |
| Western white pine | 7.4% | 4.1% | 11.8% | 1.8 | 0.19 in |
| Sitka spruce | 7.5% | 4.3% | 11.5% | 1.7 | 0.19 in |
| Southern yellow pine | 7.5% | 5.1% | 12.2% | 1.5 | 0.18 in |
| Andiroba | 7.6% | 3.1% | 10.4% | 2.5 | 0.19 in |
| Balsa | 7.6% | 3.0% | 10.8% | 2.5 | 0.19 in |
| Douglas-fir | 7.6% | 4.8% | 12.4% | 1.6 | 0.19 in |
| Goncalo alves | 7.6% | 4.0% | 10.0% | 1.9 | 0.19 in |
| Ash | 7.8% | 4.9% | 13.3% | 1.6 | 0.2 in |
| Spruce | 7.8% | 3.8% | 11.8% | 2.1 | 0.2 in |
| Walnut | 7.8% | 5.5% | 12.8% | 1.4 | 0.2 in |
| Western hemlock | 7.8% | 4.2% | 12.4% | 1.9 | 0.2 in |
| Meranti | 7.9% | 3.8% | 13.1% | 2.1 | 0.2 in |
| Parana pine | 7.9% | 4.0% | 11.6% | 2 | 0.2 in |
| Ipe | 8.0% | 6.6% | 13.2% | 1.2 | 0.21 in |
| Ovangkol | 8.2% | 4.5% | 12.0% | 1.8 | 0.21 in |
| Poplar | 8.2% | 4.6% | 12.7% | 1.8 | 0.21 in |
| Soft maple | 8.2% | 4.0% | 12.6% | 2.1 | 0.21 in |
| Bubinga | 8.4% | 5.8% | 14.2% | 1.4 | 0.22 in |
| Sycamore | 8.4% | 5.0% | 14.1% | 1.7 | 0.21 in |
| Jatoba | 8.5% | 4.5% | 12.7% | 1.9 | 0.22 in |
| Red oak | 8.6% | 4.0% | 13.7% | 2.2 | 0.22 in |
| Black willow | 8.7% | 3.3% | 13.9% | 2.6 | 0.22 in |
| Ramin | 8.7% | 4.3% | 13.4% | 2 | 0.22 in |
| Tupelo | 8.7% | 5.1% | 14.4% | 1.7 | 0.22 in |
| Hackberry | 8.9% | 4.8% | 13.8% | 1.9 | 0.23 in |
| Pecan | 8.9% | 4.9% | 13.6% | 1.8 | 0.23 in |
| Western larch | 9.1% | 4.5% | 14.0% | 2 | 0.23 in |
| Cottonwood | 9.2% | 3.9% | 13.9% | 2.4 | 0.24 in |
| Basswood | 9.3% | 6.6% | 15.8% | 1.4 | 0.24 in |
| Birch | 9.5% | 7.3% | 16.8% | 1.3 | 0.24 in |
| Elm | 9.5% | 4.2% | 14.6% | 2.3 | 0.24 in |
| Greenheart | 9.6% | 8.8% | 17.1% | 1.1 | 0.25 in |
| Mora | 9.8% | 6.9% | 18.8% | 1.4 | 0.26 in |
| Hard maple | 9.9% | 4.8% | 14.7% | 2.1 | 0.25 in |
| Kapur | 10.2% | 4.6% | 14.8% | 2.2 | 0.27 in |
| Sweetgum | 10.2% | 5.3% | 15.8% | 1.9 | 0.26 in |
| Hickory | 10.5% | 7.0% | 16.7% | 1.5 | 0.3 in |
| White oak | 10.5% | 5.6% | 16.3% | 1.9 | 0.27 in |
| Ebony | 10.8% | 9.2% | 20.0% | 1.2 | 0.28 in |
| Keruing | 10.9% | 5.2% | 16.1% | 2.1 | 0.29 in |
| Azobe | 11.0% | 8.4% | 17.0% | 1.3 | 0.29 in |
| Jarrah | 11.0% | 7.7% | 18.7% | 1.4 | 0.29 in |
| Tanoak | 11.7% | 4.9% | 17.3% | 2.4 | 0.3 in |
| Beech | 11.9% | 5.5% | 17.2% | 2.2 | 0.31 in |
| Karri | 12.4% | 7.8% | 20.2% | 1.6 | 0.33 in |
Not listed: Cypress, Lignum vitae, Radiata pine, Tornillo. The 2021 Handbook prints no shrinkage for them.
Reading the chart
A low tangential figure means less seasonal movement across a flatsawn board's width. Quartersawn lumber moves by the radial figure; the T/R column says how many times more a flatsawn face moves than a quartersawn one. Real boards scatter around these averages: the Handbook gives shrinkage a coefficient of variation of about 15%.
Why these numbers?
The situation
Shrinkage is the Wood Handbook's Table 4-3 for US species, as a percentage of the green size. Imported woods come from its Tables 5-5b and 4-4, which the Handbook says were collected from the world literature.
One source: USDA Forest Products Laboratory, the authority for species properties it measured , sources [1]
What that means
Tangential (around the rings) is how a flatsawn board moves; radial (across the rings) is how a quartersawn one moves (Handbook p. 4-10).
One source: USDA Forest Products Laboratory, the authority for species properties it measured , sources [1]
The number
The 12 in board column uses the Handbook's Eq. 13-1 with Table 13-5 coefficients between 6% and 12% MC, or Eq. 13-4 from shrinkage where there is no coefficient.
Arithmetic: exact by definition
Sources