213) | |----------------------------------------------------------------------------| | | | Specific gravity | Shrinkage from green to | | | Mois- | oven-dry, based on | oven-dry condition | | COMMON NAME | ture |--------------------+---------------------------| | OF SPECIES | content | Volume | Volume | In | | Tangen- | | | | when | when | volume | Radial | tial | | | | green | oven-dry | | | | |-----------------+---------+---------+----------+--------+--------+---------| | | Per | | | Per | Per | Per | | | cent | | | cent | cent | cent | | | | | | | | | | Hardwoods | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Ash, black | 77 | 0.466 | | | | | | white | 38 | .550 | 0.640 | 12.6 | 4.3 | 6.4 | | " | 47 | .516 | .590 | 11.7 | | | | Basswood | 110 | .315 | .374 | 14.5 | 6.2 | 8.4 | | Beech | 61 | .556 | .669 | 16.5 | 4.6 | 10.5 | | Birch, yellow | 72 | .545 | .661 | 17.0 | 7.9 | 9.0 | | Elm, rock | 46 | .578 | | | | | | slippery | 57 | .541 | .639 | 15.5 | 5.1 | 9.9 | | white | 66 | .430 | | | | | | Gum, red | 71 | .434 | | | | | | Hackberry | 50 | .504 | .576 | 14.0 | 4.2 | 8.9 | | Hickory, | | | | | | | | big shellbark | 64 | .601 | | 17.6 | 7.4 | 11.2 | | " " | 55 | .666 | | 20.9 | 7.9 | 14.2 | | bitternut | 65 | .624 | | | | | | mockernut | 64 | .606 | | 16.5 | 6.9 | 10.4 | | " | 57 | .662 | | 18.9 | 8.4 | 11.4 | | " | 48 | .666 | | | | | | nutmeg | 76 | .558 | | | | | | pignut | 59 | .627 | | 15.0 | 5.6 | 9.8 | | " | 54 | .667 | | 15.3 | 6.3 | 9.5 | | " | 55 | .667 | | 16.9 | 6.8 | 10.9 | | " | 52 | .667 | | 21.2 | 8.5 | 13.8 | | shagbark | 65 | .608 | | 16.0 | 6.5 | 10.2 | | " | 58 | .646 | | 18.4 | 7.9 | 11.4 | | " | 64 | .617 | | | | | | " | 60 | .653 | | 15.5 | 6.5 | 9.7 | | water | 74 | .630 | | | | | | Locust, honey | 53 | .695 | .759 | 8.6 | | | | Maple, red | 69 | .512 | | | | | | sugar | 57 | .546 | .643 | 14.3 | 4.9 | 9.1 | | " | 56 | .577 | | | | | | Oak, post | 64 | .590 | .732 | 16.0 | 5.7 | 10.6 | | red | 80 | .568 | .660 | 13.1 | 3.7 | 8.3 | | swamp white | 74 | .637 | .792 | 17.7 | 5.5 | 10.6 | | tanbark | 88 | .585 | | | | | | white | 58 | .594 | .704 | 15.8 | 6.2 | 8.3 | | " | 62 | .603 | .696 | 14.3 | 4.9 | 9.0 | | " | 78 | .600 | .708 | 16.0 | 4.8 | 9.2 | | yellow | 77 | .573 | .669 | 14.2 | 4.5 | 9.7 | | " | 80 | .550 | | | | | | Osage orange | 31 | .761 | .838 | 8.9 | | | | Sycamore | 81 | .454 | .526 | 13.5 | 5.0 | 7.3 | | Tupelo | 121 | .475 | .545 | 12.4 | 4.4 | 7.9 | |----------------------------------------------------------------------------| |----------------------------------------------------------------------------| | TABLE XIV (CONT.) | |----------------------------------------------------------------------------| | SPECIFIC GRAVITY, AND SHRINKAGE OF 51 AMERICAN WOODS | | (Forest Service Cir.

213) | |----------------------------------------------------------------------------| | | | Specific gravity | Shrinkage from green to | | | | oven-dry, based on | oven-dry condition | | COMMON NAME | |--------------------+---------------------------| | OF SPECIES | Mois- | Volume | Volume | In | | Tangen- | | | ture | when | when | volume | Radial | tial | | | content | green | oven-dry | | | | |-----------------+---------+---------+----------+--------+--------+---------| | | Per | | | Per | Per | Per | | | cent | | | cent | cent | cent | | | | | | | | | | Conifers | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Arborvitae | 55 | .293 | .315 | 7.0 | 2.1 | 4.9 | | Cedar, incense | 80 | .363 | | | | | | Cypress, bald | 79 | .452 | .513 | 11.5 | 3.8 | 6.0 | | Fir, alpine | 47 | .306 | .321 | 9.0 | 2.5 | 7.1 | | amabilis | 117 | .383 | | | | | | Douglas | 32 | .418 | .458 | 10.9 | 3.7 | 6.6 | | white | 156 | .350 | .437 | 10.2 | 3.4 | 7.0 | | Hemlock (east.) | 129 | .340 | .394 | 9.2 | 2.3 | 5.0 | | Pine, lodgepole | 44 | .370 | .415 | 11.3 | 4.2 | 7.1 | | " | 58 | .371 | .407 | 10.1 | 3.6 | 5.9 | | longleaf | 63 | .528 | .599 | 12.8 | 6.0 | 7.6 | | red or Nor | 54 | .440 | .507 | 11.5 | 4.5 | 7.2 | | shortleaf | 52 | .447 | | | | | | sugar | 123 | .360 | .386 | 8.4 | 2.9 | 5.6 | | west yellow | 98 | .353 | .395 | 9.2 | 4.1 | 6.4 | | " " | 125 | .377 | .433 | 11.5 | 4.3 | 7.3 | | " " | 93 | .391 | .435 | 9.9 | 3.8 | 5.8 | | white | 74 | .363 | .391 | 7.8 | 2.2 | 5.9 | | Redwood | 81 | .334 | | | | | | " | 69 | .366 | | | | | | Spruce, | | | | | | | | Engelmann | 45 | .325 | .359 | 10.5 | 3.7 | 6.9 | | " | 156 | .299 | .335 | 10.3 | 3.0 | 6.2 | | red | 31 | .396 | | | | | | white | 41 | .318 | | | | | | Tamarack | 52 | .491 | .558 | 13.6 | 3.7 | 7.4 | |----------------------------------------------------------------------------| This weight divided by 62.43 gives the specific gravity per green volume.

It is purely a fictitious quantity.

To convert this figure into actual density or specific gravity of the dry wood, it is necessary to know the amount of shrinkage in volume.
If S is the percentage of shrinkage from the green to the oven-dry condition, based on the green volume; D, the density of the dry wood per cubic foot while green; and d the actual D density of oven-dry wood, then -- -------- = d.
1 - .0 S This relation becomes clearer from the following analysis: Taking V and W as the volume and weight, respectively, when green, and v and w as the corresponding volume and weight when w W V - v oven-dry, then, d = -- - ; D = -- - ; S = -- ----- X 100, and v V V V - v s = -- ----- X 100, in which S is the percentage of shrinkage v from the green to the oven-dry condition, based on the green volume, and s the same based on the oven-dry volume.
In tables of specific gravity or density of wood it should always be stated whether the dry weight per unit of volume when green or the dry weight per unit of volume when dry is intended, since the shrinkage in volume may vary from 6 to 50 per cent, though in conifers it is usually about 10 per cent, and in hardwoods nearer 15 per cent.

(See Table XIV.) COLOR In species which show a distinct difference between heartwood and sapwood the natural color of heartwood is invariably darker than that of the sapwood, and very frequently the contrast is conspicuous.