How Much Does a Board Foot of Lumber Weigh?
July 13, 2026
A board foot of kiln-dried softwood weighs about 2 to 2.5 pounds. A board foot of dry hardwood runs closer to 3 to 4 pounds. Those are the numbers most people are after, so there they are up front.
The reason the range is that wide is that weight depends on two things: what species the wood is, and how much water is still in it. Get those two right and you can estimate the weight of any pile of lumber before you try to lift it.
If you want an exact figure for a specific species and moisture level, run it through the lumber weight calculator. This guide explains what is going on behind that number so the estimate makes sense.
Start with the volume
Weight always starts from volume, and for lumber the volume unit is the board foot. One board foot is 144 cubic inches, which is the same as one twelfth of a cubic foot.
That last part is the useful bit. Since a board foot is 1/12 of a cubic foot, you can take any wood's density in pounds per cubic foot and divide by 12 to get the weight of a single board foot.
weight per board foot = density (lb/ft³) ÷ 12
So if a wood weighs 30 pounds per cubic foot, a board foot of it weighs 30 ÷ 12 = 2.5 pounds. Everything else in this guide is just figuring out the right density to plug in.
If the board-foot idea itself is fuzzy, the walkthrough in how to calculate board feet covers the volume side in full before you ever get to weight.
Why moisture is the biggest factor
Here is the thing that trips people up. The same board can weigh very different amounts depending on how dry it is.
Fresh-cut wood, called green lumber, is loaded with water. In some species the water weighs almost as much as the wood itself. As the board dries, that water leaves, and the weight drops steadily until it settles at whatever the local humidity supports.
Lumber gets sorted into three rough moisture states:
- Green is fresh-sawn, still full of sap and water, and the heaviest by a wide margin
- Air-dried has sat in a stack outdoors and settled to around 15 to 20 percent moisture
- Kiln-dried has been oven-dried to roughly 6 to 12 percent, which is what you buy at most yards
The gap between green and kiln-dried is not small. Green oak can weigh 50 to 60 percent more than the same board kiln-dried. So the very first question for any weight estimate is not the species. It is how wet the wood is.
A species weight chart
With moisture in mind, here are approximate weights for a single board foot of common species at a normal dry, in-service moisture level. These are estimates for planning, not lab figures.
| Species | Type | Approx. weight per board foot |
|---|---|---|
| Eastern white pine | Softwood | 1.9 lb |
| Douglas fir | Softwood | 2.6 lb |
| Southern yellow pine | Softwood | 3.0 lb |
| Poplar | Hardwood | 2.4 lb |
| Cherry | Hardwood | 3.0 lb |
| Walnut | Hardwood | 3.2 lb |
| Red oak | Hardwood | 3.6 lb |
| White oak | Hardwood | 3.9 lb |
| Hard maple | Hardwood | 3.8 lb |
| Hickory | Hardwood | 4.2 lb |
The pattern is easy to read. Light softwoods like white pine sit under 2 pounds. Dense hardwoods like oak, maple, and hickory push toward 4. Most projects live somewhere in that band.
Estimating a whole load
Single board feet are fine, but the real question is usually about a stack. How heavy is the order I am about to load, or the pile I am about to move up a flight of stairs?
The method is simple. Total the board feet, then multiply by the per-board-foot weight for your species.
Say you have 200 board feet of red oak for a project. At about 3.6 pounds per board foot, that is 200 × 3.6 = 720 pounds. That is a serious load, and knowing it in advance changes how you plan the delivery and who you ask to help carry it.
Now compare 200 board feet of white pine at 1.9 pounds each. That is only 380 pounds for the same volume. The species alone nearly doubled the weight, which is exactly why a single "lumber weighs X" number does not exist.
If you already have a framing or board-foot total worked out, the lumber weight calculator turns it straight into pounds so you do not have to do the multiplication by hand.
Why weight matters more than people think
Weight is easy to ignore until it becomes a problem. A few places where it matters:
- Transport. A pickup and a trailer both have load ratings. A full load of dense hardwood can quietly exceed them long before the bed looks full.
- Delivery and stairs. Knowing a package is 700 pounds versus 380 tells you whether it is a two-person job or a four-person one.
- Structure. For anything spanning a distance, the weight of the material itself is part of the load the structure carries.
- Shipping cost. Freight is priced on weight as much as size, so an accurate estimate keeps quotes honest.
- Drying and storage. Green lumber loses real weight as it dries, which is why a stack feels lighter months later.
None of this needs precision to the ounce. It needs a good enough estimate to make the right call, and the density-divided-by-twelve method gets you there.
Quick answers
Does the length matter? Only through board feet. A longer board has more board feet, so it weighs more, but the weight per board foot stays the same for a given species and moisture.
Is pressure-treated wood heavier? Yes. Fresh treatment adds water and chemicals, so a treated board straight off the rack is noticeably heavier than a dry untreated one, and it lightens as it dries.
Why is my board heavier than the chart says? Almost always moisture. If it was recently milled or stored somewhere damp, it is carrying extra water the chart does not assume.
How do I get an exact number? Pick your species and moisture and let the lumber weight calculator do it, or divide the wood's density in pounds per cubic foot by 12 for a single board foot.
The short version is worth repeating. Softwoods run 2 to 2.5 pounds a board foot, hardwoods 3 to 4, and moisture can swing either one well outside that range. Start from board feet, pick a density, divide by twelve, and you will know what you are lifting before you bend down.