Wood Movement Calculator

Calculate wood expansion and contraction based on species, moisture content change, width, and grain direction. Essential for planning joints, tabletops, and panels.

Inputs

Board Width

MC Change

Wood Species

Grain Direction

Tab to move between fields

Results

Expected Movement

0.18 in

Movement in 16ths2.83/16 in

Width Change1.48%

Alt. Grain Movement0.08 in

Coefficient Used0

How to Use This Calculator

Enter Board Width, MC Change, and Wood Species.
Set Grain Direction.
Review the Expected Movement (in) result.
Use Movement in 16ths (/16 in) and Width Change (%) to inform your decision.
Use the chart to visualize the results and explore different scenarios by adjusting inputs.

How the result changes with Board Width

Board Width	Expected Movement
5.7	0.08 in
17	0.25 in
32	0.47 in
43	0.63 in

What each input means

Board Width: Width of the board across the grain
MC Change: Expected moisture content change in percentage points
Wood Species: 1=Red Oak, 2=Hard Maple, 3=Cherry, 4=Black Walnut, 5=White Pine
Grain Direction: 1=Tangential (flat-sawn), 2=Radial (quarter-sawn)

How this is calculated

Worked example, using the default values

Identify Input Parameters
4 parameters
Board Width = 12, MC Change = 4, Wood Species = 1, Grain Direction = 1 = 4 input(s) provided
Calculate Expected Movement
Expected Movement
0.1771 = 0.1771
Calculate Movement in 16ths
Movement in 16ths
2.83 = 2.83
Calculate Width Change
Width Change
1.48 = 1.48%

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