ByJack Gray, Roof Online Editor • Last Updated November 18, 2023
Table of Contents
- 6×6 Lumber Weight Calculator
- 6×6 Lumber Weight Factors
- Actual Dimensions of 6×6 Lumber
- How to Calculate 6×6 Lumber Weight
- About This 6×6 Lumber Weight Chart
- Table: 6×6 Lumber Weight by Wood Type and Length
- Related Articles
- References for 6×6 Lumber Weight
6×6 Lumber Weight Calculator
This calculator uses the data presented in the table below for its calculations. It accepts inputs in decimals, so for a 8′ 6″ post, use 8.5, for a 8′ 3″ post, use 8.25, and so on.
6×6 Lumber Weight Calculator
6×6 Lumber Weight Factors
6×6 lumber weight depends chiefly on the length of the board, the moisture content of the wood, and which tree species the lumber was made from. Pressure-treating the wood with preservative will also result in a small amount of additional weight after the board has had time to dry out after the treatment process.
Board Length: The length of the 6×6 will obviously be the biggest factor in determining 6×6 lumber weight. This is self-explanatory.
Moisture Content: The moisture content of the wood is a big factor as well, but since all lumber tends to eventually arrive at the air-dried moisture content, variations in moisture content can be considered a temporary consideration.
Green lumber has a higher moisture content than air-dried lumber, and air-dried lumber has a higher moisture content thanoven-dried lumber.
Green lumber has a moisture content above 19%. Depending on the actual moisture content of a particular piece of lumber, which can be well above 100% due tothe way the moisture content of wood is calculated, a piece of green lumber can be more than 50% heavier than the same piece of lumber when air-dried.
The typical weight of green lumber is roughly 10% to 30% more than the dried weight of lumber made from the same wood species.
Oven-dried wood (also called kiln-dried wood) will normally start with a somewhat lower moisture content than air-dried wood, but it tends to slowly absorb enough moisture from its environment to eventually reach the same moisture content as air-dried wood in the same environment.
Wood Species: The wood species of the tree that the lumber is made from is the third important variable in determining the weight of 6×6 lumber. A 10-foot-long air-dried 6×6 post made out ofDouglas Fir(coast type) will weigh about 71 pounds. A 10-foot-long air-dried 6×6 post made out ofSitka Sprucewill only weigh around 59 pounds.
Pressure-Treatment: Pressure-treated 6×6 lumber is notoriously heavy at the time that people buy it. This is because when you find it in the store, or at the lumber yard, it is usually freshly-treated, or has had less than a week or two to air dry.
The water weight added to the wood during the pressure-treating process leads to freshly-treated boards weighing up to 75% more than the weight of untreated boards immediately after being treated.This weight is temporary. The board will return (almost) to its original weight as it air-dries during the weeks or months after treatment.
After drying, the weight of a piece of pressure-treated 6×6 lumber will be approximately 0.4% to 1.5% more than the weight of a piece of untreated lumber of the same length and from the same tree species. The preservative in the wood does not add much weight.
Actual Dimensions of 6×6 Lumber
A piece of 6×6 lumber is not six inches by six inches in cross section, despite what it’s called. 6″ x 6″ are thenominaldimensions of the board.
Theactualdimensions of a 6×6 are 5.5″ x 5.5″. Here’s why that is:
When a board is first milled, it actually will have the approximate width and depth (the nominal dimensions) that the final piece of lumber will be known by.
After the first rough cut, a six-by-six is, in fact, about six inches by six inches.
The next step in the milling process is to either air-dry orkiln-drythe green lumber, in order to reduce the moisture content of the wood. This causes the boards to shrink, reducing the actual dimensions. One reason this is done is to ensure that when the lumber is finished and sold its dimensions will be stable, and it won’t continue to shrink after somebody buys it.
After drying, the boards are finished by being planed and smoothed, and having their corners slightly rounded.
This reduces the actual dimensions even further; it also lets the lumber producer be certain that the final product has the dimensions required byindustry standards.In the case of 6×6 lumber, this industry standard is 5.5″ x 5.5″.
How to Calculate 6×6 Lumber Weight
Step 1:Determine the wood type. To determine 6×6 lumber weight, you need to know what kind of wood the 6×6 is made from.
Step 2:Look up the density of the wood. Once you know what type of wood you’re dealing with, look up the density of the wood in pounds per cubic foot.Weights of Various Woods Grown in the United Stateshas an extensive table of wood species you can refer to, or there are plenty ofother resourceson the internet with the same information.
Step 3:Calculate the volume in cubic inches of a one-foot-long 6×6. This value will be used to figure out what percentage of a cubic foot a one-foot-long 6×6 is. Since a 6×6 is 5.5 inches by 5.5 inches, a one-foot-long 6×6 will have a volume in cubic inches of 5.5 x 5.5 x 12, or 363 cubic inches.
Step 4:Find what percentage of a cubic foot the volume of a one-foot-long 6×6 is. A cubic foot is equal to 12 inches x 12 inches x 12 inches, or 1,728 cubic inches. A 6×6 is 363 cubic inches per foot. 363 is 1/4.7603 of 1,728, or 21.0069% of a cubic foot (363/1728 x 100 = 21.0069).
Step 5.Find 21.0069% of the density in pounds per cubic foot of your 6×6 lumber wood species. Let’s say you’re trying to figure out the weight of a 6×6 made out of Douglas fir. You look up the density of Douglas fir and see that it’s 34 pounds per cubic foot. Multiply 34 pounds by 0.210069 to get 7.142346 pounds. (We’d round this to 7.14 to be practical.) This is the weight per foot of a 6×6 post made from Douglas fir.
Step 6:Multiply by the length of the 6×6. If your 6×6 is 12 feet long, multiply 12 by 7.14 to get 85.68 pounds.
And there you go, a 12-foot-long Douglas fir 6×6 weighs 85.68 pounds.
About This 6×6 Lumber Weight Chart
The following table provides the approximate weight (dead load, self-weight)of 6×6 lumber produced from the various wood species and in the various lengths normally used in building construction in the US.
The values given in the table are meant to provide a general idea of typical 6×6 lumber weights, and should not be used if precise values are needed for critical engineering calculations. The 6×6 lumber weights are for air-dried lumber; kiln-dried lumber will weigh a little less, and green lumber can weigh a lot more.
When precision is necessary, always refer to the specification sheet for the actual, specific product you intend to use, or contact the technical department of the lumber producer or lumberyard.
You can see6×6 lumber at the Home Depot. The approximate weights of the actual pieces of lumber for sale are often given in the product descriptions, so this can be a pretty good resource for calculating 6×6 lumber weight.
Table: 6×6 Lumber Weight by Wood Type and Length
| 6×6 Lumber Weight by Wood Type and Length | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (Average Dry Weight, 12% Moisture Content) | ||||||||
| Type of Wood | Length of 6×6 in Feet (6″ × 6″ × number of feet) | |||||||
| These are the most common wood types used in construction in North America. | Weight Per Foot (6x6x1) in Pounds | 6x6x6 | 6x6x8 | 6x6x10 | 6x6x12 | 6x6x14 | 6x6x16 | |
| Pressure Treated Wood | Pressure-Treated (Freshly Treated) | 15.33 lb | 91.98 lb | 122.64 lb | 153.30 lb | 183.96 lb | 214.62 lb | 245.28 lb |
| Pressure-Treated (After Air Drying) | 8.69 lb | 52.14 lb | 69.52 lb | 86.90 lb | 104.28 lb | 121.66 lb | 139.04 lb | |
| Cedar | Western Red Cedar | 4.83 lb | 28.98 lb | 38.64 lb | 48.30 lb | 57.96 lb | 67.62 lb | 77.28 lb |
| Douglas Fir | Douglas Fir (Coast Type) | 7.14 lb | 42.84 lb | 57.12 lb | 71.40 lb | 85.68 lb | 99.96 lb | 114.24 lb |
| Douglas Fir (Mountain Type) | 6.30 lb | 37.80 lb | 50.40 lb | 63.00 lb | 75.60 lb | 88.20 lb | 100.80 lb | |
| Fir | Noble Fir | 5.46 lb | 32.76 lb | 43.68 lb | 54.60 lb | 65.52 lb | 76.44 lb | 87.36 lb |
| Subalpine Fir | 4.83 lb | 28.98 lb | 38.64 lb | 48.30 lb | 57.96 lb | 67.62 lb | 77.28 lb | |
| White Fir | 5.46 lb | 32.76 lb | 43.68 lb | 54.60 lb | 65.52 lb | 76.44 lb | 87.36 lb | |
| Hemlock | Mountain Hemlock | 6.93 lb | 41.58 lb | 55.44 lb | 69.30 lb | 83.16 lb | 97.02 lb | 110.88 lb |
| Western Hemlock | 6.09 lb | 36.54 lb | 48.72 lb | 60.90 lb | 73.08 lb | 85.26 lb | 97.44 lb | |
| Larch | Western Larch | 7.56 lb | 45.36 lb | 60.48 lb | 75.60 lb | 90.72 lb | 105.84 lb | 120.96 lb |
| Pine | Lodgepole Pine | 6.09 lb | 36.54 lb | 48.72 lb | 60.90 lb | 73.08 lb | 85.26 lb | 97.44 lb |
| Ponderosa Pine | 5.88 lb | 35.28 lb | 47.04 lb | 58.80 lb | 70.56 lb | 82.32 lb | 94.08 lb | |
| Southern Yellow Pine (Loblolly) | 7.98 lb | 47.88 lb | 63.84 lb | 79.80 lb | 95.76 lb | 111.72 lb | 127.68 lb | |
| Southern Yellow Pine (Longleaf) | 8.61 lb | 51.66 lb | 68.88 lb | 86.10 lb | 103.32 lb | 120.54 lb | 137.76 lb | |
| Southern Yellow Pine (Shortleaf) | 7.98 lb | 47.88 lb | 63.84 lb | 79.80 lb | 95.76 lb | 111.72 lb | 127.68 lb | |
| Southern Yellow Pine (Slash) | 10.08 lb | 60.48 lb | 80.64 lb | 100.80 lb | 120.96 lb | 141.12 lb | 161.28 lb | |
| Spruce | Engelmann Spruce | 4.83 lb | 28.98 lb | 38.64 lb | 48.30 lb | 57.96 lb | 67.62 lb | 77.28 lb |
| Sitka Spruce | 5.88 lb | 35.28 lb | 47.04 lb | 58.80 lb | 70.56 lb | 82.32 lb | 94.08 lb | |
| White Spruce | 5.88 lb | 35.28 lb | 47.04 lb | 58.80 lb | 70.56 lb | 82.32 lb | 94.08 lb | |
About the Author
Jack Gray is a principal roof consultant and vice president at theMoriarty Corporation, an award-winning building enclosure consultant firm founded in 1967. He is also the editor of the Roof Online website.
Mr. Gray has worked in the roofing industry for over 25 years, with training and practical experience in roof installation, roof inspection, roof safety, roof condition assessment, construction estimating, roof design & specification, quality assurance, roof maintenance & repair, and roof asset management.
He was awarded the Registered Roof Observer (RRO) professional credential in 2009.
He also served as an infantry paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne Division and has a B.A. from Cornell University. Read full bio.
Related Articles
- Weight of a 2×4 by Wood Type and Length
- Weight of a 2×6 by Wood Type and Length
- Weight of a 2×8 by Wood Type and Length
- Weight of a 2×10 by Wood Type and Length
- Weight of a 4×4 by Wood Type and Length
- Weight of Dimensional Lumber
- Weight of Pressure-Treated Lumber
References for 6×6 Lumber Weight
- Weights of Various Woods Grown in the United States– Forest Products Laboratory, United States Forest Service, USDA
- Wood Handbook, Wood as an Engineering Material– Forest Products Laboratory, United States Forest Service, USDA
