Species data
Engelmann Spruce
Picea engelmannii - a softwood from western North America.
Properties at a glance
| Janka hardness | 390 lbf |
| Stiffness (MOE) | 1,369,000 psi |
| Specific gravity | 0.39 |
| Density | 24.3 lb/ft3 (390 kg/m3) |
| Weight per board foot | 2.03 lb |
| Shrinkage, green to oven-dry | 7.1% tangential / 3.8% radial |
| Indicative price | $3.50 per board foot (estimated) |
Values are at about 12% moisture content. Density is specific gravity times 62.4; a board foot is one twelfth of a cubic foot, so weight per board foot is that density divided by twelve. Anything marked estimated is our own figure, not a measured one.
How Engelmann Spruce compares
Measured against the 113 solid woods in this database: it is harder than 4% of them, heavier than 3%, and stiffer than 24%. Soft enough to dent in service - worth knowing before using it for a worktop or a floor.
What that means in the shop
A 4/4 board 8 inches wide and 8 feet long is 5.33 board feet, so in Engelmann Spruce it weighs about 10.8 lb. A stack of ten is 108 lb - worth knowing before you load a rack or a car.
Against red oak, the trade's usual yardstick at 1,220 lbf, Engelmann Spruce is about 32% as hard and 56% as heavy.
Its shrinkage is 7.1% tangential against 3.8% radial, a ratio of 1.9 to 1. The wider that ratio, the more unevenly a flatsawn board moves across its width as humidity changes, and the more it wants to cup; anything near or above 2 to 1 is worth quartersawing or restraining for panels and wide tops. This one moves comparatively evenly.
Woods of similar hardness
Closest to Engelmann Spruce on hardness in this database: Balsam Fir (400 lbf), Eastern White Pine (380 lbf), Sugar Pine (380 lbf), American Basswood (410 lbf). Similar hardness does not mean similar behaviour - check density and movement before substituting one for another.
Working with it
Workability. Knot-free stock works easily and glues well, though staining often turns blotchy across its tight pores
Durability. Heartwood is barely resistant to decay, so it belongs in dry, sheltered applications
Typical uses. construction lumber, sheathing, railroad ties, wood pulp, musical instrument soundboards.
Related calculators
Sources
MOE (1,369,000 lbf/in2), Janka (390 lbf) and shrinkage (T 7.1%, R 3.8%) from The Wood Database, which cites the USDA FPL Wood Handbook. Specific gravity 0.39 is the 12% MC value (page lists basic 0.33, 12% MC 0.39). No dimensional change coefficient given: Engelmann Spruce has no exact row in the FPL/Hoadley table reproduced by Popular Woodworking, so CT/CR are omitted. Region, uses, durability and workability summarized from The Wood Database. Price indicative.
These calculators are for planning and estimation. Engineering results (shelf sag, wood movement) use published average material properties; real boards vary by grade, grain, moisture and defects. Verify load-bearing designs with a professional.