Species data
White Fir
Abies concolor - a softwood from western United States.
Properties at a glance
| Janka hardness | 480 lbf |
| Stiffness (MOE) | 1,485,000 psi |
| Specific gravity | 0.42 |
| Density | 26.2 lb/ft3 (420 kg/m3) |
| Weight per board foot | 2.18 lb |
| Shrinkage, green to oven-dry | 7% tangential / 3.3% radial |
| Indicative price | $3.00 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 White Fir compares
Measured against the 113 solid woods in this database: it is harder than 15% of them, heavier than 12%, and stiffer than 35%. 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 White Fir it weighs about 11.6 lb. A stack of ten is 116 lb - worth knowing before you load a rack or a car.
Against red oak, the trade's usual yardstick at 1,220 lbf, White Fir is about 39% as hard and 60% as heavy.
Its shrinkage is 7% tangential against 3.3% radial, a ratio of 2.1 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 sits in that range.
Woods of similar hardness
Closest to White Fir on hardness in this database: Lodgepole Pine (480 lbf), White Spruce (480 lbf), Butternut (490 lbf), Incense Cedar (470 lbf). Similar hardness does not mean similar behaviour - check density and movement before substituting one for another.
Working with it
Workability. Works easily with most tools though drying can introduce defects; accepts glue, stain and finish well
Durability. Poor decay resistance and little defense against insects, making it strictly an interior wood
Typical uses. construction lumber, pulpwood, plywood, utility wood.
Related calculators
Sources
MOE (1,485,000 lbf/in2), Janka (480 lbf) and shrinkage (T 7.0%, R 3.3%) from The Wood Database, which cites the USDA FPL Wood Handbook. Specific gravity 0.42 is the 12% MC value (page lists basic 0.37, 12% MC 0.42). No dimensional change coefficient given: White Fir 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.