Correction Tables

Wood Species Correction Look-up

Pin-Type Moisture Meters

For pin-type moisture meters that do not have wood species corrections built in, manual correction is required. Delmhorst uses Douglas Fir, the USDA standard, as the basis for all wood calibrations. Because the electrical characteristics of different species vary, all species read differently at the same moisture content.

*Meter readings taken with 26-E 2-pin electrode with insulated pins. Do not apply 2-pin correction.

▲ SPF correction is based on USDA/Forintek data and can be used for the following species: Lodgepole Pine, Alpine Fir, Eastern White Spruce, Black Spruce, Jack Pine

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  • Meter Reading
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For meters that do not have temperature corrections built in, manual correction is required. As wood temperature increases, its electrical resistance decreases and indicated moisture content rises. Lower wood temperatures result in lower indicated moisture content. If the wood temperature, which is typically the ambient temperature, is between 50°F/10°C and 90°F/32°C, there is no need to apply a correction.

METER READINGS

C F 6 7 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 50 60
-20  0  9  11  15  22  31  38  45  53      
-10 20  10  14  20  28  34  40  47  55     
5 40  12  18  24  30  36  42  48     
15 60  11  16  21  27  32  38  43  54   
30 80  14  19  23  28  33  38  47  55 
40 100  12  17  21  25  29  34  42  50 
50 120  11  15  19  22  26  30  38  44 
60 140  10  14  17  20  23  27  34  40 
70 160  12  15  18  21  24  30  36 
80 180  11  13  16  19  22  27  33 
95 200  10  12  14  17  19  24  28 
105 220  11  13  15  17  21  26 

Moisture Content values shown in Bold are only qualitative since they are above fiber saturation point (30%MC).


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For meters that do not have pin corrections built in, manual correction is required. The default calibration on our pin meters was made with non-insulated pins that penetrate 5/16 inch. Since insulated pins read slightly lower than noninsulated ones, refer to this correction table when using an electrode with insulated pins, such as the 26-ES.

METER READINGS WITH INSULATED PINS (26-ES ELECTRODE)

7 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24

CORRECTED READINGS (TRUE INDICATED MOISTURE CONTENT)

7.3 8.4 10.6 12.8 14.9 17.0 19.2 21.4 23.7 26.0

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Measurements obtained with pinless (capacitance type) moisture meters such as TechScan are greatly influenced by the specific gravity of the wood. Wood with higher specific gravity produces higher moisture readings than materials with lower specific gravity at the same moisture content. Since TechScan is calibrated for wood at a specific gravity (SG) of 0.46, a correction is required when measuring wood species with SG values other than 0.46.  To correct meter readings to actual moisture content, enter the meter reading and the wood’s specific gravity in the Specific Gravity Correction Tool and the corrected %MC will be calculated in the right column.  Refer to the owner’s manual for more information on SG corrections, or, refer to these online resources:

NOTE: SG VALUES ARE BASED ON GREEN VOLUME AND OVEN-DRY WEIGHT.

Specific Gravity Correction Tool

Actual Moisture Content:

Specific Gravity Reference

SPECIES NAME:

BOTANICAL NAME:

SG

ALDER Alnus glutinosa 0.37
ASH, WHITE Fraxinus americana 0.55
ASPEN Populus tremula  0.36
BASSWOOD Tilia glabra 0.32
BEECH, AMERICAN Fagus grandifolia 0.56
BEECH, EURO Fagus sylvestris 0.53
BIRCH Betula alba  0.55
BRAZILIAN CHERRY Hymenea courbaril 0.64
BUBINGA Guibourtia spp. 0.71
CEDAR, EASTERN RED Juniper virginiana 0.44
CEDAR, INCENSE Libocedrus decurrens 0.35
CEDAR, SPANISH Cedrela spp.  0.41
CEDAR,WESTERN RED Thuja plicata 0.31
CHERRY, BLACK Prunus serotina 0.47
COTTONWOOD, BLACK Populus strichocarpa 0.31
DOUGLAS FIR Pseudotsuga menziesii 0.45
EBONY, AFRICAN Diospyros crassiflora 0.78
ELM, AMERICAN Ulmus spp. 0.46
FIR, RED Abies magnifica 0.65
FIR, WHITE Abies concolor 0.37
GUM, BLACK Nyssa sylvatica 0.64
GUM, RED/SWEETGUM Liquidambar styraciflua 0.46
HACKBERY Celtis occidentalis 0.49
HEMLOCK, EASTERN Tsuga canadensis 0.36
HEMLOCK, WESTERN Tsuga heterophylla 0.42
HICKORY, SHAGBARK Carya ovata 0.64
JATOBA Hymenea courbaril 0.77
SPRUCE, BLACK Picea mariana 0.38
SPRUCE, ENGLMN Picea engelmannii 0.33
SPRUCE, SITKA Picea sitchensis 0.37
SPRUCE, WHITE Picea glauca 0.33
TAMARACK Larix larcina 0.48
TEAK Tectona grandis 0.55
KERUING Dipterocarpus spp. 0.69
KOA Acacia koa 0.53
LARCH, EURO Larix decidua 0.45
LARCH, WESTERN Larix occidentalis 0.48
MAGNOLIA, SOUTHERN Magnolia grandiflora 0.46
MAHOGANY- AFRICAN Khaya spp 0.42
MAHOGANY- HOND Swietenia spp 0.45
MAHOGANY-TRUE Shorea spp. 0.46
MAPLE, HARD Acer saccharum 0.56
MAPLE, RED (SOFT) Acer rubrum 0.49
MAPLE, SILVER (SOFT) Acer saccharinum 0.44
MERANTI Shorea spp. 0.46
MYRTLE, OREGON Umbellularia californica 0.51
MYRTLE, TASMANIAN Nothophagus spp 0.50
OAK, RED Quercus spp. 0.56
OAK, WHITE Quercus spp. 0.60
PECAN Carya illinoinensis 0.60
PINE, JACK Pinea banksiana 0.40
PINE, LONGLEAF Pinus palustris 0.54
PINE, PONDEROSA Pinus ponderosa 0.38
PINE, RADIATA Pinus radiata 0.42
PINE, SHORTLEAF Pinus echinata 0.47
PINE, SUGAR Pinus lambertiana 0.34
PINE, WHITE Pinus strobus 0.36
POPLAR, YELLOW Liriodendron tulipifera 0.40
PURPLEHEART Peltogyne spp. 0.67
RAMIN Gonystylus spp. 0.52
REDWOOD Sequoia sempirvirous 0.36
ROSEWOOD, BRAZ Dalbergia nigra 0.80
RUBBERWOOD Hevea brazilensis 0.49
TUPELO Nyssa sylvatica 0.64
VIROLA Virola spp. 0.42
WALNUT, BLACK Juglans nigra 0.51

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