Wood Movement Calculator
See how much your board will expand and shrink, and how much gap to leave.
Seasonal movement across the grain
7/32"
Red oak (northern), coefficient 0.00369 per 1% MC, over a 5.0% MC swing.
- Narrowest
- 11 29/32"
- Widest
- 12 9/64"
- Floating panel gap, each side
- 1/16"
- Breadboard outer peg slot
- +3/32" longer than the peg
- Tabletop fasteners
- Z-clips (tabletop fasteners) in a kerf, or buttons in a groove
Building this tabletop? Get the full plan with cut list and joinery sized for movement in Blueprint.
Save this movement card to your projectBoard feet and cost: lumber calculator. Floating panels: cabinet door calculator.
Turn these numbers into a build plan.
- 7/32" seasonal movement
- 12.13 in widest
- +3/32" breadboard slot
Cut list: Wood Movement Calculator
- Seasonal movement7/32" (1.85%)
- Narrowest11 29/32"
- Widest12 9/64"
- Floating panel gap, each side1/16"
- Breadboard outer peg slot+3/32" longer than the peg
- Tabletop fastenersZ-clips (tabletop fasteners) in a kerf, or buttons in a groove
- [ ] Red oak (northern) 5/4 boards
- [ ] Z-clip tabletop fasteners
- [ ] Wood glue (PVA)
- [ ] Finish (oil or film)
Show your build
Finished the wood movement? Snap a before and after. The photo maker lines them up into one image you can post, and a free Blueprint account keeps the photos with your measurements and materials.
12 in red oak (northern) top that moves 7/32"
A 12 x 72 in flatsawn red oak (northern) top will move about 7/32" across the grain through the year (11.91 to 12.13 in). Fasten it with z-clips (tabletop fasteners) in a kerf, or buttons in a groove, and elongate the outer breadboard pegs by 3/32".
- Materials
- $148
- Time
- 2 weekends
- Level
- Intermediate
- 1
Acclimate the lumber
Sticker the boards in the room the piece will live in for 1 to 2 weeks, until the meter reads steady.
- Target about 8% MC
- Log the reading
- 2
Mill and arrange
Joint and plane, then alternate growth rings and match grain across 2 boards.
- 3
Glue up the panel
Glue edges only, clamp from both faces, and let it cure overnight.
- Seasonal movement
- 7/32"
- Widest
- 12.13 in
- Breadboard slot
- +3/32"
- Est. lumber
- $148
6 steps · 5 tools · 4 materials
3 more steps, the full tool list and a shopping list you can check off as you go.
Your plan is 60% built. Save it.
3/512 in red oak (northern) top that moves 7/32"
Finished in 2 weekends · $148 DIY
Built for your seasonal movement of 7/32". Your first plan saves free. No card needed.
Or save it with just your email
We send a link; open it and this plan is your first project. Your first plan saves free. No card needed.
Wood Movement Chart by Species
| Species | Group | Tangential (flatsawn) | Radial (quartersawn) | 12 in board, 4% MC |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| African mahogany (khaya) | Imported | 0.00210 | 0.00141 | 3/32" (0.101 in) |
| African padauk | Imported | 0.00176 | 0.00113 | 5/64" (0.084 in) |
| Alaska yellow cedar | Softwood | 0.00208 | 0.00095 | 3/32" (0.100 in) |
| American beech | Domestic hardwood | 0.00431 | 0.00190 | 13/64" (0.207 in) |
| American chestnut | Domestic hardwood | 0.00234 | 0.00116 | 7/64" (0.112 in) |
| American elm | Domestic hardwood | 0.00338 | 0.00144 | 5/32" (0.162 in) |
| American sycamore | Domestic hardwood | 0.00291 | 0.00172 | 9/64" (0.140 in) |
| Baldcypress | Softwood | 0.00216 | 0.00130 | 7/64" (0.104 in) |
| Balsam fir | Softwood | 0.00239 | 0.00099 | 7/64" (0.115 in) |
| Basswood | Domestic hardwood | 0.00330 | 0.00230 | 5/32" (0.158 in) |
| Black cherry | Domestic hardwood | 0.00248 | 0.00126 | 1/8" (0.119 in) |
| Black locust | Domestic hardwood | 0.00252 | 0.00158 | 1/8" (0.121 in) |
| Black spruce | Softwood | 0.00237 | 0.00141 | 7/64" (0.114 in) |
| Black tupelo | Domestic hardwood | 0.00289 | 0.00176 | 9/64" (0.139 in) |
| Black walnut | Domestic hardwood | 0.00274 | 0.00190 | 1/8" (0.132 in) |
| Black willow | Domestic hardwood | 0.00287 | 0.00112 | 9/64" (0.138 in) |
| Bubinga | Imported | 0.00290 | 0.00197 | 9/64" (0.139 in) |
| Bur oak | Domestic hardwood | 0.00365 | 0.00158 | 11/64" (0.175 in) |
| Butternut | Domestic hardwood | 0.00223 | 0.00116 | 7/64" (0.107 in) |
| Douglas fir (coast) | Softwood | 0.00267 | 0.00165 | 1/8" (0.128 in) |
| Eastern cottonwood | Domestic hardwood | 0.00316 | 0.00133 | 5/32" (0.152 in) |
| Eastern hemlock | Softwood | 0.00237 | 0.00102 | 7/64" (0.114 in) |
| Eastern red cedar | Softwood | 0.00163 | 0.00105 | 5/64" (0.078 in) |
| Eastern white pine | Softwood | 0.00212 | 0.00071 | 7/64" (0.102 in) |
| Engelmann spruce | Softwood | 0.00247 | 0.00130 | 1/8" (0.119 in) |
| Genuine mahogany (Honduras) | Imported | 0.00238 | 0.00172 | 7/64" (0.114 in) |
| Hackberry | Domestic hardwood | 0.00316 | 0.00165 | 5/32" (0.152 in) |
| Hard maple (sugar) | Domestic hardwood | 0.00353 | 0.00165 | 11/64" (0.169 in) |
| Incense cedar | Softwood | 0.00180 | 0.00111 | 3/32" (0.086 in) |
| Ipe | Imported | 0.00247 | 0.00185 | 1/8" (0.119 in) |
| Iroko | Imported | 0.00175 | 0.00098 | 5/64" (0.084 in) |
| Jatoba (Brazilian cherry) | Imported | 0.00290 | 0.00153 | 9/64" (0.139 in) |
| Live oak | Domestic hardwood | 0.00338 | 0.00230 | 5/32" (0.162 in) |
| Lodgepole pine | Softwood | 0.00234 | 0.00148 | 7/64" (0.112 in) |
| Northern white cedar | Softwood | 0.00169 | 0.00101 | 5/64" (0.081 in) |
| Paper birch | Domestic hardwood | 0.00332 | 0.00219 | 5/32" (0.159 in) |
| Pecan hickory | Domestic hardwood | 0.00315 | 0.00169 | 5/32" (0.151 in) |
| Ponderosa pine | Softwood | 0.00216 | 0.00133 | 7/64" (0.104 in) |
| Purpleheart | Imported | 0.00217 | 0.00110 | 7/64" (0.104 in) |
| Quaking aspen | Domestic hardwood | 0.00234 | 0.00119 | 7/64" (0.112 in) |
| Red alder | Domestic hardwood | 0.00256 | 0.00151 | 1/8" (0.123 in) |
| Red oak (northern) | Domestic hardwood | 0.00369 | 0.00158 | 11/64" (0.177 in) |
| Red pine | Softwood | 0.00252 | 0.00130 | 1/8" (0.121 in) |
| Redwood (old growth) | Softwood | 0.00205 | 0.00120 | 3/32" (0.098 in) |
| Sapele | Imported | 0.00255 | 0.00158 | 1/8" (0.122 in) |
| Sassafras | Domestic hardwood | 0.00216 | 0.00137 | 7/64" (0.104 in) |
| Shagbark hickory | Domestic hardwood | 0.00374 | 0.00259 | 11/64" (0.180 in) |
| Silver maple | Domestic hardwood | 0.00252 | 0.00102 | 1/8" (0.121 in) |
| Sitka spruce | Softwood | 0.00263 | 0.00148 | 1/8" (0.126 in) |
| Soft maple (red) | Domestic hardwood | 0.00289 | 0.00137 | 9/64" (0.139 in) |
| Southern yellow pine (loblolly) | Softwood | 0.00259 | 0.00165 | 1/8" (0.124 in) |
| Southern yellow pine (longleaf) | Softwood | 0.00263 | 0.00176 | 1/8" (0.126 in) |
| Spanish cedar | Imported | 0.00218 | 0.00141 | 7/64" (0.105 in) |
| Sugar pine | Softwood | 0.00194 | 0.00099 | 3/32" (0.093 in) |
| Sweetgum | Domestic hardwood | 0.00365 | 0.00183 | 11/64" (0.175 in) |
| Tamarack | Softwood | 0.00254 | 0.00126 | 1/8" (0.122 in) |
| Teak | Imported | 0.00186 | 0.00101 | 3/32" (0.089 in) |
| Wenge | Imported | 0.00230 | 0.00160 | 7/64" (0.110 in) |
| Western hemlock | Softwood | 0.00274 | 0.00144 | 1/8" (0.132 in) |
| Western larch | Softwood | 0.00323 | 0.00155 | 5/32" (0.155 in) |
| Western red cedar | Softwood | 0.00234 | 0.00111 | 7/64" (0.112 in) |
| White ash | Domestic hardwood | 0.00274 | 0.00169 | 1/8" (0.132 in) |
| White fir | Softwood | 0.00245 | 0.00112 | 1/8" (0.118 in) |
| White oak | Domestic hardwood | 0.00365 | 0.00180 | 11/64" (0.175 in) |
| Yellow birch | Domestic hardwood | 0.00338 | 0.00256 | 5/32" (0.162 in) |
| Yellow poplar (tulipwood) | Domestic hardwood | 0.00289 | 0.00158 | 9/64" (0.139 in) |
How the Calculation Works
Change in width = width x coefficient x change in moisture content. Flatsawn boards use the tangential coefficient, quartersawn the radial; when you do not know, the average is a safe middle. The coefficients hold between about 6% and 14% MC. Above the fiber saturation point (about 28%) wood stops changing size, and along the grain it barely moves at all (about 0.1 to 0.2% from green to dry).
Relative humidity converts to equilibrium moisture content with the Hailwood-Horrobin equation at 70 F: 30% RH is about 6% MC, 50% about 9%, and 80% about 16%.
Worked Examples
- 36 in red oak dining top, flatsawn, 6% to 12%. 36 x 0.00369 x 6 = 0.80 in, about 51/64". Built at 6%, it grows to 36.80 in. Use Z-clips and elongate the outer breadboard peg slots by 3/8".
- Cherry cabinet door panel, 14 in opening. Flatsawn black cherry built at 7% MC, 6 to 11% through the year: cut the panel at 13.832 in (13 53/64") so it just fits at its widest.
- Maple cutting board, 12 in, mixed grain. Hard maple with mixed grain from 6% to 12%: 3/16". End-grain boards move the same across both directions, so oil every face and let it dry on edge.
Price the lumber with the lumber calculator, size frame-and-panel doors with the cabinet door calculator, and lay out sheet parts with the plywood cut list optimizer.
Wood Movement FAQ
How much does a 12 inch board expand?
Is a wood expansion calculator the same as a shrinkage calculator?
Does plywood move?
How much gap for a floating panel?
How much does wood expand and contract with humidity?
What is the ideal moisture content for furniture wood?
How do I account for wood movement in a tabletop?
Does wood movement stop after finishing?
Why is quartersawn lumber more stable?
How do I prevent my cutting board from warping?
Related calculators
All calculatorsLumber Calculator
Board feet and cost for a list of boards, a wall framing takeoff and a stock-length buy list
Cabinet Door Calculator
Door sizes for overlay, inset or lipped doors, plus a rail, stile and panel cut list
Plywood Sheet Cut Calculator
Cut list optimizer: a cutting diagram for every plywood, MDF or melamine sheet, with kerf, grain and cost
Related cheat sheets
All cheat sheetsTrim Molding Profile Identifier
Visual glossary of common architectural trim pieces with cross-section profiles and names
Appliance Cutout Dimensions Chart
Cutout ranges, cabinet widths and power for wall ovens, cooktops, dishwashers, drawers and sink bases, with a fit check
Crown Molding Installation Guide
Crown cut calculator for any spring and corner angle, room cut planner, angle chart, coping, scarf joints, nested 45 method, cost and FAQs