Moisture content
Moisture content (MC) is the amount of water (in any of
its forms) contained in wood (see Chap. 4). MC includes
water or water vapor absorbed into cell walls and free water
within the hollow center of the cells (lumina); it is expressed
as weight percentage. The amount of water vapor wood can
absorb, depends on wood species; most species can absorb
water vapor to increase their mass approximately 30%
above an ovendry MC condition. This water is hydrogen
bound within the cell wall matrix of hemicelluloses and,
to some extent, cellulose. The limit to the amount of water
bound in the wood cell wall is the fiber saturation point.
The amount of water vapor wood absorbs depends on the
relative humidity (RH) of the surrounding air. If wood is
stored at 0% RH, the MC will eventually approach 0%. If
wood is stored at 100% RH, the MC will eventually reach
fiber saturation (approximately 30% moisture). Of course,
if kept at a constant RH between these two extremes, wood
will stabilize at a MC between 0% and 30%. The RH con-
trols the MC, and when the MC is in balance with the RH,
the wood is at its equilibrium moisture content (EMC). This
rarely happens because as the RH changes, so does the MC
of the wood, and atmospheric RH is continually changing.
It varies through daily and seasonal cycles, thus driving the
MC of wood through daily and seasonal cycles. See Chapter
4 for more information on MC and EMC.
Finishes cannot change EMC; they affect only the rate at
which absorption and desorption occur (see Moisture-
Excluding Effectiveness).
Wood outdoors in most areas of the United States cycles
around a MC of approximately 12% to 14%. In the Pa-
cific Northwest, average MC can be slightly higher (12%
to 16%), and in the Southwest, slightly lower (6% to 9%)
(Chap. 13, Tables 13–1 and 13–2). Daily and annual MC
may vary from these averages. In general, wood outdoors
decreases MC during the summer and increases MC during
the winter. (Wood indoors in northern climates increases
MC during the summer and decreases MC during the winter.
In the south, this distinction is not clear because air con-
ditioning affects indoor RH and thus MC.) Even in humid
areas, RH is rarely high enough for a long enough period
to bring the MC of wood above 20%. Wood warmed by the
sun experiences a virtual RH far below the ambient RH. The
surface dries faster than the rest of the lumber. This is why
cupping and checking often occur on decking boards; the
top surface is much drier than the rest of the board. Shrink-
age of the top surface commensurate with this dryness
causes cupping and checking parallel to the grain. (Juvenile
wood often checks perpendicular to the grain.)
As mentioned, fiber saturation is the limit to the amount of
water vapor that wood absorbs. Water vapor absorbs slowly
compared with liquid water. Liquid water can quickly bringGeneral Technical Report FPL–GTR– 190
General Technical Report FPL–GTR– 190Figure 16–6. Lumber grain affects finish perfor-
mance: (a) edge-grain (vertical-grain or quarter-
sawn) board; (b) edge-grain board containing pith;
(c) flat-grain (slash-grain or plain-sawn) board.
Arrows show radial (R), tangential (T), and
longitudinal (L) orientation of wood grain.Moisture
The chemical commonly called water (H 2 O) has three
states according to temperature and pressure conditions:
gas (water vapor or steam), liquid (water), or solid (ice).
When water interacts with wood, it can occur in a fourth
state (bound water). Moisture is not one of the states of
water; it is a term with the power to indicate uncertainty
about the water’s state, or to refer collectively to water in
all its states in wood. For example, some of the moisture in
a board at 50% moisture content will occur as liquid water
(or ice, depending on the temperature) within cell cavities
of the wood, some will occur as water vapor, and some will
be bound water (bound within cell walls). Moisture thus ac-
counts for any or all of these states in a single word. In this
chapter, the term water designates water in its liquid state.