Log weight estimate
Type a log's diameter and length and pick a species to see an estimated green weight of the wood, using the Forest Service table. It is an estimate, not a pick plan.
Checked against the sources at the bottom of this page on October 8, 2026. Published tables are revised: the source has the last word.
Work it out
How the answer is worked out
Volume = pi divided by 4, times the diameter squared, times the length. That is a straight cylinder with no taper.
Estimated weight = volume in cubic feet times the green weight in pounds per cubic foot that the table gives for the chosen species. Kilograms = pounds times 0.45359237.
What the sources say
The species weights are the average green weights of the wood printed in Forest Service Research Note NRS-38, Table 1A, in pounds per cubic foot. They are the same figures as in the weights table on the Tools page, which lists them with the kilogram equivalents.
The note says green weights can vary a great deal by place, season, species and part of the tree, and calls the Table 1A values "rough estimates for localized areas". Bark is not in the weights. The note gives an equation (its equation 8) that combines wood and bark weights using bark as a share of wood volume; this calculator does not apply it, so bark is not in the answer.
A real log tapers, may be hollow or rotten, and may be wetter or drier than the average. The calculator treats the log as a straight cylinder of solid wood at the diameter typed. A diameter measured over the bark counts the bark as wood.
Arithmetic only. The answer is only as good as the numbers entered. It is not a plan or a safe working load for any job.
Sources
- USDA Forest Service, Northern Research Station, Research Note NRS-38, Miles and Smith, 2009, Table 1A and the green weight section, read October 8, 2026
- NIST, Guide for the Use of the International System of Units (SP 811), Appendix B.8 factors for units listed alphabetically, read October 8, 2026
- NIST, Guide for the Use of the International System of Units (SP 811), footnotes to Appendix B, read October 8, 2026