Eastern White Pine
Pinus strobus · softwood · Eastern North America · moderate movement
- Janka hardness 380 lbfred oak ≈ 1,290 lbf
- Density ≈ 24 lb/ft³specific gravity 0.35 at 12% MC
- Shrinkage — tangential 6.1%flatsawn width, green → ovendry
- Shrinkage — radial 2.1%quartersawn width
- T/R ratio 2.9 : 1higher = more cupping in flatsawn stock
Shop notes The cabinetmaker’s softwood for three centuries — cuts like cheese, glues like paper, and its radial movement is nearly nil. Wide pine panels survive because of that number.
Seasonal movement at a glance
Width change for eastern white pine across a typical indoor year — 6% moisture content in the heated winter to 12% in a humid summer:
| Board width | Flatsawn | Quartersawn |
|---|---|---|
| 6″ | 3/32″ (0.078″) | 1/32″ (0.027″) |
| 12″ | 5/32″ (0.157″) | 1/16″ (0.054″) |
| 24″ | 5/16″ (0.314″) | 3/32″ (0.108″) |
| 36″ | 15/32″ (0.471″) | 5/32″ (0.162″) |
Run your own numbers
Different width, different climate swing — the calculator below is preset to eastern white pine:
Typical swings:
Eastern White Pine questions
How much does eastern white pine move with the seasons?
A 12″-wide flatsawn eastern white pine board moves about 5/32″ across a typical indoor swing from 6% to 12% moisture content; quartersawn, about 1/16″. Its tangential shrinkage is 6.1% and radial 2.1% (green to ovendry) — a moderate-movement wood.
How hard is eastern white pine?
Eastern White Pine rates about 380 lbf on the Janka scale — soft enough to dent in daily use (red oak is roughly 1,290 lbf). Density runs about 24 lb/ft³ at indoor moisture levels.
Is eastern white pine good for wide panels and tabletops?
Carefully. Its tangential-to-radial ratio of 2.9:1 makes flatsawn boards prone to cupping — choose quartersawn stock for wide glue-ups, alternate growth rings, and fasten tops so they can slide.
Similar species
Sugar Pine · Engelmann Spruce · Balsam Fir · Atlantic White-Cedar · Western Redcedar · Noble Fir
Shrinkage, specific gravity, and hardness from the Wood Handbook, FPL-GTR-282 (2021 edition), USDA Forest Products Laboratory (public domain). Values are species averages — individual boards vary with growth conditions and how they were dried.