How much does a 2x4 weigh?
A kiln-dried 8-foot 2x4 in Douglas fir weighs about 10 lb. Green stock is heavier and pressure-treated heavier again. Weights for every common length and nominal size.
An 8' kiln-dried Douglas fir 2x4 weighs about 9.9 lb.
That is 1.24 lb per foot. A hundred of them is 992 lb, which is most of a half-ton pickup's payload before you get in it.
How that is worked out
- The dressed section is 1 1/2" × 3 1/2", so 8 feet of it is 0.29 ft³.
- Kiln-dried Douglas fir runs about 34 lb/ft³ at the moisture content lumber is sold at.
- 0.29 ft³ × 34 lb/ft³ = 9.9 lb.
Weight of one piece, kiln-dried, lb
| Length | 2x4 | 2x6 | 2x8 | 2x10 | 2x12 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8' | 9.9 | 15.6 | 20.5 | 26.2 | 31.9 |
| 10' | 12.4 | 19.5 | 25.7 | 32.8 | 39.8 |
| 12' | 14.9 | 23.4 | 30.8 | 39.3 | 47.8 |
| 14' | 17.4 | 27.3 | 35.9 | 45.9 | 55.8 |
| 16' | 19.8 | 31.2 | 41.1 | 52.4 | 63.8 |
Worth knowing
- Green lumber carries water the kiln took out: at 37% moisture the same 8' stick works out at 11.5 lb, about 16% heavier.
- Pressure-treated stock is heavier again, and for two reasons at once: it leaves the plant saturated with waterborne preservative, and it is usually southern yellow pine, which is denser than fir to start with. It sheds much of that water over a few weeks in the open.
- Species matters more than anything else here. Southern yellow pine is roughly a third heavier than the same stick in white pine.
- A density is a good bet across a stack and no promise about one board. Wood varies between trees, and the piece you pick up may be a pound either side.
Work out your own numbers
- Weight calculator
What a board or a stack of sheet goods weighs — for shelf brackets, a car boot, or a freight quote.
- Deck and fence takeoff
Boards, joists, posts, pickets, screws and bags of concrete, with the gaps between boards properly counted.
Related questions
- How much does a bunk of 2x4s weigh?
- A standard 294-piece unit of 8-foot kiln-dried 2x4s is roughly 2,900 lb — well over a ton, and that is dry. Green, the same unit is nearer 3,400 lb, and treated southern yellow pine more again. That is why a delivery truck sets a unit down where it can reach rather than carrying it round the back.
- Why is treated lumber so much heavier?
- Because it is soaked. Pressure treatment forces a waterborne preservative deep into the wood, and the board leaves the plant saturated — freshly treated stock can weigh half again what the same board does once it has dried out. Most treated lumber is also southern yellow pine, which is denser than the fir or spruce you would otherwise be buying. It sheds the water over a few weeks in the open, and moves and checks as it goes.
- Does a 2x4 weigh more when it is wet?
- Yes, and by a lot. Water is heavier than the wood cell walls holding it. A stick left out in the rain gains weight fast, and a stick at 19% moisture content — the usual limit for "dry" framing lumber — already carries noticeably more than one at 8%.