How much is 1 cubic metre of wood?
The Wood Guide · Calculating with wood
PracticalHow much is 1 cubic metre of wood?
A cubic metre is a block of one by one by one metre. But how many boards is that, and what does it weigh? Just work it out below.
- 1 m³ = 1 × 1 × 1 metre
- Weight depends on the species
- Calculator on this page
A cubic metre is a block of 1 × 1 × 1 metre
Stand it next to an adult and it comes up to the hip. Small? Wait until you see what fits inside.
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Use the arrows or the bars to browse · weights apply to air-dried wood.
Work out your cubic metre
Enter the dimensions of one board, choose the quantity and the wood species. The result updates instantly.
What a cubic metre is
A cubic metre (m³) is a volume with a length, width and height of one metre each.
How to calculate it
Multiply length × width × thickness, all in metres. A board 2 m long, 0.25 m wide and 0.05 m thick has a volume of 2 × 0.25 × 0.05 = 0.025 m³.
Adding up a batch
For several boards, calculate the volume of one board and multiply by the number. Fifty boards of 0.02 m³ make exactly one cubic metre.
Mind the units
The most common mistake: mixing up centimetres and metres. Convert everything to metres first — or use the calculator above, which does it for you.
What does a cubic metre weigh?
That varies greatly with species and moisture content. A cubic metre of oak weighs almost twice as much as a cubic metre of spruce.
| Wood species | Weight per m³ | Category |
|---|---|---|
| Spruce (Picea abies) | ±450 kg | Softwood |
| Pine (Pinus sylvestris) | ±500 kg | Softwood |
| Douglas fir | ±500–550 kg | Softwood |
| Teak (Tectona grandis) | ±650–700 kg | Hardwood |
| Mahogany (Swietenia spp.) | ±650 kg | Hardwood |
| Oak (Quercus spp.) | ±700–800 kg | Hardwood |
| Robinia (false acacia) | ±730–800 kg | Hardwood |
The values above apply to air-dried wood. Freshly sawn wood can be half water by weight — so a cubic metre of green spruce can come in at over 700 kg. Bear that in mind for transport and for the load-bearing capacity of a floor.
Cubic metres in practice
Timber trade
Larger batches of timber are traded by the cubic metre, especially for industrial and construction use.
Construction
In building projects, timber is calculated in cubic metres to estimate and order quantities.
Firewood
Here people talk about a stère: a stacked cubic metre, including the air between the logs. Dry firewood weighs considerably less than freshly split wood.
DIY
Handy for knowing how many boards you'll get from a batch — or how much you're lifting.
Our picnic tables and garden benches are sold per piece, with the dimensions listed. This page is in The Wood Guide because the question often comes up when you build something yourself — and because calculating with wood is simply useful knowledge.
Frequently asked questions
Exactly how much is 1 cubic metre of wood?
One cubic metre: a block of 1 by 1 by 1 metre. You calculate the volume by multiplying length × width × thickness in metres.
What does 1 cubic metre of wood weigh?
That depends on the species and the moisture content. Spruce weighs about 450 kg per cubic metre, pine 500, oak 700–800. Freshly sawn wood weighs a lot more than dried wood.
How many boards make a cubic metre?
With boards 2 metres long, 20 cm wide and 5 cm thick, that's 0.02 m³ per board — so fifty in a cubic metre. Use the calculator at the top for your own dimensions.
Is a stère the same as a cubic metre?
Not quite. A stère is a stacked cubic metre of firewood, including the air between the logs — so it contains less solid wood than a true cubic metre. Solid wood is measured in cubic metres, stacked firewood in stères.
Calculating is only the start
Once you know how much you need, the question remains which wood. That's what the register is for.
Have a question about your project? Just ask — we're happy to help.
Photos via Wikimedia Commons: Insjön, Zweden — Edaen, CC BY 3.0 · Neatly stacked firewood in a rack — Simon Koopmann, CC BY-SA 2.5