The effect of moisture content on strength and stiffness of timber
Abstract
Current design codes model moisture content effects in timber by reducing the strength where the equilibrium moisture content increases during the life of the structure. However, code models of timber behaviour do not vary the elastic stiffness of timber under the same conditions. Recent in-grade testing shows that the characteristic strength of commercially available timber has very little variation with moisture content, but the characteristic stiffness does vary significantly with moisture content. This paper presents those results and shows how they can be modelled for use in structural design.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Wood Treatment and Properties
Hygrothermal properties of building materials
Structural Load-Bearing Analysis
Publication details
- Journal / source
- CRC Press eBooks
- Pages
- 695–701
- Publication date
- 26 February 2026
- Language
- EN
- Document type
- Book chapter