Lumber Weight Measurement

Weight-Based Moisture Analysis

Weight is a common measurement in lumber, engineered wood products like OSB, MDF and Plywood, and mass timber products such as cross-laminated timber (CLT). We take rapid weight measurements of material as it passes down a production line by lifting the material off the line to be placed on load cells that measure within a second. If the operator provides bulk volume via hand-off or length and width via a sensor, the calculation is made to determine both density and moisture content percent.

Why it Matters

Both moisture content and density are process control variables that must be monitored for finished goods consistency. Producers will manufacture higher grade product through sorting techniques based on those two elements. By screening product early in the process and then processing similar pieces at the same time, manufacturing plants can optimize production to increase final product uniformity, resulting in higher grade product and higher profits.

Simply put, with the proper moisture sensors in place that offer the technological innovation that allows you to quickly and easily make the necessary changes in your process as soon as the need for change arises, you can look forward to higher grade recovery and more throughput.

Upsets or out-of-control processes can destroy a month of profit in one shift.

The use of our systems can prevent this loss and increase grade recovery by 10-15%. Additionally, proper sorting and then processing increases throughput by up to +10%.