Free tool · Australian green wood densities
Tree Weight Calculator
This free tree weight calculator estimates how much a tree weighs — the trunk, the canopy and the whole tree — from a few measurements and the green density of its wood. Pick an Australian species or a broad wood type, or enter your own density, and every figure shows its working.
How to calculate the weight of a tree
A tree's weight is the volume of its wood multiplied by the density of that wood green — freshly cut, water and all. Treat the trunk and each main stem as a cylinder, π × radius² × length, take a little off the trunk for taper, add the pieces together, and multiply by a green density in kilograms per cubic metre.
Measuring the trunk, and why it gets a taper factor
Measure the trunk's circumference at 1.4 m and divide by π (3.1416) for its diameter — the same measurement an arborist takes for a tree protection zone. Then estimate its length from the ground to the first main fork.
A cylinder that wide overstates the trunk, because the trunk narrows as it rises. If it narrows evenly to a top about 80% of its width at 1.4 m, its volume is about 0.81 of the cylinder's, which is where the 0.8 default comes from. A straight, even trunk is nearer 0.9, and a heavily tapered or flared one nearer 0.7.
The alternative is to estimate the diameter halfway up and use it with no reduction. That is Huber's formula, the standard way foresters measure log volume, and it is usually the better estimate when the middle of the trunk can be judged from the ground.
Estimating the canopy
Count the main stems above the first fork. Estimate each one's diameter about halfway along and its length to where it breaks up into smaller branches, and average them. Add the smaller branches as a second group if you want them counted.
A rough check worth doing: the stems leaving a fork are, together, usually about as thick in cross-section as the trunk below them. Ten stems of 30 cm have the cross-section of a trunk about 95 cm across, so ten 30 cm leaders on a 60 cm trunk is an overestimate.
Leaves and fine twigs are left out, so read the canopy figure as the weight of its wood.
Worked example: a large spotted gum
A spotted gum with a trunk 100 cm across at 1.4 m, running 6 m to its first fork, then 10 main stems averaging 30 cm across and 6 m long. Spotted gum is 1,180 kg/m³ green.
- Trunk: π × 0.50² × 6 m = 4.71 m³, × 0.8 taper = 3.77 m³, × 1,180 kg/m³ = 4,450 kg
- Main stems: 10 × π × 0.15² × 6 m = 4.24 m³, × 1,180 kg/m³ = 5,000 kg
- Whole tree: 9,450 kg — about 9.5 tonnes of wood before leaves and twigs.
These are the figures the calculator opens on.
Green wood density database
Green density is the weight of a cubic metre of freshly cut wood with its water still in it — the figure that matters for a standing or freshly felled tree. The table gives green and seasoned densities for 37 trees, heaviest first: the Australian species from WoodSolutions, and common street and park trees from Arboriculture Australia's Minimum Industry Standards.
| Tree | Botanical name | Green kg/m³ | Seasoned kg/m³ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grey gum Eucalyptus propinqua, E. punctata, E. canaliculata, E. major | Eucalyptus propinqua, E. punctata, E. canaliculata, E. major | 1,250 | 1,050 |
| Grey box Eucalyptus moluccana, E. microcarpa, E. woollsiana | Eucalyptus moluccana, E. microcarpa, E. woollsiana | 1,230 | 1,105 |
| Red mahogany Eucalyptus resinifera, E. pellita | Eucalyptus resinifera, E. pellita | 1,200 | 950 |
| Tallowwood Eucalyptus microcorys | Eucalyptus microcorys | 1,200 | 990 |
| Brush box Lophostemon confertus | Lophostemon confertus | 1,190 | 890 |
| Spotted gum Corymbia citriodora, C. maculata, C. henryi | Corymbia citriodora, C. maculata, C. henryi | 1,180 | 990 |
| Forest red gum Eucalyptus tereticornis | Eucalyptus tereticornis | 1,170 | 1,000 |
| Grey ironbark Eucalyptus siderophloia, E. paniculata, E. drepanophylla | Eucalyptus siderophloia, E. paniculata, E. drepanophylla | 1,170 | 1,106 |
| Turpentine Syncarpia glomulifera | Syncarpia glomulifera | 1,170 | 945 |
| Red ironbark Eucalyptus sideroxylon | Eucalyptus sideroxylon | 1,160 | 1,050 |
| White mahogany Eucalyptus acmenoides, E. umbra | Eucalyptus acmenoides, E. umbra | 1,150 | 950 |
| Red bloodwood Corymbia gummifera, C. intermedia, C. polycarpa | Corymbia gummifera, C. intermedia, C. polycarpa | 1,140 | 1,005 |
| River red gum Eucalyptus camaldulensis | Eucalyptus camaldulensis | 1,140 | 910 |
| Sydney blue gum Eucalyptus saligna | Eucalyptus saligna | 1,110 | 840 |
| Blackbutt Eucalyptus pilularis | Eucalyptus pilularis | 1,100 | 900 |
| Messmate stringybark Eucalyptus obliqua | Eucalyptus obliqua | 1,090 | 770 |
| Flooded gum (rose gum) Eucalyptus grandis | Eucalyptus grandis | 1,060 | 750 |
| Honey locust† Gleditsia triacanthos | Gleditsia triacanthos | 1,050 | — |
| English elm† Ulmus procera | Ulmus procera | 1,030 | — |
| Mountain ash Eucalyptus regnans | Eucalyptus regnans | 1,030 | 650 |
| Caribbean pine Pinus caribaea | Pinus caribaea | 1,020 | 575 |
| English oak† Quercus robur | Quercus robur | 1,010 | — |
| Camphor laurel Cinnamomum camphora | Cinnamomum camphora | 1,000 | 485 |
| London plane† Platanus × acerifolia | Platanus × acerifolia | 1,000 | — |
| Evergreen magnolia† Magnolia grandiflora | Magnolia grandiflora | 950 | — |
| Liquidambar (sweet gum)† Liquidambar styraciflua | Liquidambar styraciflua | 930 | — |
| Robinia (black locust)† Robinia pseudoacacia | Robinia pseudoacacia | 900 | — |
| Pear† Pyrus communis | Pyrus communis | 880 | — |
| Slash pine Pinus elliottii | Pinus elliottii | 850 | 650 |
| White cypress pine Callitris glaucophylla, C. columellaris | Callitris glaucophylla, C. columellaris | 850 | 700 |
| European ash† Fraxinus excelsior | Fraxinus excelsior | 800 | — |
| Hoop pine Araucaria cunninghamii | Araucaria cunninghamii | 800 | 530 |
| Radiata pine Pinus radiata | Pinus radiata | 800 | 550 |
| White willow† Salix alba | Salix alba | 760 | — |
| Tulip tree† Liriodendron tulipifera | Liriodendron tulipifera | 750 | — |
| Queensland kauri Agathis robusta | Agathis robusta | 720 | 470 |
| Black poplar† Populus nigra | Populus nigra | 670 | — |
Source: WoodSolutions (Forest & Wood Products Australia), unseasoned and seasoned densities, read 24 September 2026. † From the green-density table in the Arboriculture Australia Minimum Industry Standards, for species WoodSolutions does not list. That table gives green figures only.
Green density against seasoned density
The densities on timber data sheets are for seasoned wood, dried to around 12% moisture. A standing tree is nowhere near that dry, which is why green figures run so much higher — and why the lighter the timber, the bigger the gap.
Camphor laurel is 485 kg/m³ seasoned and 1,000 green: roughly half a freshly felled camphor log is water. Slash pine goes from 650 to 850. Grey ironbark, already dense, only goes from 1,106 to 1,170 — so green, several eucalypts outweigh it.
Trees that are not in the table
Jacaranda, poinciana, figs and mango are not in either source. Choose Species unknown (1,000 kg/m³), a round middle figure, or measure your own: weigh a round cut from a freshly felled limb and divide by its volume. The questions below show the arithmetic.
The broad categories at the top of the calculator come from this table. Eucalypt or other native hardwood is 1,170 kg/m³, the median of the 18 native hardwoods in the table, and Pine is 850, the median of the 3 pines in the table.
Tree Weight Questions
How much does a tree weigh?
Mostly it comes down to size, and large trees weigh more than most people expect. A spotted gum with a 100 cm trunk running 6 m to its first fork, carrying ten main stems about 30 cm across and 6 m long, works out at about 9,450 kg — roughly 9.5 tonnes of wood before leaves and twigs, 4,450 kg of it in the trunk. A 40 cm radiata pine with 10 m of straight trunk is closer to 900 kg of trunk.
How do you calculate the weight of a tree?
Work out the volume of wood and multiply it by the green density. The trunk is a cylinder — π × (diameter ÷ 2)² × length, in metres — reduced by a taper factor of about 0.8 because it narrows as it rises. Each main stem is a cylinder too, using its diameter about halfway along. Add the volumes together, then multiply by the green density of the species in kilograms per cubic metre.
How much does a cubic metre of green wood weigh?
For the 37 trees in the database on this page, between 670 kg (black poplar) and 1,250 kg (grey gum). Most eucalypts sit between 1,100 and 1,250 kg a cubic metre green, and the pines between 800 and 1,020 kg.
Why is green wood so much heavier than dry timber?
Because a living tree is full of water. The densities on timber data sheets are for seasoned wood, dried to around 12% moisture. Camphor laurel is 485 kg/m³ seasoned and 1,000 kg/m³ green, so roughly half a freshly felled camphor log is water. Dense eucalypts hold less, which is why grey ironbark only goes from 1,106 to 1,170.
Which Australian tree has the heaviest green wood?
Of the species here, grey gum at 1,250 kg/m³, then grey box at 1,230, with tallowwood and red mahogany at 1,200. Ironbark's reputation for weight comes from its seasoned density, the highest in the table at 1,106 kg/m³. Green, at 1,170, several eucalypts outweigh it, because they carry more water.
How do I work out the density of a tree that is not listed?
Weigh a piece of it. Cut a round from a freshly felled limb and weigh it the day it is cut, before it starts to dry. Its volume is π × (diameter ÷ 2)² × thickness, in metres, and density is weight divided by volume. A round 30 cm across and 10 cm thick is 0.0071 m³, so if it weighs 7.4 kg the wood is about 1,050 kg/m³. Enter that as your own figure.
Is a dead tree lighter than a live one?
Usually, once it has dried out — but how much lighter depends on how long it has been dead and how much decay it carries, and a recently dead tree still holds much of its water. Treat the green figure as the top of the range for a dead tree rather than guessing lower. An optimistic weight is how rigging gets overloaded.
Not sure the tree needs to come out?
A risk assessment costs a fraction of a removal, and it regularly finds that pruning resolves the problem.