Density and specific gravity are different inputs

Look beyond the decimal

A value such as 0.60 is not 0.60 lb/ft³. It may be a specific-gravity ratio, and wood references can define that ratio with oven-dry mass and a volume at a stated moisture condition. The heading and notes are therefore part of the value. Removing them turns a documented property into an ambiguous number.

Density describes the mass occupying a unit of volume under the stated conditions. The calculator needs kg/m³ or lb/ft³, not an unlabeled ratio. It intentionally offers no automatic specific-gravity shortcut because an incorrect reference basis can produce an apparently credible result.

Why multiplying by water density may be insufficient

For a ratio defined using mass and volume at the same desired condition, a compatible reference-water density can be part of a conversion. Wood tables are not all defined that way. If dry mass is used with green volume, the converted quantity does not automatically describe wet shipping mass. Determine the definition first.

Ask for a directly applicable density or mass-per-piece value when the reference basis cannot be resolved. A source register should retain the table name, column heading and footnotes. This is more useful than copying an unexplained conversion from a different species page.

A practical input check

Before entering data, say its units aloud: pounds per cubic foot, kilograms per cubic meter, or no units. The last answer is a prompt to investigate. Check that the number has not been copied from a hardness, strength or shrinkage column.

Document the unresolved basis in the material request. The supplier can then identify the needed property rather than confirming a number they did not provide. An estimate with an explicit missing input is preferable to a finished-looking record built on the wrong kind of quantity.

Evidence & scope