Pine Lumber Recovery from Round Logs

Radiata pine log to dimensional lumber: 45-58% by volume (sawmill output / log volume), depending on SED, target lumber size and sawing pattern. Scots pine log to dimensional lumber: 48-62% by volume, slightly higher recovery driven by tighter taper and less ovality.

Add another 10-15% to gross log volume as chip and sawdust which routes to pulp, MDF or biomass markets, total wood utilisation in a modern mill exceeds 90% even at moderate lumber recovery.

SED: bigger logs recover better, edge waste is proportionally smaller. Sawing pattern: live-sawn yields more than cant-sawn for narrow lumber, cant-sawn yields more for square cants and structural beams. Target lumber size: closer to the natural log dimension, the higher the recovery. Defect level: clear A-grade logs recover 8-12% better than KIS or pulp.

Example: 10,000 m³ radiata pine KIS, SED 25-30 cm, length 4.0 m, target product 100×50 mm framing lumber. Expected recovery 52-55%, giving 5,200-5,500 m³ of finished framing. Round down to 5,000 m³ for budget planning. Chip yield ~3,000 m³ to MDF or pulp market.