Six meters by their makers' figures
| Meter | Type | Wood range | Species setting | Depth, as stated | Check or calibration |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delmhorst J-2000 | Pin | 6–40% (J-2000/X: 6–60%) | Species codes, Douglas-fir basis | Built-in pins to 5/16 in; hammer electrode for thicker wood | Check key: 12% ±0.2; serviced by Delmhorst |
| General MMD4E | Pin | 5–50% | None | 9 mm (0.35 in) pins; depth not stated | Cap resistor: 18.3% ±1% in wood mode |
| Lignomat mini-Ligno MD | Pin | 6–25%, 1% steps | Two wood groups | Up to 7/16 in | Automatic check before each reading; test block sold separately |
| Wagner Orion 910 | Pinless | 4.0–32.0%, 0.1% display | Specific gravity 0.20–1.00 | 3/4 in | User recalibration on its own calibrator |
| Wagner Orion 930 | Pinless | 4.0–32.0%, 0.1% display | Specific gravity 0.20–1.00 | 1/4 in or 3/4 in | User recalibration on its own calibrator |
| Wagner Orion 950 | Pinless | 4.0–32.0%, 0.1% display | Specific gravity 0.20–1.00 | 1/4 in or 3/4 in | User recalibration on its own calibrator |
Each maker's figures for its own meter. The Wood Handbook puts the reliable range of resistance (pin) meters at about 6–30% and of dielectric (pinless) meters at about 4–30%; readings beyond that are qualitative, whatever the display shows. Not a ranking.
Equipment notePaid link
Moisture meter
General Tools MMD4E
The pin meter in the table above: 5–50% in wood mode, a separate building-materials mode and no species correction, by General's figures.
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Where the meters differ
| Meter | Temperature | Accuracy as the maker states it | Other features stated |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delmhorst J-2000 | Compensated; correct outside 50–90 °F by Delmhorst's table | No plus-or-minus figure for readings; the check tolerance is ±0.2 | Insulated-pin setting; averages up to 100 readings |
| General MMD4E | Wait 30 min after a large ambient change | '±2%', conditions not stated | Building-materials mode; low, mid and high lights |
| Lignomat mini-Ligno MD | Lignomat: calibration not affected by ambient temperature | Not stated as a figure | Cap that covers the pins and acts as a handle |
| Wagner Orion 910 / 930 | Wagner: virtually unaffected by wood temperature; contact it for very hot or frozen wood | Not stated as a figure | Relative mode for other materials (not MC) |
| Wagner Orion 950 | As the 930 | Not stated as a figure | Air temperature, humidity, dew point, calculated EMC; Bluetooth; stored readings |
A 0.1% display step is resolution, not accuracy. The Handbook's figure for a properly used meter is that an average of corrected readings falls within 1% of the true average. Not a ranking.
Matching a meter to the work
| Work | What suits it | Why, from the documents |
|---|---|---|
| Boards up to about 1-1/2 in | Either type | Built-in pins and a 3/4 in pinless mode both reach a useful depth |
| Show faces you cannot mark | Pinless | No pin holes; reading taken through the face |
| Thin stock under 1/2 in | A pinless meter with a 1/4 in mode, or pins set shallow | Wagner: 3/4 in mode reads thin wood low |
| Thick slabs and timbers | Pins on a hammer electrode with insulated pins, or a fresh end-grain cut | Delmhorst: insulated pins for wood up to 5–6 in; Lignomat: end grain on a fresh cut. A face reading does not reach the core |
| Many different species | A meter with a species list or density setting | The MMD4E has no species correction; two wood groups on the mini-Ligno MD |
| Also checking the room | The Orion 950, or a separate hygrometer | EMC from the air shows where wood is heading; the board's MC is a separate reading |
Built from the makers' statements and the Wood Handbook. No meter reviewed reads the middle of a thick slab from its face; an oven-dry sample is the reference. Not a ranking.
What to compare
- Pin or pinless. Pins read at a depth you control and mark the wood. Pinless meters leave no mark but read a fixed zone weighted to the surface. How each works is in the moisture meter guide.
- Range. The useful range is where the meter's range and the Handbook's reliable range overlap. Above about 30% any reading means wet, not a figure.
- Depth. For pins, ask how deep the pins go and whether insulated pins are offered. For pinless meters, ask the maker's stated depth for that model; it is not interchangeable between makers.
- Species. Species codes, a density setting, wood groups or none. A density figure from one maker's scale is not a setting for another's meter.
- Temperature. Built in, a table, or a statement that it is not needed. A meter used in a cold shop needs one of the first two.
- Checking it. A check key, a resistor in the cap, a self-test or a calibrator. Know what your meter has before the first reading you rely on, and the cautions in moisture meter safety.
Before choosing a moisture meter
- Pin or pinless, by whether the face can take holes
- Range that covers the MC your wood should reach
- Stated depth that suits your thickest and thinnest stock
- Species correction for the woods you use
- Temperature handling for the shop it will live in
- A calibration check you can run yourself
A reading only matters against a target. The Handbook's recommended moisture content for interior work depends on the climate, set out in choosing lumber, and the wood movement calculator shows what a difference of a few points means across a board's width.
Sources
Specification-based: every figure is the maker's own for the meter named, from its manual or product page. Accuracy claims are quoted only as the maker gives them and were not checked. No meter was tested and none is ranked.
- 1.
J-2000 Owner's Manual (510INS-0003, Rev. 11/18), as hosted by the University of Pennsylvania. Delmhorst Instrument Co., 2018.
Used for: The J-2000: pin type; 6–40% on wood (J-2000/X 6–60%); species codes on a Douglas-fir basis (48 in the feature list, 50 on the chart); built-in temperature compensation with correction outside 50–90 °F; uninsulated and insulated pin settings; built-in pins to 5/16 in for wood up to 1-1/2 to 2 in thick and the hammer electrode with insulated pins for wood up to 5–6 in; the 12% ±0.2 check, return to Delmhorst if a fresh battery does not restore it; averaging up to 100 readings.
- 2.
Correction Tables & Species Look Up. Delmhorst Instrument Co..
Used for: Delmhorst's temperature and insulated-pin correction tables.
- 3.
MMD4E Pin-Type LCD Moisture Meter Manual (as hosted by a distributor). General Tools & Instruments.
Used for: The MMD4E: pin type; two replaceable 9 mm (0.35 in) pins; 5–50% in wood mode, 1.5–33% in a separate building-materials mode; 'measuring accuracy ±2%' without stated conditions; no species correction; low, mid and high indicator lights at 5–11.9%, 12–15.9% and 16–50%; the 18.3% ±1% check on the cap's resistor.
- 4.
mini-Ligno MD. Lignomat USA.
Used for: The mini-Ligno MD: pin type; 6–25% in 1% steps; two wood-group settings; pins of 3/16 in and 7/16 in measuring up to 7/16 in deep; end-grain readings on a fresh cut or a depth electrode for thicker wood; an automatic calibration check before each measurement; a test block sold separately.
- 5.
Orion 910 Moisture Meter Operating Manual. Wagner Meters.
Used for: The Orion 910: pinless; 4.0–32.0%, 0.1% resolution; one depth, 3/4 in; specific-gravity setting 0.20–1.00; minimum wood 2.0 × 2.5 × 0.75 in; 1 in air gap; user recalibration on the On-Demand Calibrator.
- 6.
Orion 930 Moisture Meter Operating Manual. Wagner Meters.
Used for: The Orion 930: as the 910 with 1/4 in and 3/4 in modes, IntelliSense active in 3/4 in mode only, and the 1/4 in mode advised for wood under 0.50 in.
- 7.
Orion 950 Moisture Meter Operating Manual. Wagner Meters.
Used for: The Orion 950: the 930's modes plus air temperature, relative humidity, dew point and a calculated equilibrium moisture content, Bluetooth and stored readings.
- 8.
Chapter 13: Drying and Control of Moisture Content and Dimensional Changes. USDA Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory — Wood Handbook, FPL-GTR-282, 2021.
Used for: Reliable ranges of about 6–30% for resistance and 4–30% for dielectric meters, readings above about 30% qualitative; the 1% accuracy statement for an average of corrected readings.
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