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The Effects of Temperature, Humidity and
Moisture Content in the Wood
Wood is an organic, porous material that either absorbs moisture from the air, or evaporates it out into the air,
depending on the humidity and temperature of the environment surrounding it. Like a sponge, when wood absorbs
moisture, it swells up, and conversely, when it dries out, it shrinks.
Acoustic guitars, with their broad surfaces of relatively thin solid and laminated woods, are extremely sensitive to
environmental changes in temperature and humidity and as such, require ongoing attention to maintain them in their
optimum playing condition.
One of the greatest threats to the integrity of fine wood guitars is a lack of attention to maintaining the instruments in
the appropriate temperature and humidity range that will ensure the ideal moisture content in the wood.
The collective experience of all of the major acoustic guitar manufacturers today, has demonstrated that the ideal
temperature to preserve the integrity of solid wood acoustic guitars is “room temperature”, which is about 70 degrees
F (20.5 C). The ideal relative humidity is between 40% and 50%.
The moisture content of wood is determined by the relative humidity and temperature of the surrounding atmosphere.
Relative humidity is expressed as a percentage of air’s capability to hold moisture. For example, 30% relative humidity
means that the air is holding 30% of the moisture it could possibly hold at a given temperature.
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