How do you manage the variables that affect moisture meter readings?

There are three types of adjustment that can be made to improve accuracy when measuring moisture content. Moisture content is dependent on material, temperature and species.

Wood species correction

Testing the moisture content of wood is complicated by the many different species of tree. All wood moisture meters will need species allowance, which is differentiated in one of two ways: built-in to the device or in separate correction charts.

If your moisture meter has a built-in species correction, you will need to set it before using. This is the more advanced and user-friendly of the two methods. 

When provided with correction tables, it is up to the user to interpret the results by comparing the measured value with the tables. The tables are broken down by species 

Pinless moisture meters are more sensitive to species differentiation than pin-type, and are generally have a wider species break-down, whereas some species can be grouped together for pin-type meter readings.

Other material correction

Testing materials other than wood also requires moisture content allowances. If you want to test other materials, it is advisable to use a moisture meter with the specific function to change between materials built-in to the device. 

Changing between different materials is simple: press the button that changes the setting until the symbol for the material you wish to measure is displayed. 

Temperature correction 

The technology used to measure moisture content can be affected by temperature. This is especially true of pin-type moisture meters. More advanced moisture meters have the ability to monitor temperature and adjust the moisture reading accordingly. 

Other moisture meters have a temperature setting, which will display the temperature to the user, allowing them to take into account any extremes that may affect moisture content. 

For more information, see:  What additional features can moisture meters have?