Our rankings are based on Moisture Meter Experts’ independent evaluation of each meter listed. Meters were purchased by Moisture Meter Experts or provided free of charge by the manufacturer. By purchasing a meter through the links on this page, Moisture Meter Experts may be compensated either by your purchase directly from Moisture Meter Experts or from commissions from an affiliate. View our review procedures to learn more about our evaluation process.
The more you spend on a wood moisture meter (pin or pinless meter), the better the quality, for the most part.
If you’re willing to accept a moisture reading with +/- 5% accuracy, you can probably get away with buying a cheap meter in the $25–50 range.
Our list below features the top ten moisture meters on the market right now.
Wood Moisture Meter Comparison
Every meter below was run through the same seven tests. Scores are out of 5.0 unless shown as a percentage.
Accuracy is scored against oven-dry samples prepared to ASTM D4442, the standard test method for direct moisture content measurement of wood and wood-base materials.
| Meter | Type | Overall | Accuracy | Surface moisture | Wood temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wagner Meters Orion 910 | Pinless | 90% | 4.4 | 5.0 | 4.5 |
| Wagner Meters Orion 950 | Pinless, dual depth | 89% | 4.2 | 5.0 | 4.5 |
| Wagner Meters Orion 940 | Pinless, dual depth | 89% | 4.2 | 5.0 | 4.5 |
| Wagner Meters Orion 930 | Pinless, dual depth | 86% | 4.2 | 4.0 | 4.5 |
| Bessemeter D300 | Pinless | 82% | 4.2 | 1.0 | 5.0 |
| Lignomat Scanner D | Pinless | 82% | 4.4 | 1.0 | 3.0 |
| Lignomat VersaTec | Pinless, 3 modes | 82% | 4.4 | 1.0 | 2.6 |
| Bessemeter DS500 | Pinless, dual depth | 81% | 4.2 | 1.0 | 4.5 |
| Lignomat Scanner S/D | Pinless, dual depth | 81% | 4.3 | 1.0 | 3.0 |
| Delmhorst BD-2100 | Pin | 75% | 3.9 | 1.0 | 4.0 |
The surface moisture column is worth a second look. It measures how far a reading climbs when the wood surface is damp, and it separates these meters more sharply than any other test.
Meters are ranked by overall score. Where two meters tie, the higher subjective score breaks it.
1. Wagner Meters Orion 910 Moisture Meter
(Overall Score: 90%)
The Wagner Meters Orion® 910 is a pinless moisture meter that can be used for measuring moisture in wood and other building materials. Its rugged build should stand up well to extended use, and the simple, intuitive design makes it easy to use. We like that the Orion 910 is capable of taking accurate readings down to 4% MC. As with every meter in the Orion line by Wagner Meters, the 910 comes with an On-Demand Calibrator, which means the user can do his/her own calibrations. This is a feature no other manufacturer offers.
2. Wagner Meters Orion 950 Moisture Meter
(Overall Score: 89%)
The Wagner Meters Orion 950 is a pinless moisture meter that can be used for measuring moisture in wood, wood floor, and other building materials. Its rugged build should stand up well to extended use, and its simple, intuitive design makes it easy to use. We like that the Orion 950 is capable of taking accurate readings down to 4% MC. We also like its extra features such as its ability to take dual-depth readings. It also offers Bluetooth® connectivity for use with a mobile app for storing/retrieving data. As with every meter in the Orion line by Wagner Meters, the 950 comes with an On-Demand Calibrator, which means the user can do his/her own calibrations. This is a feature no other manufacturer offers.
3. Wagner Meters Orion 940 Wood Moisture Meter
(Overall Score: 89%)
The Wagner Meters Orion 940 is a pinless moisture meter that can be used for measuring moisture in wood and other building materials. Its rugged build should stand up well to extended use, and the simple, intuitive design makes it easy to use. We like that the Orion 940 is capable of taking accurate readings down to 4% MC. We also like its extra features such as the ability to take dual-depth readings. As with every meter in the Orion line by Wagner Meters, the 940 comes with an On-Demand Calibrator, which means the user can do his/her own calibrations. This is a feature no other manufacturer offers.
4. Wagner Meters Orion 930 Moisture Meter
(Overall Score: 86%)
The Wagner Meters Orion 930 is a pinless moisture meter that can be used for measuring moisture in wood and other building materials. Its rugged build should stand up well to extended use, plus the simple, intuitive design makes it easy to use. We like that the Orion 930 is capable of taking accurate readings down to 4% MC. We also like its dual-depth feature for getting readings at two different depths in the wood. As with every meter in the Orion line by Wagner Meters, the 930 comes with an On-Demand Calibrator, which means the user can do his/her own calibrations. This is a feature no other manufacturer offers.
5. Bessemeter D300 Moisture Meter
(Overall Score: 82%)
The Bessemeter D300 is a versatile and user-friendly pinless moisture meter designed for accurately measuring moisture content in both wood and other building materials. With a measurement range of 6% to 32%, it ensures reliable results across various projects. A standout feature is the ability to customize settings for individual wood species or other materials, providing more precise readings. The device comes with a durable hard shell carrying case for safe transport and includes a calibration verification tool, allowing users to ensure ongoing accuracy. While the D300 offers ease of use with clear instructions, it lacks a display backlight, making it harder to read in low-light conditions, and does not include a high moisture alarm for immediate alerts.
6. Lignomat Scanner D Moisture Meter
(Overall Score: 82%)
The Lignomat Scanner D is a pinless, capacitance-type meter capable of reading moisture in wood, bamboo, and other building materials. Its cons include the fact that it is less accurate at higher MC levels (above 20%), surface moisture significantly affects accuracy of readings, and low/high wood temperatures affect readings when wood moisture content is high. Pros include accurate readings when MC is in the 5% to 15% range; built-in species correction and HOLD function; designed for measurements with wood, bamboo, and other building materials; won’t damage wood surfaces; and comes with a 2-year warranty, including repairs.
7. Lignomat VersaTec Moisture Meter
(Overall Score: 82%)
The Lignomat VersaTec with its advanced microprocessor technology offers three modes: pin mode, scan mode (pinless meter) with selectable measuring depths, and a relative humidity (RH) mode that measures temperature and RH. Its cons include the fact that surface moisture significantly affects readings; readings for some wood species only go down to 6.8% after adjusting for specific gravity; and the hammer probe cable accessory is not always reliable, while pins are prone to breakage. Pros include versatility: 3 modes of operation plus built-in adjustments for different wood species, bamboo, sheetrock, and a reference scale for concrete and other building materials; reasonable accuracy, especially for moisture readings in the 5% to 15% range; and an internal calibration check.
8. Bessemeter DS500 Moisture Meter
(Overall Score: 81%)
The Bessemeter DS500 features dual-depth functionality, allowing users to measure at ¾-inch or ¼-inch depths, with this review focusing on the ¾-inch setting. It offers a 6% to 32% moisture range and can be customized for specific wood species and other materials. The meter comes with a hard shell case for safe transport and a calibration verification tool for maintaining accuracy. While it’s easy to use with clear instructions, it lacks a backlight for the display and does not include a high moisture alarm.
9. Lignomat Scanner S/D Moisture Meter
(Overall Score: 81%)
The Lignomat Scanner S/D pinless, capacitance meter measures moisture in wood and other building materials such as laminates and drywall at two depths: ¼ inch or ¾ inch. Its cons include the fact that surface moisture significantly affects readings, accuracy decreases when moisture content exceeds 18%, and for some wood species, moisture measurement readings only go down to 6.8% after adjusting for specific gravity. Pros include two possible measuring depths; the meter is lightweight, compact and comfortable to hold as well as fast and easy to use; won’t damage wood surfaces; and it comes with a 2-year warranty, including all repairs.
10. Delmhorst BD-2100 Digital Pin Wood and Drywall Moisture Meter
(Overall Score: 75%)
The Delmhorst BD-2100 LCD display pin meter can be used to measure wood, sheetrock, and other building materials. Its cons include questionable pin durability, inability to read moisture below 6%, somewhat lower readings than actual moisture content, skewed readings from surface moisture, and its pins can damage wood surfaces. Pros include its use with many types of building materials, built-in calibration check, an audible alarm to signal readings above a selected value, and capability of storing and averaging up to 100 readings. MC range: 6% to 40%.
Best Moisture Meter for Firewood
Firewood is the hardest case on this page, because of where it lives. Wood comes in off the stack cold and often damp on the outside, and both of those conditions push a reading away from the true moisture content of the log.
That makes two of our tests matter more than the overall score. The surface moisture test shows how much a damp outer face inflates a reading, and the wood temperature test shows what happens when cold wood meets the sensor.
The target most guidance points to is 20%. The US EPA advises seasoning wood for at least six months and notes that it burns best below 20% moisture content, testing with a wood moisture meter before burning. Above that, more of the fire’s energy goes into driving off water instead of heating the room, and you get more smoke for it.
On surface moisture, the four Wagner Meters Orion models score 4.0 to 5.0. Every other meter on this page scores 1.0. If you are checking a split that came in from the rain or a snow-covered stack, that difference is the whole ballgame.
On cold wood, the Bessemeter D300 scored 5.0, the Orion models 4.5, and the Lignomat Scanner D, Scanner S/D and VersaTec 3.0, 3.0 and 2.6 respectively.
Our pick for firewood is the Orion 910. It carries the highest overall score on this page at 90%, a 5.0 on surface moisture, and a 5.0 on meter temperature, which matters when the meter itself has been sitting in a cold shed.
Whichever meter you use, take the reading on a freshly split face rather than the weathered outside of the log, and let the wood reach room temperature first if you can.
Best Moisture Meter for Woodworking
Woodworking asks for two things the other uses do not. You are usually working with wood that is already dry, often in the 6% to 9% range, and you do not want holes in stock that is about to become a finished surface.
Both point to a pinless meter, and to accuracy at the low end of the scale rather than the middle.
This is where the Lignomat meters run into a limit worth knowing about. On both the VersaTec and the Scanner S/D, our testing found that after adjusting for specific gravity, readings for some species only go down to 6.8%. If your shop stock sits below that, the meter cannot tell you how far below.
The Orion 910 posted the highest accuracy score on this page at 4.4 out of 5.0, and reads reliably at the low moisture levels furniture and cabinet work depend on.
Our pick for woodworking is the Orion 910. If you want a shop meter that records readings rather than just displaying them, the Orion 940 adds data recording and retrieval, and the Orion 950 adds those plus a second reading depth.
Best Moisture Meter for Wood Flooring
Flooring work involves two measurements, not one. You need the moisture content of the planks and of the subfloor beneath them, and the gap between those two numbers is what tells you whether the floor is ready to install.
A dual depth meter reads at two different depths into the material, which lets you compare a surface layer against what is happening underneath without changing tools.
Five meters on this page read at two depths: the Orion 930, 940 and 950, the Bessemeter DS500, and the Lignomat Scanner S/D. The Lignomat Scanner D reads at a fixed ¾ inch depth, which our review notes suits floor installers and cabinet makers.
Of those five, the Orion 950 and Orion 940 score highest overall at 89%, and both post a 5.0 on surface moisture. The Orion 930 follows at 86% with a 4.0. The Bessemeter DS500 and Lignomat Scanner S/D both score 1.0 on surface moisture, which matters on a jobsite where a slab or subfloor is still giving off moisture.
Our pick for flooring is the Orion 950, which edges the 940 on our subjective evaluation while matching it everywhere else.
What Are the Different Types of Moisture Meters?
The different types of wood moisture meters come in two varieties: pin-type and pinless.
Pin
A pin moisture meter has two small pins that must physically penetrate the wood to take a reading.
Pinless
A pinless moisture meter is a non-invasive moisture meter. They don’t need to penetrate the wood to take a moisture content reading. Instead, they use an electromagnetic moisture sensor to scan the wood.
What Is the Best Moisture Meter Brand?
We found Wagner Meters to be the best brand for moisture meters.
Also, we found the best wood moisture meter to be the Wagner Meters Orion 910 Pinless Wood Moisture Meter (Overall Score: 90%)
The ten wood moisture meters presented are the top performers from our testing. The percentage score to the right of each brand is the overall score based on the meter’s Objective Evaluation, Subjective Evaluation, and Accuracy.
Several brands were not recommended for purchase because of poor accuracy or the fact that their meters were not useful for measuring wood with low moisture content (MC) levels. These brands include Amprobe, CEM, Electrophysics, Extech, Protimeter, General, Moistec, Moisture Register Products, Sonin, Testo, Timber Check, and Tramex.