Effect of drying temperature on fuel moisture content measurements

Oven-drying of fuel samples is often used to determine fuel moisture content. In this study, laboratory measurements are used to demonstrate that drying temperature has a significant effect on the oven-dry mass of dead grass, pine and eucalyptus fuels. Differences between oven-dry masses of fuels dried at 60 and 105 degrees C of up to 3.5% were measured. This is a large enough difference to have a significant effect on fire behaviour predictions. Samples should be dried at 105 degrees C.