Courtside Pro

What MFMA says about gym humidity and temperature (2026 and 2024 texts)

Documents read on . Statements are attributed to the publisher and dated as printed.

This guide reports what published documents say about humidity and temperature in a maple gym. It does not recommend a setting for any building. Every figure links to the document it comes from, with the date we read it.

The Maple Flooring Manufacturers Association (MFMA) texts are set side by side because they share one publisher. Each maker's statements stay in their own section.

MFMA: the 2026 page and earlier pages

MFMA texts side by side (one publisher). Each row is shown as published.
MFMA textTemperatureRelative humidity (RH) statementSource
Humidity and Temperature Guidelines, 2026 page55-75 FIndoor RH should be maintained within a 15% range. Examples given: 25-40%, 35-50% and 50-65%. The midpoint of the 15% range must correlate with the midpoint of the anticipated seasonal wood moisture content for the location.MFMA 2026 page, accessed 2026-10-04
Humidity and Environmental Recommendations, page revised 3/2455-75 FRH within a 15% range, for example between 35% and 50%. Dry southwestern areas may fall below 35-50% and humid southeastern regions may exceed it, but the average peak and average minimum humidity must provide a maximum 15% range.MFMA, revised 3/24, accessed 2026-10-04
Flooring page, no date printed55-75 F35-50% IRH. Where those variances cannot be maintained, 20 F temperature and 15% IRH variances will not adversely affect the floor.MFMA Flooring page, accessed 2026-10-04
Floor Squeaks position statement, no revision date printed55-75 F35-50% RH year-round; a 15 percent RH fluctuation will not adversely affect properly acclimated maple. Squeak-free performance cannot be guaranteed for any wood floor system.MFMA Floor Squeaks, accessed 2026-10-04

How the texts differ: the 2026 page gives three example ranges and ties the range to the local seasonal wood moisture content. The earlier pages name one example range, and one says dry southwestern areas may fall below it and humid southeastern regions may exceed it. This guide shows each page as it reads and does not choose between them. Source: Humidity and Temperature Guidelines (2026), Maple Flooring Manufacturers Association (MFMA), 2026 (as printed in the page title), accessed 2026-10-04 Source: Humidity and Environmental Recommendations, Maple Flooring Manufacturers Association (MFMA), page prints Revised 3/24, accessed 2026-10-04

Maker statements about indoor conditions (each shown separately)

Connor Sports

Connor Sports states, in VIP II specification, Section 09642, no printed revision, accessed 2026-10-04: flooring is manufactured at a moisture content most compatible with 35%-50% RH. A 15% fluctuation between highest and lowest average indoor RH provides limited shrinkage and growth; HVAC should prevent excessive tightening and shrinkage.

Action Floor Systems

Action Floor Systems states, in Action AnchorFlex Sports Floor Specifications (Section 09 64 00), Rev 3/26, accessed 2026-10-04: industry standards recommend indoor RH of 35 to 50 percent and air temperature of 55 to 75 F year-round. A 15 percent fluctuation in indoor RH will not adversely affect the maple, while larger swings may cause excessive shrinkage or expansion.

Aacer Sports Flooring

Aacer Sports Flooring states, in SPECIFICATION: MULTISTAGE, Floating System (Section 09642), Revision Level A 2023, accessed 2026-10-04: permanent HVAC is to run a minimum of one week before installation, conditioning the air to 55/75 F with RH of 35/50 percent or expected occupancy conditions.

Robbins

Robbins states, in Robbins Bio-Channel Classic guide specification, Section 096460 (copy hosted by Centaur Products), 7/25/2019 (as printed in the document header), accessed 2026-10-04: the Classic specification calls for 55-80 F and 35-50% RH during installation and storage.

Outdoor context for TX, OK and KS

Outdoor context only; the indoor requirement does not change.

Outdoor-air equilibrium moisture content (EMC), annual low to high of the monthly means, by city. These are outdoor-air values, not indoor floor measurements.
CityAnnual low to high outdoor EMC (%)Source
Dallas, TX11.0 to 12.9NC State, accessed 2026-10-04
Houston, TX13.8 to 14.6NC State, accessed 2026-10-04
San Antonio, TX12.3 to 13.7NC State, accessed 2026-10-04
Austin, TX12.1 to 13.7NC State, accessed 2026-10-04
El Paso, TX5.5 to 9.3NC State, accessed 2026-10-04
Amarillo, TX10.0 to 11.4NC State, accessed 2026-10-04
Oklahoma City, OK11.8 to 13.3NC State, accessed 2026-10-04
Tulsa, OK12.1 to 13.5NC State, accessed 2026-10-04
Wichita, KS11.7 to 13.8NC State, accessed 2026-10-04
Topeka, KS12.4 to 13.9NC State, accessed 2026-10-04

The NC State note says its outdoor EMC calculations average the daily morning and afternoon normal RH into one monthly RH and use the monthly mean temperature, so the values are outdoor monthly means, not extremes or indoor conditions. Source: The Equilibrium Moisture Content of Wood in Exterior Locations in the United States: An Update, North Carolina State University Wood Products Extension, PDF created 2016-08-18; uses 1981-2010 normals, accessed 2026-10-04

NOAA's 1991-2020 monthly mean temperature normals for the Dallas-Fort Worth airport station run from 46.3 F in January to 85.7 F in July and August. This is outdoor air temperature, context only. Source: NCEI Monthly U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020, station CSV USW00003927 (DALLAS FT WORTH AP, TX US), NOAA NCEI, 1991-2020 normals, accessed 2026-10-04

Using the Wood Handbook's Table 4-2 at 70 F, an RH band of 35-50% corresponds to roughly 6.9-9.2% wood EMC, 25-40% to 5.4-7.7%, and 50-65% to 9.2-12.0%. Source: Wood Handbook Chapter 4: Moisture Relations and Physical Properties of Wood (FPL-GTR-190), USDA Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory, no year printed, accessed 2026-10-04

Sources

MFMA

Connor Sports

Action Floor Systems

Aacer Sports Flooring

Robbins

NC State University

NOAA

USDA Forest Products Laboratory

Back to top