Water vapor absorption data for western larch (Larix occidentalis Nutt.): Results of a worldwide interlaboratory study

Automated sorption balances are widely used for characterizing the interaction of water vapor with hygroscopic materials. This data publication is part of an interlaboratory study investigating the stability and performance of automated sorption balances. For this portion of the study, we investigated the mass stability of western larch (Larix occidentalis Nutt.) wood samples held at constant relative humidity (RH) for seven to ten days after a step change had been included. The reason for the long hold times was to collect data to “operational equilibrium” where the change in mass is on the order of the inherent operational stability of the instrument. A total of 80 datasets were acquired from 21 laboratories around the world, collected between February 2022 and October 2024, covering absorption with final RH levels ranging from 10% to 95%. Measurements within each dataset include the time, mass, relative humidity, and temperature data for each sorption step of interest.
These data were collected to characterize the performance of automated sorption balances.
For more information about this study and these data, see Zelinka et al. (2025; https://doi.org/10.1007/s10450-025-00627-2).

Zelinka et al. (2024; https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2024-0025) contains a related data publication that characterizes the mass, temperature, and relative humidity (RH) stability of automated sorption balances by looking at the mass change of a non-hygroscopic sample over time.