In order to establish the degree of degradation of wood used in construction, it is necessary to employ non-destructive methods (ultrasonic, durometric, densitometric). In this study, ultrasonic and Pilodyn durometric techniques have been applied to try to establish parameters of relationship between the values obtained by both, for their immediate application to wood in service. As a method of reference, the traditional gravimetric technique of percentage of weight loss was used. Two species of pine (P. pinaster and P. contorta), widely used as construction wood in Spain, were assayed. They were subjected to an attack of Gloeophyllum trabeum, a brown rot fungus. Data were collected at 0, 2, 4, and 6 months of incubation. While the ultrasonic technique allowed us to evaluate the degree of alteration, the determination of the hardness of the wood by Pilodyn durometry proved to be excessively aggressive applied to woods that were highly degraded, although it could be used in incipient processes of rot.

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