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It is possible to determine properties of wood using microwave scanning techniques. The purpose of this study was to verify the measured values from a microwave imaging sensor. Attenuation and phase shift of an electromagnetic wave transmitted through birch wood were measured and compared with theoretical calculated values. A test piece with varying thickness was measured with a scanner based on a microwave sensor (Satimo 9.375 GHz) at different temperatures and moisture contents. The density distribution of the test piece was determined by computer tomography scanning. The result showed good correspondence between measured and theoretical values. The proportion of noise was higher at low moisture content due to lower attenuation. There is more noise in attenuation measurement than in measurement of phase shift. A reason for this could be that wood is an inhomogeneous material in which reflections and scattering affect attenuation more than phase shift. The microwave scanner has to be calibrated to a known dielectric to quantify the error in the measurement. (C) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.