Building materials differ in their susceptibility to mould growth. Wood is a material often considered to have a low mould resistance. However, wood is not a homogenous material and different characteristics of the material are expected to have an impact on mould growth. In this paper, it was shown that wood species (pine or spruce), sawing pattern (centre-board or side-board) and surface structure (planed or sawn) affected mould growth. In addition, it was indicated that the susceptibility cannot be described by one single parameter, but also depends on other parameters. It is therefore difficult to estimate the susceptibility of wood in general. These conclusions were drawn from a meta-analysis, using data from five separate, previously performed laboratory studies conducted at 90% relative humidity and 22 °C, and from a laboratory study performed at 95% RH and 22 °C. © 2016 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg