Abstract The authors evaluate the usefulness of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) imaging to conservation research, and assess the ability of the technique to obtain non-destructive images from waterlogged wood samples, both prior to conservation and during consolidation. In the absence of iron salts, very high-quality images of internal wood structures, with a resolution of 25μm, can be obtained; this resolution would be adequate to carry out non-destructive dendrochronological studies. However, the maximum size of sample which can be imaged at this resolution is limited by the field strength of the magnets required. Paramagnetic salts, of which iron II and III are the most common, make NMR studies of any sort very difficult. As these contaminants are quite common in waterlogged wood, particularly oak, high-quality imaging cannot be carried out on all samples. This apparent drawback can be turned to advantage as a diagnostic probe for the presence of iron in the sample being conserved, and it can monitor ...