This information was prepared using material from the American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC)
publication, Guide to American Hardwoods Species.
Our species include: Ash, Beech, Cherry, Red Elm, Gum, Hackberry, Hickory/Pecan, Hard Maple,
Soft Maple, Red Oak, White Oak, Sycamore, Tulipwood (Poplar), and Black Walnut.
ASH(Fraxinus americana)
DISTRIBUTION
Throughout the Eastern USA.
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
American ash is similar in appearance to
European ash. The sapwood is light coloured
to nearly white and the heartwood varies from
greyish brown to light brown, to pale yellow
streaked with brown. The wood is generally
straight grained with a coarse uniform texture.
The degree and availability of light coloured
sapwood, and other properties, will vary
according to the growing regions.
WORKING PROPERTIES
Ash machines well, is good in nailing,
screwing and gluing, and can be stained and
polished to a very good finish. It dries fairly
easily with minimal degrade, and there is little
movement in performance.
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
Ash has very good overall strength properties
relative to its weight. It has excellent shock
resistance and is good for steam bending.
DURABILITY
Non-resistant to heartwood decay. The
sapwood is liable to attack by powder post
and the common furniture beetle. The
heartwood is moderately resistant to
preservative treatment, and the sapwood is
permeable.
MAIN USES
Furniture, flooring, doors, architectural
interiors, high class joinery and moulding,
kitchen cabinets, panelling, tool handles,
sports goods and turning.
DISTRIBUTION
Throughout Eastern USA, commercial
concentration is in the Central and Middle
Atlantic States.
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
The sapwood of American beech is white with
a red tinge, while the heartwood is light to
dark reddish brown. American beech tends to
be slightly darker and less consistent than
European beech. The wood is generally
straight grained with a close uniform texture.
WORKING PROPERTIES
American beech works readily with most hand
and machine tools. It has good nailing and
gluing properties and can be stained and
polished to a good finish. The wood dries
fairly rapidly but with a strong tendency to
warp, split and surface check. It is subject to a
large shrinkage and moderate movement in
performance.
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
American beech wood is classed as heavy,
hard, strong, high in resistance to shock and
highly suitable for steam bending.
DURABILITY
Rated as non-resistant to heartwood decay,
and liable to attack by common furniture
beetle and longhorn beetle, but permeable
for preservation.
MAIN USES
Furniture, doors, flooring, internal joinery,
panelling, brush handles and turning. It is
particularly suitable for food containers as
there is no odour or taste.
DISTRIBUTION
Throughout Eastern USA. Main commercial
areas Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia and
New York States.
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
The heartwood of cherry varies from rich red
to reddish brown and will darken on exposure
to light. In contrast the sapwood is creamy
white. The wood has a fine uniform straight
grain, smooth texture, and may naturally
contain brown pith flecks and small gum
pockets.
WORKING PROPERTIES
Cherry is easy to machine, nails and glues well
and when sanded, stained and polished, it
produces an excellent smooth finish. It dries
fairly quickly with moderately large shrinkage,
but is dimensionally stable after kilning.
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
The wood is of medium density with good
wood bending properties, it has low stiffness
and medium strength and shock resistance.
DURABILITY
Rated as resistant to heartwood decay. The
sapwood is liable to attack by common
furniture beetle, and the heartwood
moderately resistant to preservative treatment.
MAIN USES
Furniture and cabinet making, high class
joinery, kitchen cabinets, mouldings,
panelling, flooring, doors, boat interiors,
musical instruments, turning and carving.
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
Red elm has a greyish white to light brown
narrow sapwood, with heartwood that is
reddish brown to dark brown in colour. The
grain can be straight, but is often interlocked.
The wood has a coarse texture.
(American grey elm is now only available in
very limited volume.)
WORKING PROPERTIES
The wood of red elm is fairly easy to work, it
nails, screws and glues well, and can be
sanded, stained and polished to a good finish.
It dries well with minimum degrade and little
movement in performance.
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
Elm is moderately heavy, hard and stiff with
excellent bending and shock resistance. It is
difficult to split because of its interlocked grain.
DURABILITY
Rated as non-resistant to heartwood decay,
and classed as permeable to preservatives.
MAIN USES
Furniture, cabinet making, flooring, internal
joinery, panelling and coffins.
DISTRIBUTION
The gums are an important part of the
Eastern hardwood forests, and are found
throughout the South Eastern USA.
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
The sapwood of American gum tends to be
wide and is white to light pink, while the
heartwood is reddish brown, often with darker
streaks. The wood has irregular grain, usually
interlocked, which produces an attractive
grain figure. It has a fine uniform texture.
WORKING PROPERTIES
The wood is easy to work, with both hand and
machine tools. It nails, screws and glues well,
takes stain easily and can be sanded and
polished to an excellent finish. It dries rapidly
with a strong tendency to warp and twist.
It has a large shrinkage, and is liable to
movement in performance.
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
American gum is moderately hard, stiff and
heavy and has a low steam bending
classification.
DURABILITY
Rated as non-resistant to heartwood decay
and liable to insect attack. The heartwood is
moderately resistant to preservative treatment
but the sapwood is permeable.
MAIN USES
Cabinet making, furniture parts, doors, internal
joinery, strips and mouldings, turning and rail
ties. Good substitute for walnut when stained.
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
Hackberry is closely related to sugarberry
(Celtis laevigata) and is a member of the elm
family. There is little difference between
sapwood and heartwood which is yellowish
grey to light brown with yellow streaks. The
wood is very susceptible to blue staining
before and after kilning and has irregular
grain, occasionally straight and sometimes
interlocked, with a fine uniform texture.
WORKING PROPERTIES
The wood planes and turns well and is
intermediate in its ability to hold nails and
screws, and stains and polishes satisfactorily.
Hackberry dries readily with minimal degrade.
It has a fairly high shrinkage and may be
susceptible to movement in performance.
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
Hackberry is moderately hard, heavy and has
medium bending strength, high shock
resistance but is low in stiffness. It has a good
steam bending classification.
DURABILITY
Non-resistant to heartwood decay. Liable to
attack by forest longhorn and Buprestid
beetle. The heartwood is moderately resistant
to preservative treatment but the sapwood is
permeable.
MAIN USES
Furniture and kitchen cabinets, joinery, doors
and mouldings.
DISTRIBUTION
Eastern USA, principal commercial areas
Central and Southern states.
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
The hickories are an important group within
the Eastern hardwood forests. Botanically they
are split into two groups; the true hickories,
and the pecan hickories (fruit bearing). The
wood is virtually the same for both and is
usually sold together. The sapwood of hickory
is white, tinged with brown while the
heartwood is pale to reddish brown. Both are
coarse textured and the grain is usually
straight but can be wavy or irregular.
WORKING PROPERTIES
The hickories are considered difficult to
machine and glue, and are very hard to work
with hand tools, so care is needed. They
hold nails and screws well, but there is a
tendency to split so pre-boring is advised. The
wood can be sanded and polished to
a good finish. It can be difficult to dry and has
a large shrinkage.
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
The density and strength of the hickories will
vary according to the rate of growth, with the
true hickories generally showing higher values
than the pecan hickories. The wood is well
known for its very good strength and shock
resistance and it also has excellent steam
bending properties.
DURABILITY
Rated as non-resistant to heartwood decay.
The sapwood is liable to attack by the powder
post beetle. The wood is classed as resistant
to preservative treatment.
MAIN USES
Tool handles, furniture, cabinetry, flooring,
wooden ladders, dowels and sporting goods.
DISTRIBUTION
Eastern USA, principally Mid-Atlantic and Lake
States. A cold weather tree favouring a more
Northerly climate.
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
The sapwood is creamy white with a slight
reddish brown tinge and the heartwood varies
from light to dark reddish brown. The amount
of darker brown heartwood can vary
significantly according to growing region.
Both sapwood and heartwood can contain
pith fleck. The wood has a close fine texture
and is generally straight grained, but it can
also occur as “curly”, “fiddleback”, and
“birds-eye” figure.
WORKING PROPERTIES
Hard maple dries slowly with a large
shrinkage, so it can be susceptible to
movement in performance. Pre-boring is
recommended when nailing and screwing.
With care it machines well, turns well, glues
satisfactorily, and can be stained and polished
to an outstanding finish.
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
The wood is hard and heavy with good strength
properties, in particular its high resistance to
abrasion and wear. It also has good steam
bending properties.
DURABILITY
Rated as slightly or non-resistant to heartwood
decay. Sapwood is liable to attack by furniture
beetle. The heartwood is resistant to preservative
treatment but the sapwood is permeable.
MAIN USES
Flooring, furniture, panelling, kitchen cabinets,
worktops and table tops, interior joinery:
stairs, handrails, mouldings, and doors.
Specific Gravity (12% M.C.)
0.63
Averfage Weight (12% M.C.)
705 kg/m3
Average Volumetric Shrinkage (Green to 6% M.C.)
11.9%
Modulus of Elasticity:
12,618 MPa
Hardness:
6450 N
* Values based on Fraxinus americana
Soft Maple(Principally Acer rubrum, A. saccharinum)
DISTRIBUTION
Throughout Eastern USA, and to a lesser
extent on the West coast (bigleaf maple).
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
In most respects the wood of soft maple is
very similar to that of hard maple. Although
due to its widespread growth it may be more
susceptible to regional colour variations.
Generally the sapwood is greyish white,
sometimes with darker coloured pith flecks.
The heartwood varies from light to dark
reddish brown. The wood is usually straight
grained. The lumber is generally sold
unselected for colour.
WORKING PROPERTIES
Soft maple machines well and can be stained
and polished to an excellent finish. It glues,
screws, and nails satisfactorily. It dries slowly
with minimal degrade and there is little
movement in performance.
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
Soft maple is about 25% less hard than hard
maple, has medium bending and crushing
strength, and is low in stiffness and shock
resistance. It has good steam bending
properties.
DURABILITY
Non-resistant to decay and insect attack. The
heartwood is moderately resistant to preservative
treatment but the sapwood is permeable.
MAIN USES
Furniture, panelling, interior joinery, kitchen
cabinets, mouldings, doors, musical
instruments, and turning. Soft maple is often
used as a substitute for hard maple or stained
to resemble other species such as cherry. Its
physical and working properties also make it
a possible substitute for beech.
DISTRIBUTION
Widespread throughout Eastern USA. The
oaks are by far the largest species group
growing in the Eastern hardwood forests.
Red oaks grow more abundantly than the
white oaks. The red oak group comprises
many species, of which about eight are
commercial.
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
The sapwood of red oak is white to light
brown and the heartwood is a pinkish reddish
brown. The wood is similar in general
appearance to white oak, but with a slightly
less pronounced figure due to the smaller
rays. The wood is mostly straight grained,
with a coarse texture. The red oak tree gets
its name because of the colour of the leaves
in the “fall” (Autumn).
WORKING PROPERTIES
Red oak machines well, nailing and screwing
is good although pre-boring is recommended,
and it can be stained and polished to a good
finish. It dries slowly with a tendency to split
and warp. It has a high shrinkage and can be
susceptible to movement in performance.
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
The wood is hard and heavy, with medium
bending strength and stiffness and high
crushing strength. It is very good for steam
bending. Southern red oak has a more rapid
growth than Northern red oak and tends to be
harder and heavier.
DURABILITY
Rated slightly to non-resistant to heartwood decay,
moderately easy to treat with preservatives.
MAIN USES
Construction, furniture, flooring, architectural
interiors, internal joinery and mouldings,
doors, kitchen cabinets, panelling, coffins and
caskets. Not suitable for tight cooperage. Red
oak can vary in colour, texture, characteristics
and properties according to the growing
region. It is therefore recommended that
users and specifiers work closely with their
suppliers to make sure the wood they order is
suited to their specific needs.
DISTRIBUTION
Widespread throughout Eastern USA. The white
oak group comprises many species, of which
about eight are commercial.
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
White oak is similar in colour and appearance
to European oak. The sapwood of American
white oak is light coloured and the heartwood
is light to dark brown. White oak is mostly
straight grained with a medium to coarse
texture, with longer rays than red oak. White
oak therefore has more figure.
WORKING PROPERTIES
White oak machines well, nails and screws well
although pre-boring is advised. As it reacts
with iron, galvanised nails are recommended.
Its adhesive properties are variable, but it
stains and polishes to a good finish. The wood
dries slowly and care is needed to avoid
checking. Due to its high shrinkage, it can be
susceptible to movement in performance.
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
A hard and heavy wood with medium bending
and crushing strength, low in stiffness, but
very good in steam bending. Southern white
oak is faster grown with wide growth rings,
and tends to be harder and heavier.
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
A hard and heavy wood with medium bending
and crushing strength, low in stiffness, but
very good in steam bending. Southern white
oak is faster grown with wide growth rings,
and tends to be harder and heavier.
DURABILITY
The heartwood is resistant to decay, extremely
resistant to preservative treatment, and the
sapwood is moderately resistant to treatment.
MAIN USES
Construction, furniture, flooring, architectural
joinery, exterior joinery, mouldings, doors,
kitchen cabinets, panelling, railway sleepers,
timber bridges, barrel staves, coffins and caskets.
White oak can vary in colour, texture,
characteristics and properties according to the
growing region. It is therefore recommended
that users and specifiers work closely with
their suppliers to make sure the wood they
order is suited to their specific needs. Northern
and Southern may be sold separately.
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
The sapwood of sycamore is white to light
yellow, while the heartwood is light to dark
brown. The wood has a fine close texture
with interlocked grain. It is not related in
any way to European sycamore but it has the
same family classification, and similar
characteristics to European plane. Contrasts
well with other species.
WORKING PROPERTIES
The wood machines well, but high speed
cutters are needed to prevent chipping. It is
resistant to splitting due to the interlocked
grain. The wood glues well and stains and
polishes, with care, to an excellent finish. It
dries fairly rapidly, with a tendency to warp. It
has moderate shrinkage and little movement
in performance.
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
The wood is classified as moderate in weight,
hardness, stiffness and shock resistance. It
turns well on the lathe and has good bending
qualities.
DURABILITY
Rated as non-resistant to heartwood decay.
The sapwood is liable to attack by the
common furniture beetle, but is permeable
to preservative treatment.
MAIN USES
Furniture, furniture parts (drawer sides), internal
joinery, panelling and mouldings, flooring, kitchen
ware, butchers blocks and veneered panels.
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
The sapwood is creamy white and may be
streaked with the heartwood varying from
pale yellowish brown to olive green. The
green colour in the heartwood will tend to
darken on exposure to light and turn brown.
The wood has a medium to fine texture and is
straight grained. The size of the sapwood and
some physical characteristics will vary
according to growing regions. The wood has
many desirable characteristics and is suitable
for a wide variety of important uses. The
tulipwood tree resembles the shape of the
European poplar, hence its name in USA.
WORKING PROPERTIES
A versatile timber that is easy to machine,
plane, turn, glue and bore. It dries easily with
minimal movement in performance and has
little tendency to split when nailed. It takes
and holds paint, enamel and stain
exceptionally well.
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
A medium density wood with low bending, shock
resistance, stiffness and compression values,
with a medium steam bending classification.
DURABILITY
Non-resistant to decay, heartwood is
moderately resistant to preservative
treatment, sapwood is permeable.
MAIN USES
Light construction, furniture, interior joinery,
kitchen cabinets, doors, panelling, mouldings,
edged-glued panels, plywood (USA), turning
and carving.
DISTRIBUTION
Throughout eastern USA, but principal
commercial region is the Central States. One
of the few American species planted as well
as naturally regenerated.
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
The sapwood of walnut is creamy white, while
the heartwood is light brown to dark
chocolate brown, occasionally with a purplish
cast and darker streaks. Walnut can be
supplied steamed, to darken sapwood or left
unsteamed. The wood is generally straight
grained, but sometimes with wavy or curly
grain that produces an attractive and
decorative figure.
WORKING PROPERTIES
Walnut works easily with hand and machine
tools, and nails, screws and glues well. It holds
paint and stain very well and can be polished
to an exceptional finish. It dries slowly, and
care is needed to avoid kilning degrade.
Walnut has good dimensional stability.
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
Walnut is a tough hard timber of medium
density, with moderate bending and crushing
strengths and low stiffness. It has a good
steam bending classification.
DURABILITY
Rated as very resistant to heartwood decay, it
is one of the most durable woods even under
conditions favourable to decay. Sapwood
liable to attack by powder post beetles.
MAIN USES
Furniture, cabinet making, architectural
interiors, high class joinery, doors, flooring,
and panelling. A favoured wood for using in
contrast with lighter coloured timbers.
