Wood Properties Glossary
Ash, White
Botanical Name: Fraxinus, Americana
Natural Characteristics: Strong, Shock-resistant
Color: Heart wood is light brown and Sapwood is white
Durability: Good
Ash, Black
Botanical Name: Fraxinus, Nigra
Natural Characteristics: Straight grain, Coarse even texture
Color: Dark grayish brown
Durability: Fair
Balsa
Botanical Name: Ochroma Pyramidale
Natural Characteristics: Straight grain, Soft texture
Color: Pure white progressing to yellowish brown tint
Durability: Poor
Basswood
Botanical Name: Tilia Americana
Natural Characteristics: Straight grain with fine texture
Color: Creamy white to brown
Durability: Good
Birch
Botanical Name: Betula Papyrifera
Natural Characteristics: Tough, Heavy Wood
Color: Heartwood is medium brown and Sapwood is a light cream
Durability: Good
Butternut
Botanical Name: Juglanes Cinerea
Natural Characteristics: Straight grain with coarse texture
Color: Light to medium brown
Durability: Good
Cedar, Alaska Yellow
Botanical Name: Chamaecyparis Nootkatensis
Natural Characteristics: Straight grain, Fine tight texture
Color: Pale yellow
Durability: Fair
Cedar, Aromatic
Botanical Name: Juniperus Virginiana
Natural Characteristics: Straight grain, Fine texture, Knots and Bark inclusion common
Color: Cream and dark red mixture
Durability: Fair
Cedar, Spanish
Botanical Name: Cedrela Spp
Natural Characteristics: Fine to coarse texture
Color: Pinkish to reddish brown, darker grain
Durability: Fair
Cedar, Western Red
Botanical Name: Thuja Plicata
Natural Characteristics: Straight grain with coarse texture
Color: Golden brown
Durability: Good
Cherry, Black
Botanical Name: Prunus Serotina
Natural Characteristics: Fine grain, Smooth texture
Color: Heartwood is light brown to dark red and Sapwood is white to cream
Durability: Excellent
Chestnut, American
Botanical Name: Castanea Dentata
Natural Characteristics: Tight grain, Coarse porous texture
Color: Light to pale brown
Durability: Good
Cypress, Bald
Botanical Name: Taxodium Distichum
Natural Characteristics: Straight and tight grain, Oily texture
Color: Light yellow to light brown
Durability: Good
Douglas Fir
Botanical Name: Pseudotsuga Menziesii
Natural Characteristics: Highly pronounced hard straight grain
Color: Reddish brown to orange
Durability: Good
Ebony
Botanical Name: Diospyros Spp
Natural Characteristics: Highly dense with coarse texture and dark interlocking grain
Color: Dark black with dark grain
Durability: Excellent
Ebony, Macassar
Botanical Name: Diospyros Spp
Natural Characteristics: Highly dense with dark grain and brittle Heartwood
Color: Brown to black with dark black grain and sporadic brown grain
Durability: Good
Elm, White
Botanical Name: Ulmus Americana
Natural Characteristics: Easily bendable, Prone to warping
Color: Light yellow to brown
Durability: Good
Hickory
Botanical Name: Carya Spp
Natural Characteristics: Relatively straight grain with coarse texture
Color: Heartwood is brownish, Sapwood is light brown
Durability: Good
Holly
Botanical Name: Ilex Spp
Natural Characteristics: Tight, Sporadic, Slightly visible grain
Color: Ivory
Durability: Good
Honduras Mahogany
Botanical Name: Swietenia Macrophylla
Natural Characteristics: Straight grain, Fine even texture, and few pockets or voids
Color: Reddish brown to medium red
Durability: Very Good
Kingwood
Botanical Name: Dalbergia Cearensis
Natural Characteristics: Very hard, moderately hard to cut
Color: Dark brown with fairer brown grain
Durability: Excellent
Mahogany, African
Botanical Name: Khaya Spp
Natural Characteristics: Tight, straight interlocking grain, Occasional rough surface
Color: Reddish brown to light brown
Durability: Good
Makore
Botanical Name: Mimusops Heckelii
Natural Characteristics: Straight fine grain, medium texture
Color: Pink to pinkish brown Heartwood, Sapwood is lighter
Durability: Good
Maple, Hard
Botanical Name: Acer Saccharum
Natural Characteristics: Straight grain with occasional bird’s eye pattern and wavy figure
Color: Heart wood is reddish brown, Sapwood is white
Durability: Excellent
Oak, European
Botanical Name: Quercus Robur
Natural Characteristics: Straight long grain to silvery grain with coarse texture and open pores
Color: Light brown to dark tan
Durability: Good
Oak, Red
Botanical Name: Quercus Spp
Natural Characteristics: Straight open grain with coarse texture
Color: Pinkish to red
Durability: Good
Oak, White
Botanical Name: Quercus Spp
Natural Characteristics: Straight grain with moderate to coarse texture
Color: Light tan with yellowish tint
Durability: Excellent
Olivewood
Botanical Name: Olea Europaea
Natural Characteristics: Straight grain, fine texture
Color: Varies
Durability: Good
Padauk, African
Botanical Name: Pterocarpus Soyauxii
Natural Characteristics: Straight, dark grain
Color: Deep red to purplish brown
Durability: Good
Pecan
Botanical Name: Carya Spp
Natural Characteristics: Mostly straight grain with occasional curvy mottled figure
Color: Heart wood is reddish brown, Sapwood is white
Durability: Excellent
Pine, Ponderosa
Botanical Name: Pinus Ponderosa
Natural Characteristics: Straight with somewhat tight grain, occasionally quite knotty
Color: Heartwood is yellowish brown, Sapwood is light yelow
Durability: Fair
Rosewood, Indonesian
Botanical Name: Dalbergia Latifolia
Natural Characteristics: Tight interlocking grain, Medium texture
Color: Dark brown to purplish with almost black grain
Durability: Good
Walnut, Black
Botanical Name: Juglanes Nigra
Natural Characteristics: Straight grain, medium density
Color: Dark brown to purplish black
Durability: Good