Southern Redcedar (J. virginiana pictured)

Common Name(s): Southern Redcedar

Scientific Name: Juniperus silicicola (Juniperus viriginiana var. silicicola)

Distribution: Southeastern United States

Tree Size: 50 ft (15 m) tall, 2 ft (.6 m) trunk diameter

Average Dried Weight: 32 lbs/ft³ (505 kg/m³)

Basic Specific Gravity: .42

Hardness: 610 lb_f (2,710 N)

Bending Strength: 9,400 lb_f/in² (64,830 kPa)

Elasticity: 1,170,000 lb_f/in² (8,070 MPa)

Shrinkage: Radial: 2.2%, Tangential: 4.0%, Volumetric: 7.0%, T/R Ratio: 1.8

Color/Appearance: No data available.

Grain/Pore: No data available.

Durability: No data available.

Workability: No data available.

Smell: Has a pleasant, cedar-like scent.

Safety: Although severe reactions are quite uncommon, Southern Redcedar has been reported to cause skin and respiratory irritation. See the articles Wood Allergies and Toxicity and Wood Dust Safety for more information.

Price Range: No data available.

Comments: Some botanists treat Southern Redcedar as a variety of Eastern Redcedar (Juniperus viriginiana var. silicicola), and the lumber is also likely to be similar as well.

Related Species:

• African Juniper (Juniperus procera)
• Alligator Juniper (Juniperus deppeana)
• Aromatic Red Cedar (Juniperus virginiana)

Scans/Pictures:

There are currently no pictures of this exact wood species, but a similar species within the Juniperus genus is being substituted (J. virginiana). If you’d like to contribute a wood sample of this specific species to be scanned, (even small pieces of veneer can be sent), please use the contact form.

Aromatic Red Cedar (sanded)

Aromatic Red Cedar (sealed)

No Images Available

Common Name(s): Alligator Juniper

Scientific Name: Juniperus deppeana

Distribution: Southwestern United States and northern Mexico

Tree Size: 50 ft (15 m) tall, 3 ft (1 m) trunk diameter

Average Dried Weight: 36 lbs/ft³ (585 kg/m³)

Basic Specific Gravity: .48

Hardness: 1,160 lb_f (5,160 N)

Bending Strength: 6,700 lb_f/in² (46,210 kPa)

Elasticity: 650,000 lb_f/in² (4,480 MPa)

Shrinkage: Radial: 2.7%, Tangential: 3.6%, Volumetric: 7.8%, T/R Ratio: 1.3

Color/Appearance: No data available.

Grain/Pore: No data available.

Durability: No data available.

Workability: No data available.

Smell: No data available.

Safety: Although severe reactions are quite uncommon, Alligator Juniper has been reported to cause skin and respiratory irritation. See the articles Wood Allergies and Toxicity and Wood Dust Safety for more information.

Price Range: No data available.

Comments: No data available.

Related Species:

• African Juniper (Juniperus procera)
• Aromatic Red Cedar (Juniperus virginiana)
• Southern Redcedar (Juniperus silicicola)

Scans/Pictures: There are currently no pictures of this woods species available for viewing. If you’d like to contribute wood samples to be scanned, (even small pieces of veneer can be sent), please use the contact form.

No Images Available

Common Name(s): African Juniper

Scientific Name: Juniperus procera

Distribution: East Africa

Tree Size: 100-120 ft (30-37 m) tall, 4-5 ft (1.2-1.5 m) trunk diameter

Average Dried Weight: 34 lbs/ft³ (535 kg/m³)

Basic Specific Gravity: .44

Hardness: 890 lb_f (3,960 N)

Bending Strength: 11,660 lb_f/in² (80,380 kPa)

Elasticity: 1,463,000 lb_f/in² (10,090 MPa)

Shrinkage: Radial: 3.3%, Tangential: 5.0%, Volumetric: 8.3%, T/R Ratio: 1.5

Color/Appearance: No data available.

Grain/Pore: No data available.

Durability: No data available.

Workability: No data available.

Smell: Has a pleasant, cedar-like scent.

Safety: Although there have been no adverse health effects specifically reported for African Juniper, several other species within the Juniperus genus have been reported to cause skin and/or respiratory irritation. See the articles Wood Allergies and Toxicity and Wood Dust Safety for more information.

Price Range: No data available.

Comments: No data available.

Related Species:

• Alligator Juniper (Juniperus deppeana)
• Aromatic Red Cedar (Juniperus virginiana)
• Southern Redcedar (Juniperus silicicola)

Scans/Pictures: There are currently no pictures of this woods species available for viewing. If you’d like to contribute wood samples to be scanned, (even small pieces of veneer can be sent), please use the contact form.

Aromatic Red Cedar (Juniperus virginiana)

Common Name(s): Aromatic Red Cedar, Eastern Redcedar

Scientific Name: Juniperus virginiana

Distribution: Eastern North America

Tree Size: 100-115 ft (30-35 m) tall, 3-4 ft (1-1.2 m) trunk diameter

Average Dried Weight: 33 lbs/ft³ (535 kg/m³)

Basic Specific Gravity: .44

Hardness: 900 lb_f (4,000 N)

Bending Strength: 8,800 lb_f/in² (60,690 kPa)

Elasticity: 880,000 lb_f/in² (6,070 MPa)

Shrinkage: Radial: 3.1%, Tangential: 4.7%, Volumetric: 7.8%, T/R Ratio: 1.5

Color/Appearance: Heartwood tends to be a reddish or violet-brown. Sapwood is a pale yellow color, and can be appear throughout the heartwood as streaks and stripes.

Grain/Pore: Has a straight grain, usually with knots present. Has a very fine texture with closed pores.

Durability: Regarded as excellent in resistance to both decay and insect attack, Aromatic Red Cedar is frequently used for fence posts used in direct ground contact with no pre-treating of the wood.

Workability: Overall, Aromatic Red Cedar is easy to work, notwithstanding any knots or irregularities present in the wood. It reportedly has a high silica content, which can dull cutters. Aromatic Red Cedar glues and finishes well, though in many applications, the wood is left unfinished to preserve its aromatic properties.

Smell: Aromatic Red Cedar has a distinct and tell-tale scent: the wood is commonly used in closets and chests to repel moths and other insects.

Safety: Although severe reactions are quite uncommon, Aromatic Red Cedar has been reported to cause skin and respiratory irritation. See the articles Wood Allergies and Toxicity and Wood Dust Safety for more information.

Price Range: Large and/or clear sections of Aromatic Red Cedar are much less common, but smaller, narrower boards with knots present are readily available at a modest price.

Comments: Although commonly referred to as “cedar,” Aromatic Red Cedar technically isn’t considered a true cedar, and is classified in the genus Juniperus, among the junipers. In tree form, it is more commonly called Eastern Redcedar, while the wood itself is usually referred to as Aromatic Red Cedar.

Though Eastern Redcedar trees are widely distributed throughout the eastern half of the United States, it is a very slow-growing species, and most trees harvested tend to be fairly small in diameter. Because of this, Aromatic Red Cedar boards tend to be knotty and narrow.

Some common uses for Aromatic Red Cedar include: fence posts, closet and chest linings, carvings, outdoor furniture, pencils, bows, and small wooden specialty items.

Related Species:

• African Juniper (Juniperus procera)
• Alligator Juniper (Juniperus deppeana)
• Southern Redcedar (Juniperus silicicola)

Scans/Pictures:

Aromatic Red Cedar (sanded)	Aromatic Red Cedar (sealed)
Aromatic Red Cedar (endgrain)	Aromatic Red Cedar (foliage)

Red Spruce (P. sitchensis pictured)

Common Name(s): Red Spruce, Adirondack Spruce

Scientific Name: Picea rubens

Distribution: Eastern North America

Tree Size: 80-110 ft (24-34 m) tall, 2-4.5 ft (.6-1.4 m) trunk diameter

Average Dried Weight: 29 lbs/ft³ (470 kg/m³)

Basic Specific Gravity: .37

Hardness: 490 lb_f (2,180 N)

Bending Strength: 10,800 lb_f/in² (74,480 kPa)

Elasticity: 1,610,000 lb_f/in² (11,100 MPa)

Shrinkage: Radial: 3.8%, Tangential: 7.8%, Volumetric: 11.8%, T/R Ratio: 2.1

Color/Appearance: Red Spruce is typically a creamy white, with a hint of yellow and/or red.

Grain/Pore: Red Spruce has a fine, even texture, and a consistently straight grain.

Durability: Heartwood is rated as being slightly resistant to non-resistant to decay.

Workability: Easy to work, as long as there are no knots present. Glues and finishes well, though it can give poor (blotchy and inconsistent) results when being stained due to its closed pore structure. A sanding sealer, gel stain, or toner is recommended when coloring Spruce.

Smell: There is no characteristic odor associated with this wood species.

Safety: Although severe reactions are quite uncommon, Spruce in the Picea genus has been reported as a sensitizer. Usually most common reactions simply include skin irritation and/or respiratory disorders. See the articles Wood Allergies and Toxicity and Wood Dust Safety for more information.

Price Range: Construction grade spruce is cheap and easy to find. However, quartersawn clear pieces—free from knots—are much more expensive. Quartersawn billets of instrument-grade Red (Adirondack) Spruce can easily exceed the cost of most all domestic hardwoods in terms of per board-foot cost.

Comments: Common uses for Red Spruce include: pulpwood, papermaking, construction lumber, millwork, crates, christmas trees, and musical instrument soundboards.

Red Spruce compares very similarly with Sitka Spruce in terms of mechanical properties, with the two species having nearly  identical values.

Related Species:

• Black Spruce (Picea mariana)
• Engelmann Spruce (Picea engelmannii)
• Norway Spruce (Picea abies)
• Sitka Spruce (Picea sitchensis)
• White Spruce (Picea glauca)

Scans/Pictures: There are currently no pictures of this exact wood species, but a similar species within the Picea genus is being substituted (P. sitchensis). If you’d like to contribute a wood sample of this specific species to be scanned, (even small pieces of veneer can be sent), please use the contact form.

Sitka Spruce (sanded)

Sitka Spruce (sealed)

Black Spruce (P. sitchensis pictured)

Common Name(s): Black Spruce

Scientific Name: Picea mariana

Distribution: Northern North America

Tree Size: 30-50 ft (10-15 m) tall, 1-1.5 ft (.3-.5 m) trunk diameter

Average Dried Weight: 30 lbs/ft³ (480 kg/m³)

Basic Specific Gravity: .38

Hardness: 520 lb_f (2,320 N)

Bending Strength: 10,800 lb_f/in² (74,480 kPa)

Elasticity: 1,610,000 lb_f/in² (11,100 MPa)

Shrinkage: Radial: 4.1%, Tangential: 6.8%, Volumetric: 11.3%, T/R Ratio: 1.7

Color/Appearance: Black Spruce is typically a creamy white, with a hint of yellow.

Grain/Pore: Black Spruce has a fine, even texture, and a consistently straight grain.

Durability: Heartwood is rated as being slightly resistant to non-resistant to decay.

Workability: Easy to work, as long as there are no knots present. Glues and finishes well, though it can give poor (blotchy and inconsistent) results when being stained due to its closed pore structure. A sanding sealer, gel stain, or toner is recommended when coloring Spruce.

Smell: There is no characteristic odor associated with this wood species.

Safety: Although severe reactions are quite uncommon, Spruce in the Picea genus has been reported as a sensitizer. Usually most common reactions simply include skin irritation and/or respiratory disorders. See the articles Wood Allergies and Toxicity and Wood Dust Safety for more information.

Price Range: Construction grade spruce is cheap and easy to find. However, quartersawn clear pieces—free from knots—can be more expensive. Quartersawn billets of instrument-grade Black Spruce can easily exceed the cost of most all domestic hardwoods in terms of per board-foot cost.

Comments: Common uses for Black Spruce include: pulpwood, papermaking, construction lumber, millwork, and crates.

Black Spruce compares very similarly with Sitka Spruce in terms of mechanical properties, and is on average slightly heavier and stronger than Sitka Spruce. However, Black Spruce is a much smaller and narrower tree, and is not available in the same widths as Sitka Spruce.

Related Species:

• Engelmann Spruce (Picea engelmannii)
• Norway Spruce (Picea abies)
• Red Spruce (Picea rubens)
• Sitka Spruce (Picea sitchensis)
• White Spruce (Picea glauca)

Scans/Pictures: There are currently no pictures of this exact wood species, but a similar species within the Picea genus is being substituted (P. sitchensis). If you’d like to contribute a wood sample of this specific species to be scanned, (even small pieces of veneer can be sent), please use the contact form.

Sitka Spruce (sanded)

Sitka Spruce (sealed)

White Spruce (P. sitchensis pictured)

Common Name(s): White Spruce

Scientific Name: Picea glauca

Distribution: Northern North America

Tree Size: 110 ft (34 m) tall, 2-3 ft (.6-1.0 m) trunk diameter

Average Dried Weight: 27 lbs/ft³ (430 kg/m³)

Basic Specific Gravity: .33

Hardness: 480 lb_f (2,140 N)

Bending Strength: 9,400 lb_f/in² (64,830 kPa)

Elasticity: 1,430,000 lb_f/in² (9,860 MPa)

Shrinkage: Radial: 4.7%, Tangential: 8.2%, Volumetric: 13.7%, T/R Ratio: 1.7

Color/Appearance: White Spruce is typically a creamy white, with a hint of yellow.

Grain/Pore: White Spruce has a fine, even texture, and a consistently straight grain.

Durability: Heartwood is rated as being slightly resistant to non-resistant to decay.

Workability: Easy to work, as long as there are no knots present. Glues and finishes well, though it can give poor (blotchy and inconsistent) results when being stained due to its closed pore structure. A sanding sealer, gel stain, or toner is recommended when coloring Spruce.

Smell: There is no characteristic odor associated with this wood species.

Safety: Although severe reactions are quite uncommon, Spruce in the Picea genus has been reported as a sensitizer. Usually most common reactions simply include skin irritation and/or respiratory disorders. See the articles Wood Allergies and Toxicity and Wood Dust Safety for more information.

Price Range: Construction grade spruce is cheap and easy to find. However, quartersawn clear pieces—free from knots—can be more expensive. White Spruce is occasionally used for piano soundboards, requiring clear quartersawn pieces.

Comments: Common uses for White Spruce include: pulpwood, papermaking, construction lumber, millwork, and crates.

Related Species:

• Black Spruce (Picea mariana)
• Engelmann Spruce (Picea engelmannii)
• Norway Spruce (Picea abies)
• Red Spruce (Picea rubens)
• Sitka Spruce (Picea sitchensis)

Scans/Pictures: There are currently no pictures of this exact wood species, but a similar species within the Picea genus is being substituted (P. sitchensis). If you’d like to contribute a wood sample of this specific species to be scanned, (even small pieces of veneer can be sent), please use the contact form.

Sitka Spruce (sanded)

Sitka Spruce (sealed)

Engelmann Spruce (P. sitchensis pictured)

Common Name(s): Engelmann Spruce

Scientific Name: Picea engelmannii

Distribution: Western North America

Tree Size: 130 ft (40 m) tall, 3 ft (1 m) trunk diameter

Average Dried Weight: 26 lbs/ft³ (415 kg/m³)

Basic Specific Gravity: .33

Hardness: 390 lb_f (1,740 N)

Bending Strength: 9,300 lb_f/in² (64,140 kPa)

Elasticity: 1,300,000 lb_f/in² (8,970 MPa)

Shrinkage: Radial: 3.8%, Tangential: 7.1%, Volumetric: 11.0%, T/R Ratio: 1.9

Color/Appearance: Engelmann Spruce is usually a cream to almost white color, with an occasional hint of red.

Grain/Pore: Engelmann Spruce has a fine, even texture, and a consistently straight grain; numerous small knots are also common.

Durability: Heartwood is rated as being slightly resistant to non-resistant to decay.

Workability: Easy to work, as long as there are no knots present. Glues and finishes well, though it can give poor (blotchy and inconsistent) results when being stained due to its closed pore structure. A sanding sealer, gel stain, or toner is recommended when coloring Spruce.

Smell: There is no characteristic odor associated with this wood species.

Safety: Although severe reactions are quite uncommon, Spruce in the Picea genus has been reported as a sensitizer. Usually most common reactions simply include skin irritation and/or respiratory disorders. See the articles Wood Allergies and Toxicity and Wood Dust Safety for more information.

Price Range: Construction grade spruce is cheap and easy to find. However, old growth and/or quartersawn clear pieces—free from knots—can be more expensive. Quartersawn billets of instrument-grade Engelmann Spruce can easily exceed the cost of most all domestic hardwoods in terms of per board-foot cost.

Comments: Common uses for Engelmann Spruce include: construction lumber, sheathing, railroad ties, wood pulp, and papermaking. It’s also used occasionally in place of Sitka Spruce on guitars and other musical instrument soundboards.

Engelmann Spruce is slightly lighter and weaker than Sitka Spruce, but still has a good stiffness-to-weight ratio.

Related Species:

• Black Spruce (Picea mariana)
• Norway Spruce (Picea abies)
• Red Spruce (Picea rubens)
• Sitka Spruce (Picea sitchensis)
• White Spruce (Picea glauca)

Scans/Pictures: There are currently no pictures of this exact wood species, but a similar species within the Picea genus is being substituted (P. sitchensis). If you’d like to contribute a wood sample of this specific species to be scanned, (even small pieces of veneer can be sent), please use the contact form.

Sitka Spruce (sanded)

Sitka Spruce (sealed)