Black Cherry

Black Cherry (Prunus serotina)

Common Name(s): Black Cherry, Cherry, American Cherry

Scientific Name: Prunus serotina

Distribution: Eastern North America

Tree Size: 50-100 ft (15-30 m) tall, 3-5 ft (1-1.5 m) trunk diameter

Average Dried Weight: 37 lbs/ft³ (595 kg/m³)

Basic Specific Gravity: .47

Hardness: 950 lb_f (4,230 N)

Rupture Strength: 12,300 lb_f/in² (84,800 kPa)

Elastic Strength: 1,490,000 lb_f/in² (10,300 MPa)

Crushing Strength: 7,110 lb_f/in² (49.0 MPa)

Shrinkage: Radial: 3.7%, Tangential: 7.1%, Volumetric: 11.5%, T/R Ratio: 1.9

Color/Appearance: Heartwood is a light pinkish brown when freshly cut, darkening to a deeper golden brown with time and upon exposure to light. Sapwood is a pale yellowish color.

Grain/Pore: Has a fine texture with close grain. The grain is usually straight and easy to work—with the exception of figured pieces with curly grain patterns.

Endgrain: Semi-ring-porous to diffuse-porous; small pores in no specific arrangement; solitary and radial multiples of 2-3; mineral/gum deposits occasionally present; growth rings usually distinct due to a concentration of earlywood pores; rays visible without lens; parenchyma absent.

Durability: Heartwood is rated as being very durable and resistant to decay.

Workability: Cherry is known as being one of the best all-around woods for workability. It is stable, straight-grained, and machines well. The only difficulties typically arise if the wood is being stained, as it can sometimes give blotchy results due to its fine, closed pores.

Scent: Has a mild, distinctive scent when being worked.

Safety: Breathing Cherry’s sawdust has been associated with respiratory effects such as wheezing. See the articles Wood Allergies and Toxicity and Wood Dust Safety for more information.

Price/Availability: Since Cherry is a domestic lumber, prices should be moderate, though it should typically cost more than oak or maple, usually close to the price of walnut.

Comments: Cherry has a decent strength-to-weight ratio, though it’s not as hard as some other denser domestic hardwoods. Cherry is commonly used in furniture construction and turned items. It is said that Cherry’s colors can quickly be darkened and aged by exposing it to direct sunlight.

Related Species:

Plum (Prunus domestica)

Wild Cherry (Prunus avium)

Scans/Pictures:You can see that Cherry gets considerably darker upon application of a sanding sealer and/or finish. (And will get darker still as time goes on.)