 Box Elder (Acer negundo)
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Common Name(s): Box Elder, Boxelder Maple, Manitoba Maple, Ash-leaved Maple Scientific Name: Acer negundo Distribution: North America (most commonly in central and eastern United States) Tree Size:35-80 ft (10-25 m) tall, 1-2 ft (.3-.6 m) trunk diameter Average Dried Weight: 34 lbs/ft3 (545 kg/m3) Hardness: 720 lbf (3,200 N) Bending Strength: 8,010 lbf/in2 (55,241 kPa)* *Estimated bending strength from data of green wood at: 5,220 lbf/in2 (36,000 kPa) Elasticity: 1,050,000 lbf/in2 (7,240 MPa)* *Estimated elasticity from data of green wood at: 870,000 lbf/in2 (6,000 MPa) Shrinkage: Radial: 3.9%, Tangential: 7.4%, Volumetric: 14.8%, T/R Ratio: 1.9 |
Color/Appearance: The sapwood of Box Elder is typically a pale white, sometimes with a yellow/green hue similar to Yellow Poplar. The heartwood is a grayish/yellowish brown, frequently with red or pink streaks. The red coloration is due to a pigment found in a fungus (Fusarium negundi) that commonly afflicts the tree. Much of the reddish coloring becomes a more subdued pink or brown/gray upon drying.
Grain/Pore: Has closed pores and a fine texture. The growth rings are usually faint and non-distinct.
Durability: Poor durability, rated as non-durable to perishable. Heartwood is subject to heart rot and insect attack.
Workability: Easy to work with both hand and machine tools. Turns, glues, and finishes well.
Smell: Box Elder has a distinct and unpleasant scent when wet, which mostly subsides once dry.
Safety: Box Elder, along with other maples in the Acer genus have been reported to cause skin irritation, runny nose, and asthma-like respiratory effects. See the articles Wood Allergies and Toxicity and Wood Dust Safety for more information.
Price Range: Seldom used or available in lumber form, Box Elder is occasionally harvested in small quantities by hobbyists or specialty sawmills. Prices should be moderate given Box Elder’s commonness, though figured pieces and/or burls are likely to be more expensive.
Comments: Sometimes called “Ash-leaved Maple” because of it’s non-typical leaves, (see below), Box Elder is technically considered a maple tree (Acer genus). It’s lumber is softer, weaker, and lighter than almost all other species of maple, and Box Elder’s overall strength, as well as it’s strength-to-weight ratio are poor.
In woodworking, Box Elder is used mainly for ornamental and decorative purposes, with lumber exhibiting reddish pink heartwood streaks being the most commonly seen. Dyed/stabilized burl blocks for use in turning projects are also offered. Common uses for Box Elder include: turned objects, small ornamental objects, wood pulp, charcoal, boxes, and crates.
Scans/Pictures: Below is an example of a red-streaked Box Elder board. Note that on this particular piece, when freshly cut virtually all of the heartwood was bright red, and upon drying nearly all of the color shifted to a pale brown or pink with only a small band of red remaining at the intersection of the heartwood and sapwood.
Also, you can tell from the leaf illustration that Box Elder does not have typical maple-shaped leaves. For this reason, Box Elder is sometimes referred to as “Ash-leaved Maple.”
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Box Elder (sanded) |
 Box Elder (sealed) |
 Box Elder (turned, with Jatoba and Hard Maple) |
 Box Elder (leaf-illustrated) |
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