Olive

Olive (Olea europaea)

Common Name(s): Olive

Scientific Name: Olea spp. (Olea europaea, O. hochstetteri, etc.)

Distribution: Europe and eastern Africa

Tree Size: 25-50 ft (8-15 m) tall, 3-5 ft (1.0-1.5 m) trunk diameter

Average Dried Weight: 62 lbs/ft³ (990 kg/m³)

Basic Specific Gravity: .72

Hardness: 2,740 lb_f (12,190 N)

Rupture Strength: 25,300 lb_f/in² (174,480 kPa)

Elastic Strength: 2,530,000 lb_f/in² (17,450 MPa)

Crushing Strength: 12,200 lb_f/in² (84.1 MPa)

Shrinkage: Radial: 7.0%, Tangential: 11.4%, Volumetric: 18.4%, T/R Ratio: 1.6*

*Estimated shrinkage based on an assumed fiber saturation point of 28% and shrinkage data of green to 12% MC: Radial: 4.0%, Tangential: 6.5%

Color/Appearance: Has a cream or yellowish brown body with darker brown or black contrasting grain lines. Color tends to deepen with age. Olive is very commonly figured with curly or wavy grain, burl, or wild grain.

Grain/Pore: Has closed pores and a fine texture. The grain on Olive may be straight, interlocked, or wild.

Endgrain: Diffuse-porous; small to very small pores in no specific arrangement; solitary, and commonly in radial multiples of 2-3 or rows of 4 or more pores; yellow heartwood deposits present; growth rings may be distinct or indistinct; rays not visible without lens; parenchyma vasicentric, aliform, and confluent, though not distinct with lens.

Durability: Conflicting reports range from non-durable/perishable to durable/moderately durable. Olive is susceptible to insect attack.

Workability: Overall, Olive is easy to work, though wild or interlocked grain may tear out while being surfaced. One of the only downsides of Olive is its high movement in service: its shrinkage rates are quite high. Turns superbly. Glues and finishes well.

Scent: Has a distinct, fruity scent when being worked.

Safety: Although severe reactions are quite uncommon, Olive has been reported as a sensitizer. Usually most common reactions simply include eye and skin irritation. See the articles Wood Allergies and Toxicity and Wood Dust Safety for more information.

Price/Availability: Turning squares, burls, and other pieces are occasionally seen, which tend to be rather expensive. Prices usually fall between the range of most Rosewoods and Ebony.

Comments: Olive trees are commercially important throughout the natural regions where they grow. There are several subspecies and hundreds of cultivars of Olea europaea; the olives harvested from the trees are made into olive oil.

Because of the fruit’s economic importance, Olive trees are seldom available in lumber form, with orchard trees tending to be much smaller in size than those found in the wild. Some wood blanks and products sold today are rather taken from the closely related East African Olive (Olea hochstetteri). The mechanical data and density readings shown above are for Olea hochstetteri.

Olivewood (Olea spp.) is sometimes confused with Russian Olive (Elaeagnus angustifolia), though it bears little relation to true Olive and is in an entirely different family of trees.

Common uses of Olive include: high-end furniture, veneer, turned objects, and small specialty wood items.