White Spruce

White Spruce (Picea glauca)
White Spruce (Picea glauca)

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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 (425 kg/m3)

Specific Gravity (Basic, 12% MC): .33, .43

Janka Hardness: 480 lbf (2,140 N)

Modulus of Rupture: 8,640 lbf/in2 (59.6 MPa)

Elastic Modulus: 1,315,000 lbf/in2 (9.07 GPa)

Crushing Strength: 4,730 lbf/in2 (32.6 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/Texture: White Spruce has a fine, even texture, and a consistently straight grain.

Rot Resistance: 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.

Odor: No characteristic odor.

Allergies/Toxicity: 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.

Pricing/Availability: 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.

Sustainability: This wood species is not listed in the CITES Appendices, and is reported by the IUCN as being a species of least concern.

Common Uses: Paper (pulpwood), construction lumber, millwork, and crates.

Comments: None.

Related Species:

Related Articles:

Scans/Pictures: The samples shown below were taken from a dwarf variety of the species, which has a high number of knots, as well as irregular grain, which aren’t necessarily typical for the species.

White Spruce (Picea glauca)
White Spruce (sanded)
White Spruce (sealed)
White Spruce (sealed)
White Spruce (endgrain)
White Spruce (endgrain)
White Spruce (endgrain 10x)
White Spruce (endgrain 10x)
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Paris Custer

Is the tree that you chosen a coniferous or deciduous tree?

Ashton

Spruce is Coniferous like all soft woods

John

There are many deciduous soft woods (aspen, basswood, poplar etc)

John

Soft wood or softwood, in my world, and I harvest and sell timber off my 2,500 acres, softwoods include pines and many non-pine species including aspen, basswood etc.

This even applies to maple: “hard maple” (sugar) vs “soft maple” (red).

Softwood is not a synonym for pine in the North Woods.

John

bmarcello

Then there’s the term “white wood” or “whitewood” which I’ve seen refer to any pale spf and the like or exclusively referring to poplars.
Terminology and language are confusing beasts.