Domestic Lumber Archives - Parkerville Wood Products

Popular Keywords

Domestic Lumber

Alder, Red

Red Alder, alternatively known as Western Red Alder tends to be a light tan to reddish brown; the color darkens and reddens with age. There is no visible distinction between heartwood and sapwood. Large aggregate rays appear as occasional small streaks on the face grain that can be mistaken for defects in the wood.

Ash

Ash heartwood can be a light to medium brown color while sapwood is more beige or light brown. Ash is easy to work with and glues, stains and finishes well. It has fairly course grain and excellent shock resistance, making is a great choice for things like baseball bats and tool handles, amongst other things.

Basswood

Pale white to light brown color, with sapwood and heartwood sections not clearly defined. Growth rings tend to be subtle, and the color is mostly uniform throughout the face grain of the wood. Knots and other defects are uncommon.

Birch

Also known as American, White or Paper Birch, its heartwood tends to be a light reddish brown, with nearly white sapwood. Occasionally figured pieces are available with a wide, shallow curl similar to the curl found in Cherry. There is virtually no color distinction between annual growth rings, giving Birch a somewhat dull, uniform appearance. This species is often used in furniture-making as a secondary wood.

Cedar, Eastern Red

Also known as Aromatic Red Cedar has pink to reddish brown heartwood with pale yellow sapwood that can appear throughout. As the name suggests, Aromatic cedar has a distinct scent. It is also very resistant to decay and repels moths and other insects. It is commonly used in closets and chests.

Cedar, Western Red

It has heartwood that is reddish to pinkish brown, often with random streaks and bands of darker red/brown areas. Narrow sapwood is pale yellowish-white, and isn’t always sharply demarcated from the heartwood. This species also has a straight grain with a coarse texture and moderate natural luster.

Cherry

Also known as Black Cherry, American Cherry, or Common Cherry, it has heartwood that is a light pinkish brown when freshly cut, darkening to a medium reddish brown with time and upon exposure to light. Wide sapwood is a pale yellowish color. The grain is usually straight—with the exception of figured pieces with curly grain patterns. Has a fine, even texture with moderate natural luster.

Cypress, Bald

This sub-species of Cypress has a color that tends to be a light, yellowish brown with a sapwood that is nearly white. Some pieces can have scattered dark pockets and voids where the wood has been attacked by fungi—called pecky cypress. Also, pieces of old-growth cypress salvaged from riverbeds (called sinker cypress) tend to have slightly warmer, darker heartwood colors.

Elm, American (Carbon Smart)

Its heartwood is light to medium reddish brown with sapwood that is paler and usually well-defined. The grain is interlocked (making it very resistant to splitting), with a somewhat coarse, uneven texture. Carbon-Smart Wood™ comes from naturally fallen trees in US cities, and is not from harvested trees.

Fir, Douglas

Douglas Fir can vary in color based on the age and location of the tree. Usually a light brown color with a hint of red and/or yellow, with darker growth rings. In quartersawn pieces, the grain is typically straight and plain. In flatsawn pieces, (typically seen in rotary-sliced veneers), the wood can exhibit wild grain patterns.

Hickory

The Carya genus (or what is more commonly referred to as Hickory) is divided into two main groupings: true-hickory, and pecan-hickory. Species in the true-hickory group tend to be slightly denser, and therefore a bit harder and stronger than the species in the pecan-hickory group. The most common Hickory sub-species sold in the US is Shagbark Hickory, also called True Hickory.

Holly

Holly has a very uniform, pale white color with virtually no visible grain pattern. Knots are common, which can reduce the usable area of the wood. Can develop a bluish/gray fungal stain if not dried rapidly after cutting. Holly is usually cut during the winter and kiln-dried shortly thereafter to preserve the white color of the wood. Grain is interlocked and irregular. Medium to fine uniform texture with moderate natural luster.

Madrone

Its heartwood’s color tends to be a cream or pinkish brown color, but can also have dark red patches. Madrone is known for its burl veneer, which has many closely-packed clusters of knots and swirled grain. Grain tends to be straight, with a very fine and even texture.

Maple, Hard

Unlike most other hardwoods, the sapwood of hard maple lumber is most commonly used rather than its heartwood. Sapwood color ranges from nearly white, to an off-white cream color, sometimes with a reddish or golden hue. The heartwood tends to be a darker reddish brown. Its grain is generally straight but may be wavy and can have a fine, even texture.

Maple, Soft

Not a distinct species of Maple on its own, Soft Maple is a commercial term meant to differentiate the wood of some types of maple from Hard Maple. Soft Maple is creamy white and less lustrous than Hard Maple. It is soft relative to Hard Maple but is still nearly as hard as Cherry. It works well and takes both stain and paint well.

Oak, Red

Red Oak has a heartwood that is light to medium brown, commonly with a reddish cast. Paler sapwood is not always sharply demarcated from the heartwood. Quartersawn sections display prominent ray-fleck patterns. The grain is straight, with a coarse, uneven texture. The pores are large and open.

Oak, White

This Oak has a heartwood that is light to medium brown, commonly with an olive cast. Paler sapwood is not always sharply demarcated from the heartwood. Quartersawn sections display prominent ray-fleck patterns. This is a very dense and heavy wood with a grain that is straight, with a coarse, uneven texture.

Pine, Eastern White

It has a heartwood that is a light brown, sometimes with a slightly reddish hue, and the sapwood is a pale yellow to nearly white. Color tends to darken with age. Pine is easy to work with and is one of the most common timbers used in construction. It has a grain that is straight with an even, medium texture.

Pine, Southern Yellow

This sub-species of Pine is also known as Longleaf Pine. It features a heartwood that is reddish brown, sapwood is yellowish white, with a straight grain that has a fine to medium texture. Longleaf Pine is favored by cabinetmakers when producing a Pine-based piece that will not be painted or stained.

Poplar, Yellow

This sub-species of Poplar has a heartwood that is light cream to yellowish brown, with occasional streaks of gray or green. Its sapwood is pale yellow to white, not always clearly demarcated from the heartwood. Many furnituremakers favor Poplar as a secondary wood in their pieces.

Spruce, Sitka

This wood’s color ranges from cream/white to yellow; heartwood can also exhibit a subtle pinkish-red hue in some instances. Its sapwood is not clearly demarcated from heartwood. Sitka Spruce has a fine, even texture, and a consistently straight grain. Some pieces can exhibit a special grain pattern called Bearclaw—vaguely resembling the scratches of a bear’s claws.

Walnut, Black

This sub-species of Walnut features a heartwood that can range from a lighter pale brown to a dark chocolate brown with darker brown streaks. Color can sometimes have a grey, purple, or reddish cast. Sapwood is pale yellow-gray to nearly white. Figured grain patterns such as curl, crotch, and burl are also seen.

Click here for current pricing on our domestic lumber.

Certain species-specific information included on this site has been graciously provided by The Wood Database.

Click here for our domestic lumber pricing.
Lumber is sold by the board foot.
Click here for help with understanding our lumber grading and sizing.
Click here to check out the services we offer.

Domestic Lumber

Alder, Red

Ash