Latin name: Alnus rubra

Common name(s): Alder, Red Alder

Sources: North American west coast

Characteristics: Pink to red to reddish brown with large rays widely scattered and readily visible with the unaided eye. Prone to having numerous knots and burls with all clear wood the exception rather than the rule.

Common cuts: Plain sliced, quarter sliced

Uses: Decorative veneer for kitchen and bath cabinets and millwork. Highly suited to rustic applications due to tendency to have numerous and scattered open and sound knots.

Availability: Readily available

Price: $$-$$$

Latin name: Aningeria spp.

Common name(s): Anegre, Anigre, Aningeria

Sources: Tropical East and West Africa

Characteristics: Light tan, sometimes creamy, occasionally light pink. Grain texture smooth, with occasional light silica inclusions. Figure ranges from unfigured to highly figured, often with a pronounced fiddleback.

Common cuts: Plain sliced, Quarter sliced - Ribbon striped

Uses: Decorative veneer and lumber for architectural millwork and occasional cabinetry.

Availability: Abundant

Price: $$-$$$, depending on level of specification

Latin name: Fraxinus americana, F. pennsylvanica, F. nigra

Common name(s): White Ash, Green or Red Ash, Black or Brown Ash

Sources: USA and Canada

Characteristics: Generally creamy sapwood with light tan to relatively brown heart wood. Typical grain pattern for ring porous wood with coarse early wood and smooth late wood. Figure may be present and can be intense.

Common cuts: Rotary, Plain sliced, Quarter sliced

Uses: Cabinetry, millwork, and molding

Availability: Abundant

Price: $$

Latin name: Betula spp.

Common name(s): White Birch, Yellow Birch, Red Birch

Sources: USA and Canada

Characteristics: Light tan to pale yellow sapwood with red to ruddy heart wood. Grain is tight and smooth with normal amounts of figure and other characteristics.

Common cuts: Rotary (primarily), Plain sliced (available)

Uses: Decorative veneer and lumber primarily for kitchen cabinetry and furniture. Excellent surface for painting.

Availability: Abundant

Price: $

Latin name: Prunus serotina

Common name(s): American Black Cherry

Sources: USA and Canada

Characteristics: Pink to reddish brown heart wood, blonde sap wood. Tight grain minimum early wood. Gum, pin knots, and burls are prevalent. Figure is common and may include heavy patterns such as ropey, mottled, chevron, and flare.

Common cuts: Plain sliced, Quarter sliced (usually as false quarters)

Uses: Kitchen and bath cabinetry, fine furniture, architectural millwork, molding.

Availability: Readily available

Price: $$

Latin name: Carya spp.

Common name(s): Various common names, such as Pignut Hickory, Mockernut Hickory, Shellbark Hickory, Shagbark Hickory

Sources: USA and Canada

Characteristics: Pale yellow sapwood with light brown to reddish brown to gray brown heartwood. Some moderately coarse early wood, but otherwise hard and smooth. Some may contain color variation, color streaks, and rustic marks like worm track and bird peck. Same genus as Pecan.

Common cuts: Plain sliced, Rotary cut

Uses: Cabinetry, millwork, paneling, fine furniture, flooring, and molding.

Availability: Abundant

Price: $$

Latin name: Khaya Ivorensis

Common name(s): African Mahogany, Khaya

Sources: Central Africa East to West

Characteristics: Only one of two species considered to be genuine mahogany, this species has light to dark red to reddish brown heartwood, medium coarse texture, and interlocked grain which appears as striped (frequently generically called Ribbon stripe). Where interlocked grain is absent, surface is relatively uneventful other than well defined cathedrals in crown cut veneer.

Common cuts: Plain sliced, Quarter sliced, Rotary cut

Uses: Architectural millwork, molding, judges panels, flat wall panels, some cabinetry, fine furniture, inlay, and accent trim.

Availability: Reasonable. Often used in place of Honduras Mahogany which is restricted by CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species).

Price: $$-$$$ depending on specifications

Latin name: Acer saccharum, A. nigrum

Common name(s): Rock Maple, Sugar Maple, White Maple

Sources: USA and Canada

Characteristics: Sapwood varies from soft pinkish white to light yellow to light khaki in color. Surface is smooth, tight, and dense. Heartwood ranges from dark brown to green to black. Typically sold as white maple due to its broadly defined uniform light color. Growth rings are light and at times imperceptible. Susceptible to insect assault resulting in brown streaks called worm track and sometimes incorrectly sugar streaks.

Common cuts: Rotary cut, Plain sliced, Half round, Quarter sliced and Rift cut usually pulled from sliced quarters.

Uses: Decorative veneer and lumber primarily for kitchen cabinetry and furniture. Excellent surface for painting.

Availability: Readily available

Price: $-$$ depending on specifications

Latin name: Quercus rubra and related species

Common name(s): Red Oak, Northern Red Oak, Southern Red Oak; more than 10 other names

Sources: North America

Characteristics: Sharp contrast between coarse early wood and smooth late wood. Early wood vessels are typically open and not occluded. Heartwood color is light tan to pinkish to reddish brown to dark tan or khaki. Large rays produce pronounced flake appearance across the grain when the wood is quarter sliced. Rift cutting minimizes the flake appearance.

Common cuts: Plain sliced, Quarter sliced, Rift cut

Uses: Kitchen and bath cabinetry, fine furniture, architectural millwork, molding, flooring, architectural as wall paneling, casework, office furniture.

Availability: Plentiful

Price: $-$$ depending on specifications

Latin name: Entandrophragma cylindricum

Common name(s): Sapeli, Sapele Mahogany, Aboudikro

Sources: Africa - widespread

Characteristics: Heartwood seasons to reddish or purplish brown. Grain is typically interlocked, resulting in pronounced striped effect when quarter sliced. When interlocked grain is absent, appearance can be quite plain. Pommele figure from rotary cut veneer appears as diagonal waves of varying intensity.

Common cuts: Plain sliced, Quarter sliced, Rotary (for Pommele figure)

Uses: Decorative veneer and lumber for architectural millwork and occasional cabinetry and boat interiors.

Availability: Reasonable to very good availability depending on level of specification

Price: $$-$$$ depending on specifications

Latin name: Juglans nigra

Common name(s): Walnut, Black Walnut

Sources: Eastern USA and Southeastern Canada

Characteristics: Heartwood varies from dark tan to deep chocolate depending on amount of exposure to air prior to drying. Grain varies from very straight to interlocked which produces pronounced figure that may or may not be desireable. Pin knots with small dark centers may be prevalent.

Common cuts: Plain sliced, Quarter sliced (usually pulled from sliced)

Uses: Architectural millwork, judges panels, parquetry, musical instruments, fine furniture, high end office furniture, accent walls, occasional cabinetry.

Availability: Readily available

Price: $$-$$$ depending on specifications

Latin name: Quercus alba and related species

Common name(s): White Oak, with at least 10 commercially harvested members in this group

Sources: North America

Characteristics: Sharp contrast between coarse early wood and smooth late wood. Early wood vessels are typically occluded with a substance called tyloses. Heartwood color is light brown to light gray to medium brown. Large rays produce pronounced flake appearance across the grain when the wood is quarter sliced. Rift cutting minimizes the flake appearance.

Common cuts: Plain sliced, Quarter sliced, Rift cut

Uses: Kitchen and bath cabinetry, fine furniture, architectural millwork, molding, flooring, architectural as wall paneling, casework, office furniture.

Availability: Common

Price: $$-$$$