Wood Species Directory

Every commercial wood species in this directory has its own data sheet: Janka hardness, specific gravity, strength values, shrinkage, durability, workability and the jobs the wood is actually used for — plus a real photograph of the species, so you can put a face to the name before you buy, sell or mill it. Filter by wood type, origin, use, durability or hardness to find the species that fits the work.

The property data comes from the USDA Forest Products Laboratory's Wood Handbook (FPL-GTR-282, 2021), the standard reference for North American and imported commercial woods. Where the Handbook prints no value for a species, the data sheet says so — nothing here is estimated except dried weight, which is calculated from specific gravity and labelled as an estimate wherever it appears.

Wood type

AllHardwoodSoftwood

Origin

Central and South AmericaNorth AmericaSouth AmericaSoutheast AsiaWest Africa

Decay resistance (minimum)

AnyModerately durable+Very durable

Common uses

FlooringFurnitureCabinets & millworkConstructionDecking & outdoorVeneer & plywoodBoatbuildingTurnery & carving

Janka hardness (lbf)

–

Search species

SortName A–ZHardness high → lowHardness low → highWeight light → heavyWeight heavy → light

101 species match

African mahoganyKhaya spp.HardwoodJanka 830 lbf≈26 lb/ft³ est.DurableAlaska Yellow CedarChamaecyparis nootkatensis (D. Don) SpachSoftwoodJanka 580 lbf≈27 lb/ft³ est.Very durableAmerican BasswoodTilia americanaHardwoodJanka 410 lbf≈23 lb/ft³ est.American BeechFagus grandifoliaHardwoodJanka 1,300 lbf≈40 lb/ft³ est.American ChestnutCastanea dentataHardwoodJanka 540 lbf≈27 lb/ft³ est.DurableAmerican ElmUlmus americanaHardwoodJanka 830 lbf≈31 lb/ft³ est.American SycamorePlatanus occidentalisHardwoodJanka 770 lbf≈31 lb/ft³ est.BaldcypressTaxodium distichum (L.) Rich.SoftwoodJanka 510 lbf≈29 lb/ft³ est.Very durableBalsaOchroma pyramidaleHardwood≈10 lb/ft³ est.Balsam FirAbies balsamea (L.) Mill.SoftwoodJanka 380 lbf≈22 lb/ft³ est.Balsam PoplarPopulus balsamiferaHardwood≈21 lb/ft³ est.Bigleaf MapleAcer macrophyllumHardwoodJanka 850 lbf≈30 lb/ft³ est.Bigtooth AspenPopulus grandidentataHardwood≈24 lb/ft³ est.Black AshFraxinus nigraHardwoodJanka 850 lbf≈31 lb/ft³ est.Black CherryPrunus serotinaHardwoodJanka 950 lbf≈31 lb/ft³ est.Black CottonwoodPopulus trichocarpaHardwoodJanka 350 lbf≈22 lb/ft³ est.Black LocustRobinia pseudoacaciaHardwoodJanka 1,700 lbf≈43 lb/ft³ est.Very durableBlack MapleAcer nigrumHardwoodJanka 1,180 lbf≈36 lb/ft³ est.Black OakQuercus velutinaHardwoodJanka 1,210 lbf≈38 lb/ft³ est.Black sprucePicea mariana (Mill.) B.S.P.SoftwoodJanka 530 lbf≈26 lb/ft³ est.Black TupeloNyssa sylvaticaHardwoodJanka 810 lbf≈31 lb/ft³ est.Black WalnutJuglans nigraHardwoodJanka 1,010 lbf≈34 lb/ft³ est.Blue AshFraxinus quadrangulataHardwood≈36 lb/ft³ est.Bur OakQuercus macrocarpaHardwoodJanka 1,370 lbf≈40 lb/ft³ est.DurableButternutJuglans cinereaHardwoodJanka 490 lbf≈24 lb/ft³ est.California Red FirAbies magnifica A. Murr.SoftwoodJanka 500 lbf≈24 lb/ft³ est.Chestnut OakQuercus montanaHardwoodJanka 1,130 lbf≈41 lb/ft³ est.DurableDark red merantiShorea spp.HardwoodJanka 780 lbf≈29 lb/ft³ est.Not durableDouglas-firPseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) FrancoSoftwoodJanka 710 lbf≈30 lb/ft³ est.Eastern CottonwoodPopulus deltoidesHardwoodJanka 430 lbf≈25 lb/ft³ est.Eastern HemlockTsuga canadensis (L.) Carr.SoftwoodJanka 500 lbf≈25 lb/ft³ est.Eastern white pinePinus strobus L.SoftwoodJanka 380 lbf≈22 lb/ft³ est.Engelmann sprucePicea engelmannii Parry ex Engelm.SoftwoodJanka 390 lbf≈22 lb/ft³ est.Grand FirAbies grandis (Dougl. ex D. Don) Lindl.SoftwoodJanka 490 lbf≈23 lb/ft³ est.Green AshFraxinus pennsylvanicaHardwoodJanka 1,200 lbf≈35 lb/ft³ est.HackberryCeltis occidentalisHardwoodJanka 880 lbf≈33 lb/ft³ est.Honduran mahoganySwietenia macrophyllaHardwoodJanka 800 lbf≈28 lb/ft³ est.DurableHoney LocustGleditsia triacanthosHardwoodJanka 1,580 lbfIncense CedarCalocedrus decurrens (Torrey) FlorinSoftwoodJanka 470 lbf≈23 lb/ft³ est.DurableIpeTabebuia spp.HardwoodJanka 3,680 lbf≈57 lb/ft³ est.Very durableIrokoChlorophora spp.HardwoodJanka 1,260 lbf≈34 lb/ft³ est.Very durableJack pinePinus banksiana Lamb.SoftwoodJanka 570 lbf≈27 lb/ft³ est.JatobaHymenaea courbarilHardwoodJanka 2,350 lbf≈44 lb/ft³ est.Very durableLive OakQuercus virginianaHardwood≈55 lb/ft³ est.Very durableLoblolly pinePinus taeda L.SoftwoodJanka 690 lbf≈32 lb/ft³ est.Lodgepole pinePinus contorta Dougl. ex Loud.SoftwoodJanka 480 lbf≈26 lb/ft³ est.Longleaf pinePinus palustris Mill.SoftwoodJanka 870 lbf≈37 lb/ft³ est.Mockernut HickoryCarya tomentosaHardwoodJanka 1,970 lbf≈45 lb/ft³ est.Noble FirAbies procera Rehd.SoftwoodJanka 410 lbf≈24 lb/ft³ est.Northern Red OakQuercus rubraHardwoodJanka 1,290 lbf≈39 lb/ft³ est.Not durableNorthern White CedarThuja occidentalis L.SoftwoodJanka 320 lbf≈19 lb/ft³ est.Very durableOkoumeAucoumea klaineanaHardwoodJanka 380 lbf≈21 lb/ft³ est.Not durableOregon AshFraxinus latifoliaHardwoodJanka 1,160 lbf≈34 lb/ft³ est.Pacific Silver FirAbies amabilis Dougl. ex ForbesSoftwoodJanka 430 lbf≈27 lb/ft³ est.Paper BirchBetula papyriferaHardwoodJanka 910 lbf≈34 lb/ft³ est.PecanCarya illinoensisHardwoodJanka 1,820 lbf≈41 lb/ft³ est.Pin OakQuercus palustrisHardwoodJanka 1,510 lbf≈39 lb/ft³ est.Ponderosa pinePinus ponderosa Dougl. ex Laws.SoftwoodJanka 460 lbf≈25 lb/ft³ est.Port-Orford CedarChamaecyparis lawsoniana (A. Murr.) Parl.SoftwoodJanka 630 lbf≈27 lb/ft³ est.Very durablePurpleheartPeltogyne spp.HardwoodJanka 1,860 lbf≈42 lb/ft³ est.Very durableQuaking AspenPopulus tremuloidesHardwoodJanka 350 lbf≈24 lb/ft³ est.Red AlderAlnus rubraHardwoodJanka 590 lbf≈26 lb/ft³ est.Red MapleAcer rubrumHardwoodJanka 950 lbf≈34 lb/ft³ est.Red pinePinus resinosa Ait.SoftwoodJanka 560 lbf≈29 lb/ft³ est.Red sprucePicea rubens Sarg.SoftwoodJanka 530 lbf≈25 lb/ft³ est.RedwoodSequoia sempervirens (D. Don) Endl.SoftwoodJanka 480 lbf≈25 lb/ft³ est.Very durableRock ElmUlmus thomasiiHardwoodJanka 1,320 lbf≈39 lb/ft³ est.SapeleEntandrophragma cylindricumHardwoodJanka 1,510 lbf≈34 lb/ft³ est.DurableSassafrasSassafras albidumHardwood≈29 lb/ft³ est.DurableScarlet OakQuercus coccineaHardwoodJanka 1,400 lbf≈42 lb/ft³ est.Not durableShagbark HickoryCarya ovataHardwoodJanka 1,880 lbf≈45 lb/ft³ est.Shellbark HickoryCarya laciniosaHardwoodJanka 1,810 lbf≈43 lb/ft³ est.Shortleaf pinePinus echinata Mill.SoftwoodJanka 690 lbf≈32 lb/ft³ est.Silver MapleAcer saccharinumHardwoodJanka 700 lbf≈29 lb/ft³ est.Sitka sprucePicea sitchensis (Bong.) Carr.SoftwoodJanka 510 lbf≈25 lb/ft³ est.Slash pinePinus elliottii Engelm.Softwood≈37 lb/ft³ est.Slippery ElmUlmus rubraHardwoodJanka 860 lbf≈33 lb/ft³ est.Southern Red OakQuercus falcataHardwoodJanka 1,060 lbf≈37 lb/ft³ est.Not durableSpanish cedarCedrela spp.HardwoodJanka 600 lbf≈26 lb/ft³ est.DurableSubalpine FirAbies lasiocarpa (Hook.) Nutt.SoftwoodJanka 350 lbf≈20 lb/ft³ est.Sugar MapleAcer saccharumHardwoodJanka 1,450 lbf≈39 lb/ft³ est.Sugar pinePinus lambertiana Dougl.SoftwoodJanka 380 lbf≈22 lb/ft³ est.Swamp White OakQuercus bicolorHardwoodJanka 1,620 lbf≈45 lb/ft³ est.DurableSweet BirchBetula lentaHardwoodJanka 1,470 lbf≈41 lb/ft³ est.SweetgumLiquidambar styracifluaHardwoodJanka 850 lbf≈32 lb/ft³ est.TamarackLarix laricina (Du Roi) K. KochSoftwoodJanka 590 lbf≈33 lb/ft³ est.TeakTectona grandisHardwoodJanka 1,000 lbf≈34 lb/ft³ est.Very durableVirginia pinePinus virginiana Mill.SoftwoodJanka 740 lbf≈30 lb/ft³ est.Water OakQuercus nigraHardwoodJanka 1,190 lbf≈39 lb/ft³ est.Western HemlockTsuga heterophylla (Raf.) Sarg.SoftwoodJanka 540 lbf≈28 lb/ft³ est.Western LarchLarix occidentalis Nutt.SoftwoodJanka 830 lbf≈32 lb/ft³ est.Western Red CedarThuja plicata Donn ex D. DonSoftwoodJanka 350 lbf≈20 lb/ft³ est.Very durableWestern white pinePinus monticola Dougl. ex D. DonSoftwoodJanka 420 lbf≈24 lb/ft³ est.White AshFraxinus americanaHardwoodJanka 1,320 lbf≈37 lb/ft³ est.White FirAbies concolor (Gord. & Glend.) Lindl. ex Hildebr.SoftwoodJanka 480 lbf≈24 lb/ft³ est.White limbaTerminalia superbaHardwoodJanka 490 lbf≈24 lb/ft³ est.Not durableWhite OakQuercus albaHardwoodJanka 1,360 lbf≈42 lb/ft³ est.DurableWhite sprucePicea glauca (Moench) VossSoftwoodJanka 410 lbf≈22 lb/ft³ est.Willow OakQuercus phellosHardwoodJanka 1,460 lbf≈43 lb/ft³ est.Yellow BirchBetula alleghaniensisHardwoodJanka 1,260 lbf≈39 lb/ft³ est.Yellow PoplarLiriodendron tulipiferaHardwoodJanka 540 lbf≈26 lb/ft³ est.