Black Walnut
Juglans nigra · Hardwood · North America
Properties
| Janka hardness | 1,010 lbf (4,492 N) |
|---|---|
| Average dried weight (est.) | 34 lb/ft³ (550 kg/m³) |
| Specific gravity | 0.55 |
| Modulus of rupture | 14,600 psi (100.7 MPa) |
| Modulus of elasticity | 1.68 million psi (11.58 GPa) |
| Crushing strength | 7,580 psi (52.3 MPa) |
| Shrinkage — radial | 5.5% |
| Shrinkage — tangential | 7.8% |
| Shrinkage — volumetric | 12.8% |
| Shrinkage T/R ratio | 1.4 |
Values at 12% moisture content, clear-wood averages. Source: USDA Forest Products Laboratory, Wood Handbook FPL-GTR-282 (2021), Table 5–3b p. 5–11; shrinkage Table 4–3 p. 4–8.
Black walnut is a heavy, hard, strong hardwood (specific gravity 0.55, Janka hardness 1,010 lbf) whose dark heartwood takes a natural finish exceptionally well. It is a premier wood for furniture, architectural woodwork, and gunstocks.
Appearance & grain
The heartwood ranges from light to dark brown. The sapwood is nearly white and can be up to 8 cm wide in open-grown trees. The grain is normally straight.
Workability
The Handbook describes black walnut as easily worked with tools and stable in use. It also rates the wood heavy, hard, strong, and stiff, with good shock resistance.
Common uses
- Furniture
- Architectural woodwork
- Decorative panels
- Gunstocks
- Cabinets
- Interior woodwork
Conservation: IUCN Red List: Least Concern (checked 2026-10-24).
Work with Black Walnut
Similar woods
Related reading: Read our black walnut lumber guide
Photo: Roger Culos · CC BY-SA 3.0 (source)
Property data: USDA Forest Products Laboratory, Wood Handbook — Wood as an Engineering Material, FPL-GTR-282 (2021).