Green Ash

Fraxinus pennsylvanica · Hardwood · North America

Janka 1,200 lbf≈35 lb/ft³ dried (est.)

Properties

Janka hardness	1,200 lbf (5,338 N)
Average dried weight (est.)	35 lb/ft³ (560 kg/m³)
Specific gravity	0.56
Modulus of rupture	14,100 psi (97.2 MPa)
Modulus of elasticity	1.66 million psi (11.45 GPa)
Crushing strength	7,080 psi (48.8 MPa)
Shrinkage — radial	4.6%
Shrinkage — tangential	7.1%
Shrinkage — volumetric	12.5%
Shrinkage T/R ratio	1.5

Values at 12% moisture content, clear-wood averages. Source: USDA Forest Products Laboratory, Wood Handbook FPL-GTR-282 (2021), Table 5–3b p. 5–9; shrinkage Table 4–3 p. 4–8.

Green ash is one of the principal species behind commercial white ash lumber (specific gravity 0.56, Janka hardness 1,200 lbf), a heavy, hard, shock-resistant wood for flooring, millwork, and furniture. The species is listed as Critically Endangered after catastrophic losses to the emerald ash borer.

Appearance & grain

Green ash is sold within the white ash group: brown heartwood and light-colored, nearly white sapwood. The wood is heavy, strong, hard, and stiff, with high shock resistance.

Workability

The Handbook covers green ash in the white ash group account without a species-specific machining statement. The group's combination of hardness and stiffness means it machines like other heavy furniture hardwoods and holds up where impact resistance matters.