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Vertically laminated timber is designed to resist bending loads applied parallel to the wide face of the laminations. For vertical loads, this means that the wide face runs vertically.

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American Black Walnut | Juglans nigra

American Black Walnut is a finely grained timber, often with attractive swirls and wave patterning, generally used in high-end cabinet and furniture making, carving and turning.

American Black Walnut is a hardwood timber favoured for high-end cabinet and furniture making because of its attractive figure, durability and workability.

American Black Walnut is a premium cabinet and furniture making timber, native to the eastern regions of North America. Availability in Australia is generally limited to the upper grades.

Other Names: American Walnut, Black Walnut, Virginia Walnut, Canaletto, Black Hickory Nut

Overview
Properties
Description
Applications
Suppliers

Overview

American Black Walnut is a medium to large hardwood, native to the eastern regions of North America. Its heartwood ranges from a golden to rich chocolate brown colour, sometimes with narrow streaks of a darker purplish-brown. Sapwood is a distinctive creamy white colour. American Black Walnut is a fine and generally straight-grained timber, although sometimes it has an attractive wavy or curly grain, giving it a highly decorative figure.

By virtue of its appearance, durability and ready workability - being only moderately hard - American Black Walnut is an excellent cabinetmaking timber. It performs well with both machine and hand tools and can be polished to a high finish. It is also an excellent timber for carving and turning and is suitable for steam bending. It glues satisfactorily if conditions are carefully controlled. It is suited to high-end cabinetwork, and is a timber of choice for gunstocks. Other applications include general furniture and joinery work.

In Australia, commercial availability of American Black Walnut timber products is generally limited to the upper grades, in which knots and sapwood commonly occur. It is most readily available in Australia as a veneer.

Properties

Shrinkage

	Very Low	Low	Medium	High	Very High
Tangential:
Tangential:				7.8
Radial:				4 - 5
Unit Movement:				10.2 %

Strength Group

	Very High	High	Reasonably High	Medium High	Medium	Reasonably Low	Low	Very Low
Unseasoned:	S1	S2	S3	S4	S5	S6	S7
Unseasoned:
Seasoned:	SD1	SD2	SD3	SD4	SD5	SD6	SD7	SD8
Seasoned:

Stress Grade

Unseasoned:
	Structural No. 1	Structural No. 2	Structural No. 3	Structural No. 4	Structural No. 5
Seasoned:

Density per Standard

Unseasoned:	0 kg/m³
Seasoned:	609 kg/m³

Joint Group

	Very High	High	Reasonably High	Medium	Low	Very Low
Unseasoned:	J1	J2	J3	J4	J5	J6
Unseasoned:
Seasoned:	JD1	JD2	JD3	JD4	JD5	JD6
Seasoned:

Colour

White, yellow, pale straw to light brown	Pink to pink brown	Light to dark red	Brown, chocolate, mottled or streaky

Mechanical Properties

Modulus of Rupture - Seasoned:	100.667
Modulus of Elasticity - Seasoned:	11.584
Maximum Crushing Strength - Seasoned:	52.264
Hardness - Seasoned:	4.492

Durability

	Low	Moderate	Reasonably High	High
	(0 - 5 yrs)	(5 - 15 yrs)	(15 - 25 yrs)	(more than 25 yrs)
In-Ground:
	(0 - 7 yrs)	(7 - 15 yrs)	(15 - 40 yrs)	(More than 40 yrs)
Above ground:
	(0 - 20 yrs, usually < 5)	(21 - 40 yrs)	(41 - 64 yrs)	(More than 60 yrs)
Marine Borer Resistance:

Lyctid Borer Susceptibility:	Susceptible

Fire Properties

	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20
EFH Ignitibility:

	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
EFH Spread-of-Flame Index:
EFH Smoke-Developed Index:

	1 - non-combustible	2 - reasonably non-combustible	3 - slightly combustible	4 - combustible
Fire Properties Group Number:

Average Specific Extinction Area:	<250
Bushfire Resistance:	Not Tested

Description

Botanical Name:	Juglans nigra
Preferred Common Name:	American Black Walnut
Other Names:	American Walnut, Black Walnut, Virginia Walnut, Canaletto, Black Hickory Nut
Species Type:	Hardwood

Appearance

American Black Walnut heartwood ranges from light to dark chocolate brown in colour, sometimes with narrow streaks with a purplish or darker brown tone. In comparison, sapwood is a distinctive creamy white. Black Walnut is a finely grained timber, often with attractive swirls and wave patterning, especially around knotty areas. The heartwood lightens in colour as it ages, especially when it is exposed to UV light.

Common Applications

American Black Walnut is an exceptional cabinet and furniture making timber due to its attractive appearance. The timber is also used for doors, flooring, joinery, mouldings and turnings. In Australia, Black Walnut is typically available as a veneer and used for paneling and cabinetry.

Common Form

Veneer

Workability

American Black Walnut performs well with both machine and hand tools, and takes a very high polish. It is an excellent timber for carving and turning and is suitable for steam bending. It glues satisfactorily if conditions are carefully controlled. Black Walnut also has good dimensional stability.

Origin of Timber

North America

Readily Available

NSW, VIC, SA, TAS, QLD, WA

Availability - Further Information

In Australia, commercial availability of American Black Walnut timber products is generally limited to the upper grades, in which knots and sapwood commonly occur. In Australia, Black Walnut is most commonly available as a veneer.

Source of Timber

Native Forest

Applications

Flooring

Whether for structural or finished flooring applications, timber offers durability, versatility and adaptability. The warmth, strength and natural beauty of timber flooring has proved enduringly popular in a wide variety of interior settings.
Interior Rails and Balustrades

With its natural beauty and inherent strength, timber is a popular material choice in internal balustrade construction. Commonly built from treated softwoods and durable hardwoods, interior balustrades and handrails are typically finished with a clear lacquer to generate the most natural result.
Interior Stairs

Timber should be the material of choice for designers seeking internal staircases of strength, beauty and durability. The construction procedure described here applies to most general type stairs of either conventional or contemporary construction.
Internal Paneling

Timber paneling creates interiors as warm as they are stylish. Commonly utilising an MDF or plywood substrate, internal timber paneling is natural and versatile and comes as either solid natural timber panels or as sheets of engineered wood products
Timber Joinery Products

Timber joinery products offer a classic, unique and stylish touch to any interior design.
Timber Mouldings

Mouldings are extremely versatile and durable, enhancing the aesthetics of any interior and functioning as the icing on the cake for designs with a focus on beauty and splendour.