Follow us
Account Login

Email

Password

Forgot your password?
Free Sign Up

Featured Project

Timber provides the inspiration, heart and soul for award-winning educational design

View more inspiration
General Resources
Why Wood Articles
What is...

Bowstring truss
A truss where the top chord of the truss is curved to an arch shape.

Visit Glossary

Victorian Ash | E. delegatensis & E. regnans

Victorian Ash is the trade name of two of Australia’s largest and most attractive hardwoods.

Victorian Ash is the trade name for two of Australia’s largest and most attractive hardwoods.

Victorian Ash the trade name of two large Australian hardwoods that can be used for timber framing, internal applications and furniture.

Other Names: Alpine Ash, Tasmanian Oak, Mountain Ash, Gum-topped Stringybark, White-top, Blue-leaf

Overview
Properties
Description
Applications
Case Studies
Suppliers

Overview

Victorian Ash is the trade name for two of the tallest hardwood species in the world. This Australian hardwood takes its name from the fact that it grows in the alpine areas of Victoria, Tasmania and New South Wales. It can refer to either Mountain Ash or Alpine Ash and is marketed under the trade names Tasmanian Oak or Victorian Ash, although it is important to note that the proportions of each species can vary considerably. Victorian Ash is mainly available in Victoria, Tasmania and NSW, with limited availability to other parts of Australia.

Victorian Ash timber usually has a straight grain but may also produce fiddleback markings and have visible gum veins. It has a course texture. The heartwood ranges from pale pink to yellowish brown and a walnut colour can be achieved by steaming with ammonia. The heartwood is often indistinguishable in colour from the softwood.

Care needs to be taken when drying Victorian Ash because of its proneness to collapse and internal checking, as well as surface checking on the tangential surface. There is minimal shrinkage after drying. To ensure good quality boards, logs are quarter-cut, which provides excellent dimensional stability. Reconditioning is standard practice.

While Victorian Ash can be used for general construction, such as framing, its low to moderate durability means it is best suited for interior applications such as flooring, paneling, high-end joinery and furniture. Victorian Ash is also used to manufacture plywood and may also be used for boxes, crates and paper pulp. Victorian Ash is grown as a plantation timber due to its quick growth rate and resistance to insect attack.

Properties

Shrinkage

	Very Low	Low	Medium	High	Very High
Tangential:
Tangential:					8.5
Radial:					> 5
Unit Movement:					0.35 %

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

	Structural No. 1	Structural No. 2	Structural No. 3	Structural No. 4	Structural No. 5
Unseasoned:	F14	F11	F8	F7	F5
Seasoned:	F22	F17	F14	F11	F8

Density per Standard

Unseasoned:	1050 kg/m³
Seasoned:	660 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 - Unseasoned:	63
Modulus of Rupture - Seasoned:	110
Modulus of Elasticity - Unseasoned:	11
Modulus of Elasticity - Seasoned:	15
Maximum Crushing Strength - Unseasoned:	33
Maximum Crushing Strength - Seasoned:	60
Impact - Unseasoned:	13
Impact - Seasoned:	18
Toughness - Unseasoned:	Medium - 15 - 25 Nm
Toughness - Seasoned:	Medium - 15 - 25 Nm
Hardness - Unseasoned:	4.0
Hardness - Seasoned:	4.9

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 - Other:	S – Tas, NSW NS – Vic
Termite Resistance:	Not Resistant

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:

Critical Radiance Flux - Lower:	>2.2 and <4.5 kW/m²
Critical Radiance Flux - Higher:	>2.2 and <4.5 kW/m²
Smoke Development Rate:	<750

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

Average Specific Extinction Area:	<250
Bushfire Resistance:	BAL 12.5 and 19 – Door and window joinery only

Description

Botanical Name:	E. delegatensis & E. regnans
Preferred Common Name:	Victorian Ash
Other Names:	Alpine Ash, Tasmanian Oak, Mountain Ash, Gum-topped Stringybark, White-top, Blue-leaf
Species Type:	Hardwood

Appearance

Victorian Ash timber can range from a pale pink to pale yellow or brownish colour. The heartwood and sapwood colours are generally quite hard to tell apart, with sapwood 25 to 50mm wide.

Victorian Ash features a moderately course texture and has a predominately straight grain, although it may be wavy in parts resulting in a fiddleback appearance. Gum veins are also a common appearance feature.

It will provide a light, creamy-coloured timber for appearance applications, although a richer walnut colour can also be achieved by steaming Victorian Ash with ammonia.

Common Applications

Victorian Ash can be used for protected structural applications, such as timber framing, but it is best suited to indoor applications and furniture due its low to moderate durability. Flooring, paneling and high-end joinery are some of its more common applications, although it is also used for agricultural implements, oars, cooperage, boxes, crates, paper pulp and in the manufacture of plywood.

Workability

A strong and stable timber, Victorian Ash offers good all round workability. It planes, sands, finishes and glues well, and will readily steam and bend. This makes Victorian Ash a perfect timber for internal applications and furniture.

Origin of Timber

NSW, VIC, TAS

Availability - Further Information

Victorian Ash is predominantly available in the states that it grows, being Victoria, New South Wales and Tasmania. The timber is often sold to other states mixed with Mountain Ash and Messmate under the trade name Tasmanian Oak.

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 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.
Timber Portal Frames

For buildings that require large spans and column free interiors, timber portal frames provide one of the most aesthetically pleasing solutions. Utilising modern engineering technology, portal frame design transforms timber into a highly effective, efficient and economical structural product. This application guide provides a comprehensive overview of the process of using timber in the specification, fabrication and erection of portal frame structures.

Case Studies

Abigroup House, Brisbane

Abigroup House, Brisbane Cox Rayner Architects have created an interior that presents Abigroup as a forward-thinking building company, and timber is a highly visible contribution to this effect.

Applications: Doors, Flooring, Interior Rails and Balustrades, Interior Stairs, Internal Paneling,
Lewis St House, Thornbury

A stunning residential renovation and addition that uses timber and timber products throughout with a commitment to sustainable design.

Applications: Architectural Roof Trusses, Doors, External Cladding, Flooring, Framing, Interior Stairs, Windows,
National Portrait Gallery, Canberra

Jarrah, Spotted Gum, Blackbutt and Victorian Ash play an essential role in the National Portrait Gallery’s expression of Australian identity.

Applications: Architectural Roof Trusses, External Cladding, Flooring, Framing, Interior Stairs, Internal Paneling, Windows,
Svarmisk Resort Centre, Mt Beauty

A striking eco-resort that embodies the essence of new and recycled timber working together to form a unique, innovative and sustainable development.

Applications: External Cladding, Flooring, Framing, Interior Rails and Balustrades, Interior Stairs, Internal Paneling, Pergolas, Shear walls, Structural Timber Poles,
The Solar Observatory

A full scale building project designed and constructed by Monash University Architecture students for observation and engagement with specific light conditions.

Applications: Framing, Internal Paneling, Structural Timber Poles, Timber Portal Frames,