Blackbutt, New England
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Other Names
New England Ash, New England Peppermint, Eucalyptus campanulata
New England blackbutt is a large Australian hardwood from the tablelands of northern New South Wales and southern Queensland used mainly for general construction.
New England blackbutt is a large Australian hardwood that grows in the tablelands and coastal ranges of northern New South Wales and southern Queensland.
Also known as New England ash, it is similar in appearance yet not quite as durable as blackbutt.
The heartwood is pale brown, while the sapwood is much paler in appearance. New England blackbutt has an even texture and generally straight grain. Gum veins are usually present.
New England blackbutt can be stained, painted or polished but there can be issues with painting because of its tendency to surface check. The high extractives of mature wood can cause problems with some adhesives. These extractives can also cause staining on painted surfaces exposed to the weather. Blackbutt machines well but is only fair for steam bending.
A durable hardwood, New England blackbutt is used for general construction applications, flooring and joinery.
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Botanical Name
Eucalyptus andrewsii
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Preferred Common Name
Blackbutt, New England
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Species Type
Appearance
New England blackbutt has an even texture. The grain is generally straight, making it appealing for interior use applications such as flooring and joinery. The heartwood is pale brown, while the sapwood is much paler in appearance at about 25 - 75 mm wide. Small gum veins are also usually visible.
Common Applications
New England blackbutt is used mainly for general construction applications. In New South Wales and southern Queensland it is very popular for timber framing but is also used for flooring and joinery.
Common Form
Sawn
Workability
Care needs to be taken when drying New England blackbutt as it is prone to slight collapse.
It can be stained, painted or polished but there can be issues with painting because of its tendency to surface check. The high extractives of mature wood can cause problems with some adhesives. These extractives can also cause staining on painted surfaces after exposure to the weather.
New England blackbutt machines well but is only fair for steam bending.
Origin of Timber
Readily Available
Availability - Further Information
Availability - Further Information
Shrinkage
| Very Low | Low | Medium | High | Very High | |
Tangential : |
11.40% |
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Radial: |
6.10% |
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Unit Movement Tangential: |
0.36% |
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Unit Movement Radial: |
0.25% |
Strength Group 
Very High |
High |
Reasonably High |
Medium High |
Medium |
Reasonably Low |
Low |
Very Low |
|
Unseasoned: |
S1 |
S2 |
S3 |
S4 |
S5 |
S6 |
S7 |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Seasoned: |
SD1 |
SD2 |
SD3 |
SD4 |
SD5 |
SD6 |
SD7 |
SD8 |
Stress Grade
| Structural No. 1 |
Structural No. 2 |
Structural No. 3 |
Structural No. 4 |
Structural No. 5 |
|
Unseasoned: |
F17 |
F14 |
F11 |
F8 |
F7 |
Seasoned: |
F27 |
F22 |
F17 |
F14 |
F11 |
Density per Standard
Seasoned: |
850kg/m3 |
|---|---|
Unseasoned: |
1150kg/m3 |
Joint Group
Very High |
High |
Reasonably High |
Medium |
Low |
Very Low |
|
Unseasoned: |
J1 |
J2 |
J3 |
J4 |
J5 |
J6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Seasoned: |
JD1 |
JD2 |
JD3 |
JD4 |
JD5 |
JD6 |
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: |
81 |
|---|---|
Modulus of Rupture - Seasoned: |
140 |
Modulus of Elasticity - Unseasoned: |
12 |
Modulus of Elasticity - Seasoned: |
14 |
Maximum Crushing Strength - Unseasoned: |
44 |
Maximum Crushing Strength - Seasoned: |
65 |
Impact - Unseasoned: |
18.6 |
Impact - Seasoned: |
20.4 |
Toughness - Unseasoned: |
Medium - 15 - 24 Nm |
Toughness - Seasoned: |
Medium - 15 - 24 Nm |
Hardness - Unseasoned: |
6.6 |
Hardness - Seasoned: |
9.2 |
Durability
| Low | Moderate | Reasonably High | High | |
| (0 - 5 yrs) | (5 - 15 yrs) | (15 - 25 yrs) | (more than 25 yrs) | |
In-Ground: |
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| (0 - 7 yrs) | (7 - 15 yrs) | (15 - 40 yrs) | (More than 40 yrs) | |
Above ground: |
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| (0 - 20 yrs, usually < 5) | (21 - 40 yrs) | (41 - 64 yrs) | (More than 60 yrs) | |
Marine Borer Resistance: |
Lyctid Borer Susceptibility: |
Susceptible |
|---|---|
Lyctid Borer Susceptibility - Other: |
|
Termite Resistance: |
Resistant |
Fire Properties
| 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 |
|---|---|
Critical Radiance Flux - Higher: |
≥4.5 |
Smoke Development Rate: |
<750 |
| 1 - non-combustible | 2 - reasonably non-combustible | 3 - slightly combustible | 4 - combustible | |
Fire Properties Group |
Average Specific Extinction Area: |
<250 |
|---|---|
Bushfire Resistance: |
BAL 12.5 and 19 – All AS3959 required applications |
Joinery
Timber joinery products offer a classic, unique and stylish touch to any interior or exterior design. The products are produced for a variety of internal applications including door and window frames, cabinetry, skirtings, mouldings and architraves. When looking to the outdoors, joinery products range from decorative eaves and posts to eye-catching railings.
Many timber species are suitable for joinery products and care should be taken in selecting the perfect timber for the particular product and its intended finish. Rare and exotic species such as Teak and Rosewood can generate pieces of outstanding beauty but material cost and availability are also important considerations.
Commercially available species like Tasmanian oak, Australian cypress, spotted gum and the like, often make the more practical choice, with the added benefit that they can be easily matched with other timber products within the building, like flooring.
Solid timber for joinery products is generally supplied as ‘clear finish grade' but ‘paint grade' options are available and these are usually comprised of a composite material like MDF or glulam.
A large number of specialist suppliers and producers offer the consumer extensive choice of profiles for all of the most common and popular joinery products. Choice is in many cases, limited only by imagination.
Cabinetry is often associated with joinery and most typically includes, cupboards, benches and other similar ‘built in' furniture. Like joinery, cabinetry is generally specified as either paint or clear finish grade and naturally for clear finish grade timbers, appearance and surface finish are critical in achieving a successful application.
Framing
Lightweight timber construction typically comprises framed and braced structures to which one or more types of cladding are applied. Framing configurations can range from the closely spaced light timbers commonly seen in stud frame construction to large, more widely spaced timbers. A timber framed building can be placed on a concrete slab or on posts/poles or bearers resting on piers/stumps supported on pad footings.
Used in houses or multi-residential dwellings, lightweight timber construction offers the flexibility of a wide range of cost effective design options.
When the timber comes from sustainable sources, this construction method can be environmentally advantageous as it combines timber's low embodied energy with its capacity to store carbon.
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.
Timber flooring is a timeless product, offering a warmth and natural beauty largely unmatched by other flooring options. This article provides an overview of the installation of solid timber strip flooring over bearers and joists, timber based sheet flooring products and concrete slabs. Timber flooring is typically supplied as either solid timber or laminated wood products, made from layers of bonded timber. It fits together with a tongue and groove joint and once in place, is sanded and finished. There is a wide variety of species to select flooring from and the right species for a given application will be dependent on numerous factors. Information relating to species selection, environmental assessment, finish selection and recommended maintenance routines are all provided in this section.
