American Cherry

is a light pinkish brown when freshly cut, darkening to a medium reddish brown with time and upon exposure to light. Sapwood is a pale yellowish color.

The grain is usually straight and easy to work—with the exception of figured pieces with curly grain patterns. Has a fine, even texture with moderate natural luster.

Semi-ring-porous to diffuse-porous; small to medium pores in no specific arrangement, numerous; solitary and radial multiples of 2-3; mineral/gum deposits occasionally present, though not easily visible with lens; growth rings usually distinct due to a concentration of earlywood pores; medium to wide rays visible without lens; parenchyma absent.

Heartwood is rated as being very durable and resistant to decay.

Cherry is known as being one of the best all-around woods for workability. It is stable, straight-grained, and machines well. The only difficulties typically arise if the wood is being stained, as it can sometimes give blotchy results—using a sanding sealer prior to staining, or using a gel-based stain is recommended. Sapwood is common, and may contribute to a high wastage factor.

Cherry is easy to machine, nails and glues well and when sanded, stained and polished, it produces an excellent smooth finish. It dries fairly quickly with moderately large shrinkage, but is dimension-ally stable after kilning.

The wood is of medium density with good wood bending properties, it has low stiffness and medium strength and shock resistance.

# Specific Gravity: 0.50 (12% M.C.)
# Average Weight: 561 kg/m3 (12% M.C.)
# Average Volumetric Shrinkage: 9.2% (Green to 6% M.C.)
# Modulus of Elasticity: 10,274 MPa
# Hardness: 4226 N

Breathing Cherry’s sawdust has been associated with respiratory effects such as wheezing. See the articles Wood Allergies and Toxicity and Wood Dust Safety for more information.

Since Cherry is a domestic lumber, prices should be moderate, though it should typically cost more than oak or maple, usually close to the price of walnut.

This wood species is not listed in the CITES Appendices or on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

Cabinetry, fine furniture, flooring, interior millwork, veneer, turned objects, and small specialty wood items.