American Ash is similar in appearance to European Ash. The sapwood is light colored to nearly white and the heartwood varies from grayish brown to light brown, to pale yellow streaked with brown. The wood is generally straight grained with a coarse uniform texture. The degree and availability of light colored sapwood, and other properties, will vary according to the growing regions.

BOTANICAL NAME:

ORIGIN:

North America – Throughout the Eastern United States.  White Ash trees range in height from 80 to 120 feet with a diameter of 2 to 5 feet.

COMMON NAMES:

American Ash, Biltmore Ash, Fresno Ash, Northern Ash, Southern Ash, White Ash

JANKA HARDNESS:

1320 – 2% harder than Northern Red Oak

DIMENSIONAL STABILITY:

Above Average – Change Coefficient .00274 – 26% more stable than Northern Red Oak

RELATIVE ABUNDANCE:

Readily Available – 4.6 percent of total United States hardwoods commercially available.

INTERESTING FACTS:

Norse mythology refers to ash as “the mighty tree that supports the heavens” and “below earth its roots went down to hell.” Ash belongs to the olive family, although its only fruit is a dart-like winged seed. Ash is a popular species for food containers because the wood has no taste. Admiral Richard Byrd wore snowshoes made from ash during his polar expeditions and early windmills were made  from this species. Before man-made materials took over the market, ash was the preferred wood for making tennis racquets.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION:

The sapwood is light-colored to nearly white and the heartwood varies from grayish or light brown, to pale yellow streaked with brown. The wood is generally straight-grained with a coarse uniform texture. The degree and availability  of light-colored sapwood, and other properties, will vary according to the growing regions.

COLOR CHANGE:

Ash undergoes a medium degree of color change over time by ambering from a pale cream color when freshly sanded to a more straw tan color as it ages.

MAIN USES:

Furniture, flooring, doors, architectural millwork and moulding, kitchen cabinets, paneling, tool handles, baseball bats, hockey sticks, billiard cues, skis, oars and turnings.

PHYSICAL PROPERTIES:

Ash has very good overall strength properties relative to its weight. It has excellent shock resistance and is good for steam bending.

WORKING PROPERTIES:

Ash machines well, is good in nailing, screwing and gluing, and can be stained to a very good finish. It dries fairly easily with minimal degrade, and there is little movement in performance.