Cherry (Prunus serotina)
Description: The heartwood of cherry varies from rich red to reddish brown and will darken with age and on exposure to light. In contrast, the sapwood is creamy white. The wood has a fine uniform, straight grain, satiny, smooth texture, and may naturally contain brown pith flecks and small gum pockets.
Main Uses: Fine furniture and cabinet making, mouldings and millwork, kitchen cabinets, paneling, flooring, doors, boat interiors, musical instruments, turnings and carvings.
Physical Properties: The wood is of medium density with good bending properties, it has low stiffness and medium strength and shock resistance.
Availability: Readily available.
Working Properties: Cherry is easy to machine, nails and glues well, and when sanded and stained, it produces an excellent smooth finish. It dries fairly quickly with moderately high shrinkage, but is dimensionally stable after kiln-drying.
| Machining | Nailing | Screwing | Gluing | Finishing |
| Excellent | Good | Good | Good | Excellent |
Strength and Mechanical Properties: (inch-pound)
| Moisture Content | Green-12% |
| Specific Gravity | 0.47-0.50 |
| Static Bending: Modulus of Rupture (lbf/in^2) | 8,000-12,300 |
| Static Bending: Modulus of Elasticity (10^6 lbf/in^2) | 1.31-1.49 |
| Static Bending: Work to Maximum Load (in-lbf/in^3) | 11.4-12.8 |
| Impact Bending to Grain (in) | 34-55 |
| Compression Parallel to Grain (lbf/in^2) | 2,360-8,540 |
| Compression Perpendicular to Grain (lbf/in^2) | 270-1,080 |
| Shear Parallel to Grain (lbf/in^2) | 840-2,240 |
| Tension Perpendicular to Grain (lbf/in^2) | -- - 950 |
| Side Hardness (lbf) | 560-1,470 |
Source: American Hardwood Information Center, Species Guide