Types of cherry wood

Cherry wood is a popular wood, mainly used in the production of high-end furniture, wooden doors, flooring and other household items.

Cherry wood is primarily found in the United States, but also in Europe and Japan, where it is known as European cherry and Japanese cherry, respectively. These two types of cherry wood differ from American cherry in texture and color, and are also slightly denser. The heartwood of cherry wood ranges from deep red to light reddish-brown, with a straight grain. Within the fine grain are narrow brown medullary spots and tiny capsules, resulting in a fine structure. With an air-dry density of approximately 0.62 g/cm³, cherry wood is considered a high-grade wood suitable for high-end furniture. In wooden door production, cherry wood is often used for surface decoration, in addition to solid wood doors.

The wood has good bending properties, low hardness, and medium strength. It is easy to work with, exhibits low tool wear, and offers excellent screw holding, adhesive strength, and polishing properties. While it shrinks significantly during drying, it remains dimensionally stable after kiln drying.

Cherry wood is a premium wood with a straight grain. Naturally, it has brown heartwood spots and tiny gum follicles. Its texture is fine and distinct, and it polishes well. It also takes well to paint, making it suitable for high-end home furnishings. It also has good machinability and dries relatively quickly.

European cherry

Geographical distribution: Europe, including the UK and Northern Europe.

General Characteristics: Heartwood is light red to brown, with straight grain and a very fine and uniform structure. Average density is 610 kg/m³ and specific gravity is 0.61.

Mechanical properties: The wood has very good bending properties, with medium bending and impact strength, medium impact resistance, but low hardness. Its mechanical strength is comparable to that of oak.

Machinability: Moderately abrasive to the tool, producing a very smooth finish on straight-grained wood. However, when machining cross-grained wood, a 20° cutting angle is recommended to avoid blunting the blade. The wood exhibits excellent nail holding, gluing, and staining properties, resulting in excellent finishes.

Uses: Because it tends to warp, it's generally used for smaller cross-sections. It's used in furniture and cabinets, and is suitable for making lathe parts, shuttles, toys, and musical instrument parts. Its sliced ​​veneer is a premium finishing material for furniture, doors, and wainscoting.

Japanese cherry wood

Scientific name: Prunus japonica, L. Rosaceae.

Trade name: Yama-zukura, kaba-zakura (Japan).

General Characteristics: The wood is light red to brown, fading to mahogany. It has straight grain, a fine and uniform structure, and an average density of 630 kg/m³ and a specific gravity of 0.63.

Mechanical properties: Flexural strength, impact strength and impact resistance are all medium, flexibility is good, and it can be bent and formed well after steaming.

Machinability: Moderately abrasive to the tool. When planing or milling cross-grain or irregular textures, a 20° cutting angle is recommended to minimize tool wear. Excellent nail and screw holding properties, as well as excellent adhesiveness, colorability, and polishability, provide a superior surface finish.

Uses: Used in high-end decorative joinery, cabinetry, interior woodwork, musical instrument parts, toys, and shuttles. It is also highly suitable for turning and carving. Selected logs can be used to make sliced ​​veneer for furniture veneer or paneling.

American Cherry

Scientific name: Prunus serotina, Ehrh. Rosaceae.

Trade name: Black Cherry (US and Canada), also known as cabinet cherry in the United States.

Distribution: Small or scattered occurrences in deciduous forests of the United States and Canada.

General Characteristics: The heartwood is dark red to light reddish brown, with a straight grain. Narrow brown medullary spots and tiny capsules are found within the fine lines, and the wood is fine-textured. The average density is 561 kg/m³, and the specific gravity is 0.50.

Mechanical properties: The wood has good bending properties, medium hardness, medium strength, and resistance to impact loads.

Processability: The wood is easy to process by hand or machine, has low wear on tools, and has good nail holding power, adhesive strength, and polishing properties.

Uses: Parquet flooring, pipes, musical instruments, furniture and cabinets, high-quality joinery, and marine interiors; particularly suitable for turning or carving. Selected logs can be used to make furniture veneer, cabinet veneer, wainscoting, and glossy doors.