Alnus rubra Other names: Red alder, Western red alder, Western alder.
Alder is almost white when freshly cut but quickly changes on exposure to air to light brown with a yellow or reddish tinge. Heartwood is formed only in trees of advanced age and there is no visible boundary between sap and heartwood. The wood is fairly straight grained with a uniform texture.
Use:
Furniture, kitchen cabinets, doors, interior mouldings, turning, carving and kitchen utensils.
Availability: Reasonably available.
Price:
Moderate.
Relative Working Properties:
| Machining | Resistance to Splitting in Nailing |
Resistance to Splitting in Screwing |
Gluing |
| Good | Good | Good | Good |
Physical Properties:
| Specific Gravity (12% M.C.) | Average Shipping Weight kilograms (kg) per cubic metre (m3) Air Dry | Average Volumetric Shrinkage (oven dry % of Green) | Modulus of Rupture (Kilopascals) | Modulus of Elasticity (Megapascals) | Side Hardness (Newtons) |
| 0.41 | 449 | 10.1 | 9,800 | 9,515 | 2,624 |