Species guide

American alder

Latin name

Alnus rubra

Other Common names

Red alder, Western red alder, Western alder

Distribution

West coast USA, principally the Pacific North West, where it is the most common commercial hardwood.

General Description

Red 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.

Working Properties

Red alder machines well and is excellent for turning and polishing. It nails, screws and glues well, and can be sanded, painted, or stained to a good finish. It dries easily with little degrade and has good dimensional stability after drying.

Physical Properties

Red alder is a relatively soft hardwood of medium density that has low bending strength, shock resistance and stiffness.

Durability

The wood is non-resistant to heartwood decay, liable to attack by the common furniture beetle but is permeable for preservation treatment.

Availability

USA:

Reasonably available, but strictly limited by region.

Export:

Readily available in some markets but limited in others. Available in dimension stock and rough lumber.

Main Uses

Furniture, kitchen cabinets, doors, interior mouldings, turning, carving and kitchen utensils.

Grading

The grading rules are unique for this Western USA species. Key points include: lumber is kiln dried, surfaced and then inspected for grade from the best face. Pin knots are a natural characteristic and not considered a defect. The primary grades include superior (select & BTR), cabinet (#1C) and frame (#2C) which adapt themselves to similar uses as the standard NHLA grades.

Technical statistics

Specific Gravity (12% M.C.):	0.41
Average Weight (12% M.C.):	449 kg/m3
Average Volume Shrinkage (Green to 6% M.C.):	10.10%
Modulus of Elasticity:	9515 MPa
Hardness:	2624 N