COLOR: Heartwood varies from light yellow/orange to reddish brown or yellowish brown; sapwood is light tan to yellowish white.

HARDNESS: Janka hardness of 690 as compared to the hardness of 1290 for Red Oak.

GRAIN: Generally straight but uneven grained with a medium texture. D grade has less knots than #2C but more than C&Better. Knots will be smaller than #2C (Dime size and smaller).

VARIATIONS WITHIN SPECIES AND GRADES: Low to Moderate color variation.

SAWING/MACHINING: Sawing is difficult due to the fact that resin tends to gum up blades and cutting tools.

SANDING: Sands well.

NAILING: Good holding ability, easy to nail by hand or with power nailer.

FINISHING: Resin can, in some cases, repel finishes, especially around knots.