WOOD SPECIES · Hardwood
Black cherry: density, weight and properties
Prunus serotina
Black cherry (Prunus serotina) averages 560 kg/m³ at 12% moisture content, according to the USDA Wood Handbook. The figures below are averages for clear, mature wood; individual boards vary with origin, growth and moisture.
Key figures
- Density at 12% moisture
- 560 kg/m³Specific gravity 0.50 (oven-dry mass, volume at 12%) × 1.12 × 1,000 kg/m³, Wood Handbook Eq. 4-14
- Basic specific gravity (oven-dry mass, green volume)
- 0.47
- Janka side hardness at 12%
- 4,200 N (≈ 944 lbf)
- Bending strength (modulus of rupture)
- 85 MPa
- Stiffness (modulus of elasticity)
- 10,300 MPa
- Compression parallel to grain
- 49 MPa
- Tangential shrinkage, green to oven-dry
- 7.1%
- Radial shrinkage, green to oven-dry
- 3.7%
- Volumetric shrinkage, green to oven-dry
- 11.5%
- Fibre saturation point
- 30%Not measured: Wood Handbook default
Weight at 12% moisture content
Volume × 560 kg/m³, the same calculation as the weight calculator. Green or wet wood weighs considerably more.
| Piece | Size | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| 1 cubic metre | 1,000 × 1,000 × 1,000 mm | 560 kg |
| 1 board foot | 12 × 12 × 1 in | 1.32 kg |
| 1×4 board, 8 ft | 3/4 × 3 1/2 in actual × 8 ft | 2.31 kg |
| 1×6 board, 8 ft | 3/4 × 5 1/2 in actual × 8 ft | 3.63 kg |
| 2×4 board, 8 ft | 1 1/2 × 3 1/2 in actual × 8 ft | 4.63 kg |
| 2×6 board, 10 ft | 1 1/2 × 5 1/2 in actual × 10 ft | 9.08 kg |
Movement across the width
How much a board 11 1/4 in (286 mm) wide changes when its moisture content moves by a few percentage points. The estimate uses the total shrinkage above and a linear relation below the fibre saturation point of 30% (Wood Handbook Eq. 4-9). Flat-sawn boards move with tangential shrinkage, quartersawn boards with radial shrinkage.
| Moisture change | Flat-sawn | Quartersawn |
|---|---|---|
| 3 percentage points | 2 mm (0.08 in) | 1.1 mm (0.042 in) |
| 6 percentage points | 4.1 mm (0.16 in) | 2.1 mm (0.083 in) |
Wood movement across the grain · Moisture content and acclimatising wood
Natural durability
The Wood Handbook groups the heartwood as moderately resistant to decay (Table 14-1). Wood in this group usually needs some form of preservative treatment where decay can develop.
Working and finishing
Fairly uniform texture and very good machining properties; moderately heavy and moderately hard. It has moderately high shrinkage but is very dimensionally stable after drying (Wood Handbook, chapter 2).
The Wood Handbook lists cherry and maple among the hardwoods with small vessels; pore filling is mainly needed on large-vessel woods.
Typical uses
- Furniture
- Sliced veneer
- Interior joinery and millwork
Calculate with this material
Species with similar density
- Scots pine 550 kg/m³
- Loblolly pine (southern pine) 571.2 kg/m³
- Freijó 580 kg/m³
Sources & references
- USDA FPL · Wood Handbook (2021), ch. 5: Mechanical properties of wood
- USDA FPL · Wood Handbook (2021), ch. 4: Moisture relations and physical properties of wood
- USDA FPL · Wood Handbook (2021), ch. 14: Biodeterioration of wood
- USDA FPL · Wood Handbook (2021), ch. 2: Characteristics and availability of commercially important woods
- USDA FPL · Wood Handbook (2021), ch. 16: Finishing of wood
Uses and working notes summarise the cited source. Check the moisture content, grade and origin of the wood you actually buy.