YellowAirplane.com

Aircraft Wood Types and Usage Chart for the Kitplane Homebuilder, Important Information

This aircraft wood information came out of a book that I found in the Western Illinois University Library about ten years ago. The book was written in about 1933 and contained an enormous amount of research into the types of wood used for various aircraft components. Be sure to read the notes about the different types of aircraft wood, the aircraft spruce and the ash, etc.

These notes on the different types of woods show how the location that the wood has grown, the speed of the tree growth and other factors affected the woods cell structure making their characteristics and strengths all different. For example aircraft spruce grown in one location, such as the east side of a mountain is not as strong as aircraft spruce grown in another location, possibly grown on the coast. The locations vary in micro climates which determine the rate at which the tree grows. Tree growth rate changes the cell size, the specific gravity or weight by unit volume, the bending strength and many other factors. By this reasoning, all spruce is not the same strength and selection of the spruce by experts in the field is a very important factor in where you buy your aircraft woods.

This kind of information is a very important and valuable source for the kitplane homebuilders and aircraft designers. Wooden aircraft like the Pitts Special, the Skybolt, the One Design, to name a few, all require a tremendous amount of care to keep them from coming apart when making high "G" maneuvers. The knowledge gained by closely studying this chart can give you a big insight into the factors that affect the construction of your homebuilt kitplane as far as the type of wood that is used. I have made this chart somewhere in 1997 when I first made YellowAirplane.com but it ended up lost in the mismatch and incompatibility of using programs other than Microsoft, so today, 17 July 2007, it was finally posted. So study this carefully and good luck on your airplane project.

Click Here to see the Pitts Special Text and Photo Pages.

Pitts Special History in Brief.

Click Here to See Pitts Action Pics

Home	Exhibits	Model Ships	Famous People Index	Aviation Art	Other Adventures
Brent Smith Pitts	Building A Pitts	Chuck Roberts Pitts	Carlos Santiago.	1st Pitts Prototype	1st Certificated Pitts
Pitts Action photos	Pitts Aircraft Info	Pitts Airplanes	Pitts History	Pitts Links	Pitts Tricks

Go to the Stores Front Door to See A Lot More.

Read the Chart Below and you will see that not all aircraft spruce is the same, this is important information for the kitplane homebuilder.

Click Here for Model Airplanes

Common Name	Botanical Name	Type	Type II	Stiffness	Bending, Compressive Strength	Combined Value	Comparative Value	Specific Gravity	Shock Resistance	Hardness	Aircraft Usage	Notes
red	Alnus rubra	Alder	Hard wood	102	110	103	103	100	100	114
	Malus pumila var	Apple	Hard wood	102	112	149	70	165	206	283
biltmore white	Fraxinus biltmoreana	Ash	Hard wood	115	149	144	89	138	161	248		Commercial "white ash" includes white, green, biltmore white, and blue ash, all of which grow in the eastern half of the United States. Its principal centers of production, however, are in the Lake States and from Tennessee and Arkansas south. Biltmore white ash is confined chiefly to Tennessee , Kentucky, Ohio and Indiana
black	Fraxinus nigra	Ash	Hard wood	93	101	129	93	124	172	152		Black ash is found in the Lake States, in New England and New York. This species as cut in the lake States is more often termed brown ash
blue	Fraxinus quadrangulata	Ash	Hard wood	102	150	161	94	143	207	283		Commercial "white ash" includes white, green, biltmore white, and blue ash, all of which grow in the eastern half of the United States. Its principal centers of production, however, are in the Lake States and from Tennessee and Arkansas south. Blue ash occurs in Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana and southern Missouri.
green	Fraxinus pennsylvanica lanceolata	Ash	Hard wood	115	149	145	85	143	163	225		Commercial "white ash" includes white, green, biltmore white, and blue ash, all of which grow in the eastern half of the United States. Its principal centers of production, however, are in the Lake States and from Tennessee and Arkansas south. Green ash is the most commercially important ash in the bottom lands of the Mississippi River, its tributaries and in the Costal Plain region.
oregon	Fraxinus oregona	Ash	Hard wood	105	122	139	89	135	173	224		Oregon ash is mostly found in Oregon and Washington.
pumpkin	Fraxinus profunda	Ash	Hard wood	87	119	112	76	130	123	245		Pumpkin ash is mostly important in Missouri and North Carolina.
white	Fraxinus americana	Ash	Hard wood	124	153	171	94	149	215	225		Commercial "white ash" includes white, green, biltmore white, and blue ash, all of which grow in the eastern half of the United States. Its principal centers of production, however, are in the Lake States and from Tennessee and Arkansas south. White ash is found in all states east of the Mississippi River but has its least commercial importance value in the lower Mississippi Valley.
commercial, white	Average of 4 species	Ashes	Hard wood	118	150	161	91	146	196	257		Commercial "white ash" includes white, green, biltmore white, and blue ash, all of which grow in the eastern half of the United States. Its principal centers of production, however, are in the Lake States and from Tennessee and Arkansas south.
	Populus tremuloides	Aspen	Hard wood	79	85	87	94	95	94	74
largetooth	Populus grandidentata	Aspen	Hard wood	96	93	92	99	95	89	90
	Ochroma spp.	Balsa	Soft wood								Aircraft uses: It can be used as cores in composite construction creating very strong fiberglass structures. It is also used for streamlining wooden struts and braces.	Distribution: Balsa wood grows extensively in Central America and in the northern part of South America. It is the lightest commercial wood known. and is a second-growth tree. Second growth means that it grows in areas where the ground has once been cleared by floods, fires, or human cultivation. It is one of the most rapidly growing trees known.
	Tilia glabra	Basswood	Hard wood	93	85	83	104	86	76	74	Rib webbing, Plywood Core Stock: Because of its ability to take nails without splitting it is desirable for use as web material in wing ribs. Because of its light weight combined with other desirable qualities it is used as core stock for plywood.	Basswood occurs from New Brunswick to Virginia, Georgia, and Alabama. In Canada it appears westward to Lake Superior and Lake Winnipeg and in the United States westward to the eastern part of the Dakotas, Kansas, and Oklahoma. Over 50% of the annual cut is produced in the Lake States. It reaches its largest size in the Ohio Valley but is more abundant farther north. Mature trees reach diameters of 3 to 4 feet.
	Fagus grandifolia	Beech	Hard wood	124	138	156	84	151	190	229	Propellers: About 5 to 10 percent of the first and seconds will provide quarter-sawed stock suitable for propellers	Beech occurs from Nova Scotia to northern Wisconsin and south to western Florida with a western boundary to southeastern Missouri and eastern Texas. At maturity it may reach diameters of 3 feet.
Alaska white	Betula neoalaskana	Birch	Hard wood	118	122	144	95	132	177	145
gray	Betula populifolia	Birch	Hard wood	62	81	130	96	122	207	129
paper	Betula papyrifera	Birch	Hard wood	101	103	154	104	130	223	138
sweet	Betula lenta	Birch	Hard wood	152	156	184	89	162	224	248	Propellers: Veneer: About 25% of First and Second grades are suitable for propellers. The largest and best logs are used for veneer	Occurs from Newfoundland to western Ontario in Canada. In the United States it occurs in New England, New York, New jersey, Pennsylvania, and south along the Appalachian Mountains to Florida. There are many other varieties but only the Yellow Birch and the Sweet birch have any real aviation use.
yellow	Betula lutea	Birch	Hard wood	128	143	181	99	149	241	205	Propellers: Veneer: About 25% of First and Second grades are suitable for propellers. The largest and best logs are used for veneer	Yellow birch occurs from Newfoundland through northern New England and west to Minnesota and south along the Appalachian ranges to northern Georgia. Thee are many other varieties of birch but only the Yellow and Sweet have any real use in aviation
	Avicennia nitida	Blackwood	Hard wood	136	169	188	56	224	235	440
yellow	Aesculus octandra	Buckeye	Hard wood	82	79	77	92	89	73	74
	Juglans cinerea	Butternut	Hard wood	85	92	99	103	97	113	95		The Butternut ranges from southern New Brunswick to Delaware and tin the Appalachian Mountains to Georgia and Alabama: Westward through Ontario and Michigan's upper peninsula to eastern south Dakota, eastern Iowa, southeastern Nebraska, central Kansas, southern Missouri, and northern Arkansas.
	Conocarpus erecta	Buttonwood	Hard wood	117	133	119	47	186	110	290
	Rhamus purshiana	Cascara	Hard wood	68	103	133	85	135	197	205
hardy	Catalpa speciosa	Catalpa	Hard wood	81	85	105	100	103	134	102
Alaska	Chamaecyparis nootkatensis	Cedar	Soft wood	100	115	118	97	114	131	126
eastern red	Juniperus virginiana	Cedar	Soft wood	59	106	116	89	119	161	193
incense	Libocedrus decurrens	Cedar	Soft wood	71	104	82	88	95	75	112
northern white	Thuja occidentalis	Cedar	Soft wood	57	71	65	94	78	66	71
port oxford	Chamaecyparis lawsoniana	Cedar	Soft wood	124	118	117	104	108	111	114
southern white	Chamaecyparis thyoides	Cedar	Soft wood	68	78	73	95	84	72	83
western red	Thuja plicata	Cedar	Soft wood	79	92	80	104	84	73	90
black	Prunus serotina	Cherry	Hard wood	110	133	137	96	127	158	171
pin	Prunus pennsylvanica	Cherry	Hard wood	86	86	95	99	97	108	98
	Castanea dentata	Chestnut	Hard wood	82	96	92	82	108	97	119
golden	Castanopsis chrysophylla	Chiquapin	Hard wood	92	111	115	94	114	134	148
eastern	Populus deltoides	Cottonwood	Hard wood	90	88	95	95	100	103	86
northern Black	Populus trichocarpa hastata	Cottonwood	Hard wood	88	83	84	105	86	83	69
southern	Taxodium distichum	Cypress	Soft wood	100	118	108	89	114	107	124
	Cornus florida	Dogwood	Hard wood	91	139	181	79	173	270	367
pacific	Cornus nuttallii	Dogwood	Hard wood	104	124	158	80	157	217	276
	Pseudotsuga taxifolia (coast region)	Douglas fir	Soft wood	133	135	125	93	122	114	140
	Pseudotsuga taxifolia (Inland Empire)	Douglas fir	Soft wood	117	117	110	94	111	101	138
	Pseudotsuga taxifolia (Rocky Mountain region)	Douglas fir	Soft wood	104	108	101	90	108	94	124
blueberry	Sambucus coerulea	Elder	Hard wood	85	103	120	87	124	154	162
American	Ulmus americana	Elm	Hard wood	96	111	133	96	124	173	157
rock	Ulmus racemosa	Elm	Hard wood	109	142	186	97	154	266	248
slippery	Ulmus fulva	Elm	Hard wood	103	126	163	110	130	228	171
golden	Ficus aurea	Fig	Hard wood	49	88	79	61	119	92	N.A.
alpine	Abies lasiocarpa	Fir	Soft wood	69	75	63	82	84	51	79
balsam	Abies balsamea	Fir	Soft wood	87	86	79	90	92	70	74
California red	Abies magnifica	Fir	Soft wood	99	106	101	101	100	100	124
cork bark	Abies arizonica	Fir	Soft wood	76	75	66	100	76	54	64
lowland white	Abies grandis	Fir	Soft wood	115	106	106	106	100	101	102
noble	Abies nobilis	Fir	Soft wood	110	104	102	110	95	96	93
silver	Abies amabilis	Fir	Soft wood	108	101	102	110	95	99	88
True	Averages of 4 species	Fir	Soft wood	104	103	99	106	95	93	98
white	Abies concolor	Fir	Soft wood	93	100	92	99	95	85	100
black	Nyssa sylvatica	Gum	Hard wood	87	112	105	76	124	113	186
blue	Eucalyptus globulus	Gum	Hard wood	171	194	185	85	168	189	314
red	Liquidambar styraciflua	Gum	Hard wood	99	114	120	92	119	139	143
tupelo	Nyssa aquatica	Gum	Hard wood	93	117	109	79	124	114	186
	Bursera simaruba	Gumbo-limbo	Hard wood	49	54	49	67	81	45	71
	Celtis occidentalis	Hackberry	Hard wood	79	103	139	91	132	204	176
pear	Crataegus tomentosa	Haw	Hard wood	79	128	176	81	168	272	302
eastern	Tsuga canadensis	Hemlock	Soft wood	89	104	95	90	103	94	121
mountain	Tsuga mertensiana	Hemlock	Soft wood	96	117	120	96	116	139	152
western	Tsuga heterophylla (West Coast)	Hemlock	Soft wood	106	108	105	100	103	103	119
true	Average of 4 species	Hickories	Hard wood	138	183	268	115	176	411	N.A.
big leaf shagbark	Hicoria laciniosa	Hickory	Hard wood	121	162	267	122	168	434	N.A.
bitternut	Hicora cordiformis	Hickory	Hard Wood	125	176	223	108	162	320	N.A.
mockernut	Hicoria alba	Hickory	Hard wood	136	179	253	111	173	380	N.A.
nutmeg	Hicoria myristicaeformis	Hickory	Hard wood	108	150	207	111	151	311	N.A.
pignut	Hicoria glabra	Hickory	Hard wood	146	192	282	119	178	434	N.A.
shagbark	Hicoria ovata	Hickory	Hard wood	136	179	246	108	173	363	N.A.
water	Hicoria aquatica	Hickory	Hard wood	136	171	202	95	165	266	N.A.
pecan	Average of 4 species	Hicories	Hard wood	121	164	206	103	159	292	338
	Ilex opaca	Holly	Hard wood	75	103	126	80	135	175	205
	Ostrya virginiana	Hop-hornbeam	Hard wood	110	140	173	78	170	238	300
	Exothea paniculata	Inkwood	Hard wood	134	164	178	64	197	217	431
black	Krugiodendron ferreum	Ironwood	Hard wood	187	225	196	42	281	183	N.A.
alligator	Juniperus pachyphloea	Juniper	Soft wood	44	96	88	59	130	111	225
western	Larix occidentails	Larch	Soft wood	112	132	119	80	130	114	152
mountain	Kalmia latifolia	Laurel	Hard wood	81	136	130	60	168	159	340
black	Robinia pseudoacacia	Locust	Hard wood	162	225	213	90	178	239	383
honey	Gleditsia triacanthos	Locust	Hard wood	112	156	164	80	162	203	369
	Arbutus menziesii	Madrofio	Hard wood	86	121	115	58	157	131	271
cucumber	Magnolia acuminata	Magnolia	Hard wood	129	124	134	103	119	145	136
evergreen	Magnolia grandiflora	Magnolia	Hard wood	100	108	145	105	124	199	190
Mountain	Magnolia fraseri	Magnolia	Hard wood	104	104	108	96	108	114	121
	Rhizophora mangle	Mangrove	Hard wood	199	232	222	60	240	231	598
big leaf	Acer macrophyllum	Maple	Hard wood	97	117	108	83	119	110	174
black	Acer nigrum	Maple	Hard wood	110	126	149	89	141	190	231
red	acer ruburm	Maple	Hard wood	116	125	135	89	132	155	188
silver	Acer saccharinum	Maple	Hard wood	78	97	106	82	119	131	115
striped	Acer pennsylvanicum	Maple	Hard wood	99	106	119	92	119	141	140
sugar	Acer saccharum	Maple	Hard wood	131	154	165	86	154	194	274
	Sideroxylon foetidissimum	Mastic	Hard wood	135	164	144	39	240	137	495
Oregon	Umbellularia californica	Myrtle	Hard wood	65	103	135	83	138	203	252
black	Quercus velutina	Oak	Hard wood	107	132	145	78	151	180	243
bur	Quercus macrocarpa	Oak	Hard wood	76	114	123	62	157	161	267
California black	Quercus kelloggii	Oak	Hard wood	70	97	94	58	138	107	236
canyon live	Quercus chrysolepis	Oak	Hard wood	117	162	159	61	189	185	431
chestnut	Quercus montana	Oak	Hard wood	122	138	139	73	154	151	214
commercial red	Average of 9 species	Oak	Hard wood	124	135	158	85	151	196	245
commercial white	Average of 6 species	Oak	Hard wood	110	133	145	72	159	176	260
laurel	Quercus laurifolia	Oak	Hard wood	124	128	144	77	151	169	236
live	Quercus virginiana	Oak	Hard wood	168	190	191	59	219	208	571
Oregon white	Quercus garryana	Oak	Hard wood	79	121	134	59	173	179	364
pin	Quercus palustris	Oak	Hard wood	123	133	165	84	157	214	264
post	Quercus stellata	Oak	Hard wood	105	132	146	71	162	183	290
red	Quercus borealis	Oak	Hard wood	121	131	158	85	151	201	245
rocky mountain white	Quercus utahensis	Oak	Hard wood	57	96	91	42	168	110	326
scarlet	Quercus coccinea	Oak	Hard wood	133	156	188	91	162	246	286
southern red	Quercus rubra	Oak	Hard wood	112	111	114	68	141	117	205
swamp chestnut	Quercus prinus	Oak	Hard wood	126	136	155	75	162	186	245
swamp red	Quercus rubra pagodaefolia	Oak	Hard wood	158	176	193	91	165	228	293
swamp white	Quercus bicolor	Oak	Hard wood	135	165	185	81	173	232	290
water	Quercus nigra	Oak	Hard wood	144	14	165	89	151	194	240
WHITE	Quercus alba	Oak	Hard wood	112	138	148	72	162	179	257
willow	Quercus phellos	Oak	Hard wood	123	128	142	76	151	163	252
cabbage	Sabal palmetto	Palmetto	Hard wood	40	53	56	56	100	69	50
	Simarouba galuca	Paradise-tree	Hard wood	63	60	48	57	89	30	76
	Hicoria pecan	Pecan	Hard wood	119	149	171	83	162	220	338
	Diospyro virginiana	Persimmon	Hard wood	126	165	165	72	173	192	386
	Coccolobis laurifolia	Pigeon-plum	Hard wood	135	156	152	51	208	161	450
jack	Pinus banksiana	Pine	Soft wood	82	94	97	90	105	110	114
Jeffrey	Pinus jeffreyi	Pine	Soft wood	85	96	90	90	100	89	105
limber	Pinus flexilis	Pine	Soft wood	122	136	130	83	100	131	148
loblolly	Pinus taeda	Pine	Soft wood	122	136	130	83	135	131	148
Lodgepole	Pinus contorta	Pine	Soft wood	94	97	91	87	103	85	98
Longleaf	Pinus palustris	Pine	Soft wood	139	157	147	81	149	145	181
mountain	Pinus pungens	Pine	Soft wood	111	128	124	82	132	130	152
northern white	Pinus strobus	Pine	Soft wood	88	90	84	95	92	77	83
Norway	Pinus resinosa	Pine	Soft wood	120	122	120	92	119	118	110
pitch	Pinus rigida	Pine	Soft wood	107	108	119	88	122	135	133
pond	Pinus rigida serotina	Pine	Soft wood	113	132	124	79	135	127	152
sand	Pinus clausa	Pine	Soft wood	99	121	115	85	122	121	150
shortleaf	Pinus echinata	Pine	Soft wood	125	139	142	93	132	156	162
slash	Pinus caribaea	Pine	Soft wood	143	167	152	67	173	148	221
sugar	Pinus lambertiana	Pine	Soft wood	82	92	83	89	95	77	90
western	Pinus monticola (Idaho)	Pine	Soft wood	101	100	97	101	97	92	83
western yellow (Ponderosa & California white	Pinus ponderosa	Pine	Soft wood	82	93	85	81	103	82	98
white	Pinus monticola	Pine	Soft wood	101	100	97	97	97	92	83
	Pinus edulis	Pinon	Soft wood	79	92	88	56	135	92	174
	Metopium toxiferum	Poisonwood	Hard wood	73	89	76	47	138	69	148
balsam	Populus balsamifera	Popular	Hard wood	70	67	65	89	81	61	60
yellow	Liriodindron tulipifera	Popular	Hard wood	99	97	91	87	103	82	95
	Sequoia sempervirens	Redwood	Soft wood	99	133	109	93	111	99	140
great	Rhododendron maximum	Rhododendron	Hard wood	74	122	119	76	135	146	248
	Sassafras varifolium	Sassafras	Hard wood	76	99	109	89	114	138	143
	Amelanchier canadensis	Serviceberry	Hard wood	133	165	197	83	178	262	312
	Halesia carolina	Silvebell	Hard wood	98	101	106	87	114	114	126
	Oxydendrum arboreum	Sourwood	Hard wood	124	126	137	87	135	152	198
black	Picea mariana	Spruce	Soft wood	105	96	107	102	103	115	95
engelmann	Picea engelmannii	Spruce	Soft wood	74	78	70	91	84	63	76		Engleman spruce occurs from Southern New Mexico and South eastern Arizona to British Columbia and west to the eastern slopes of the Cascade mountains in Oregon and Washington. Less than 1% would be suitable for use in aircraft as a substitute for Sitka spruce. Aircraft grade would come from stock grown near the Canadian border.
red	Eugenia confusa	Stopper	Hard wood	145	497	195	58	224	228	N.A.
	Celtis laevigata	Sugarberry	Hard wood	76	103	121	85	127	163	198
staghorn	Rhus hirta	Sumach	Hard wood	69	104	119	88	122	163	152
	Platanus occidentalis	Sycamore	Hard wood	95	104	104	75	124	110	152
	Larix laricina	Tamarack	Soft wood	108	124	118	78	132	120	126
black	Juglans nigra	Walnut	Hard wood	123	156	155	96	138	175	210
little	Juglans rupestris	Walnut	Hard wood	87	124	136	80	143	177	N.A.
black	Salix nigra	Willow	Hard wood	51	60	87	99	92	128	83
western black	Salix lasiandra	Willow	Hard wood	99	97	91	87	103	82	95
	Hamamelis virginiana	Witch-hazel	Hard wood	95	138	179	96	151	263	255
pacific	Taxus brevifolia	Yew	Soft wood	89	158	173	84	162	239	329

Click Here for Model Airplanes

Write to the Webmaster

="../Exhibits/WWII_B-17_The_Powerful_Poodle/1-John_Story_B-17_Flyingfortress.htm" Pitts/Aircraft_Wood.HTM../Exhibits/WWII_B-17_The_Powerful_Poodle/1-John_Story_B-17_Flyingfortress.htm" 4884"