Sitka Spruce

Grain is straight, with a very coarse texture. Heartwood is medium brown, sometimes with a reddish or yellowish hue, with nearly black streaks. Upon application of a wood finish (particularly an oil finish) the wood can become nearly black. However, unlike most other dark hardwoods, the heartwood of wenge can lighten (rather than darken) when exposed to sunlight. Very durable; good termite resistance.

Straight, interlocked, irregular or wavy grain. Medium and uniform texture. Hearwood color can vary from pale pinkish brown to darker reddish brown. Color darkens with age. Rot resistance varies on density and growing conditions of the tree. Heartwood is generally resistant to termites, but not other insects. Easy to work with both hand and machine tools, except when working with figured or irregular grain. Sands, turns, glues, stains and finishes well.

Grain is straight, with a coarse, uneven texture. Heartwood is a light to medium brown, commonly with an olive cast. Paler sapwood is not always sharply demarcated from the heartwood. Quartersawn sections display prominent ray fleck patterns. Produces good results with hand and machine tools, though it has fairly high shrinkage values, resulting in mediocre dimensional stability, especially in flat sawn boards. Rot resistant.