Timber Species Guide

Spotted Gum ranges from light brown to dark brown, often with a characteristic wavy or interlocked grain that produces an attractive fiddleback figure. The sapwood is distinctly paler. The texture is moderately coarse and even, with a slightly greasy feel. Named for the distinctive spotted bark of the living tree.

Blackbutt heartwood is pale golden-yellow to light brown, sometimes with a slight pinkish tinge. The grain is usually straight with occasional interlocking, and the texture is medium and even. It has a uniform, clean appearance that works well in modern interiors.

Jarrah heartwood is a rich reddish-brown that deepens with age to a dark burgundy. The grain is moderately interlocked, with a medium to coarse texture. Jarrah has a distinctive warm character and natural lustre that makes it highly valued for feature applications.

Tasmanian Oak ranges from pale straw to reddish-brown, often with attractive variations within a single board. The grain is generally straight with occasional interlocking, and the texture is moderately coarse. It is one of the most popular Australian timbers for interior applications due to its warm, inviting tones.

Grey Ironbark heartwood ranges from pale brown to dark chocolate brown, often with reddish tones. The grain is interlocked and the texture is fine to medium. It is extremely dense and heavy — one of the hardest commercially available timbers in the world.

Brush Box heartwood is pinkish-brown to reddish-brown with a fine, even texture and generally straight grain. It has a uniform appearance with minimal colour variation, making it popular for flooring and cladding where consistency is valued.

Tallowwood heartwood is yellowish-brown to olive-brown with a slightly greasy or waxy feel — hence the name. The grain is interlocked and the texture is medium to fine. It has a distinctive oily feel when handled, which contributes to its natural durability.

Blackwood heartwood ranges from golden-brown to dark chocolate-brown, often with distinctive darker streaks. The grain is usually straight to slightly interlocked, and the texture is medium and even. Highly figured boards with fiddleback patterns are prized for furniture and decorative work.

A tall, strong Western Australian hardwood with a pale reddish-brown colour, used for structural work, flooring and joinery.

A light, straw-to-pink Victorian hardwood from the ash-type eucalypts, popular for flooring, furniture and interior joinery.

A Western Australian hardwood prized for its honey tones and the dark red gum veins that give each board its character.

Sydney Blue Gum is a versatile Australian hardwood with warm pink to reddish brown heartwood, valued for flooring, joinery and general building.

Red Ironbark is one of the densest and most durable Australian hardwoods, with a deep red to red-brown heartwood suited to demanding structural and outdoor work.

A south-eastern Australian hardwood valued for decking and cladding, with good above-ground durability and a warm brown colour.

Australian Wormy Chestnut is not a true chestnut but a feature grade of the ash-type eucalypts, mainly Messmate, selected for its borer trails and gum-vein character.

Meranti heartwood ranges from pale pinkish-brown to a deeper reddish-brown depending on the species group. The grain is typically interlocked, producing an attractive ribbon figure on quarter-sawn surfaces. The texture is moderately coarse but even, and the timber has a natural lustre when dressed.

Merbau heartwood is yellow-brown to orange-brown when freshly cut, darkening to a rich reddish-brown with age. The grain is typically interlocked or wavy, producing a ribbon figure on radial surfaces. The texture is coarse but even, and freshly cut timber has a characteristic oily scent.

Kapur heartwood is reddish-brown with a fairly straight or slightly interlocked grain. The texture is moderately coarse but even. It has a distinctive camphor-like scent when freshly cut. The timber darkens slightly with age and exposure.

Grandis heartwood is pink to red-brown in colour, with paler sapwood. The grain is straight to slightly interlocked with a moderately coarse, even texture. It has a warm, attractive character with natural insect trails and pinholes that add visual interest. Plantation-grown Grandis tends to be lighter and more uniform.

Western Red Cedar heartwood ranges from dark salmon-pink to rich chocolate-brown, often with contrasting sapwood. The grain is straight and even with a fine to medium texture. It has a distinctive aromatic scent and a natural lustre. The timber weathers gracefully to a silver-grey when left unfinished.

American White Oak heartwood is light to medium brown, sometimes with an olive cast. The grain is straight with a coarse, uneven texture and prominent rays that produce an attractive fleck pattern on quarter-sawn surfaces. It has a warm, classic character that has made it one of the most popular hardwoods worldwide.

American Red Oak heartwood is light to medium reddish-brown. The grain is straight with a coarse, uneven texture. It has a more pronounced pinkish-red tone compared to White Oak, and the pores are more open. Widely used in North American construction and increasingly popular in Australian interiors.

American Rock Maple heartwood is creamy white to light reddish-brown, with the sapwood being almost white. The grain is generally straight with a fine, even texture. Figured varieties (bird's eye, curly, quilted) are highly prized for decorative work. It has a clean, contemporary appearance.

American Black Walnut heartwood is rich chocolate-brown to dark purplish-brown, sometimes with darker streaks. The sapwood is nearly white and sharply demarcated. The grain is usually straight but can be wavy or figured. It has a medium to coarse texture and a natural lustre that deepens with age.

American Cherry heartwood is light pinkish-brown when freshly cut, darkening to a rich reddish-brown with age and light exposure. The grain is straight and fine with a smooth, satiny texture. The colour transformation over time is one of its most valued characteristics.

American White Ash heartwood is light to medium brown. The grain is straight with a coarse, pronounced texture and strong growth ring figure. It has an open, clean look with excellent contrast between early and late wood. Known for its exceptional flexibility and shock resistance.

European Beech heartwood is pale cream to light pinkish-brown. Steaming deepens the colour to a warm, uniform reddish-tan. The grain is straight with a fine, even texture. It has a clean, consistent appearance that works well in modern and traditional settings. Steaming also improves stability.

A versatile European hardwood valued for its warm brown tone, prominent grain and suitability for flooring, furniture and joinery, including fumed, limed and stained finishes.

A lightweight pale South-East Asian hardwood valued for carving, pattern-making and fine mouldings, but not suited to outdoor use.

A stable tropical hardwood with rich red-brown heartwood, well regarded for decking, cladding and joinery.

Cypress Pine heartwood is light yellow to golden-brown with distinctive dark knots. The grain is straight and fine, with a pleasant aromatic scent. The natural oils in the timber give it a distinctive character and contribute to its natural termite resistance.

Radiata Pine heartwood is pale straw to light yellow-brown with a clear distinction between heartwood and sapwood. The grain is generally straight with a medium to coarse texture. Growth rings are visible, and the timber can have occasional resin pockets. It is the most widely used softwood in Australian construction.

Hoop Pine heartwood is pale cream to light brown with a fine, even texture and straight grain. It has a clean, uniform appearance with minimal figure. The timber is well-suited to applications where a consistent, pale appearance is desired.

Douglas Fir heartwood is light reddish-brown to yellowish, with a distinctive straight grain and medium to coarse texture. Growth rings are prominent, giving the timber a clear visual character. It is strong for its weight and has been used extensively in structural applications worldwide.

Baltic Pine heartwood is pale reddish-brown to honey-coloured, with clearly defined growth rings and a fine, even texture. The grain is generally straight. Recycled Baltic Pine from old buildings is highly sought after for its aged character, tight grain, and warm patina developed over decades.

A pale, fine-textured South-East Asian conifer valued for clean joinery and mouldings where a light, easily worked, non-structural timber is wanted.

LVL is manufactured by bonding thin layers of wood veneer together under heat and pressure, with the grain of each layer running in the same direction. The result is a consistent, straight-grained structural member that is stronger and more predictable than sawn timber of equivalent dimensions.