American elm is durable and tough, yet softer than most other hardwoods. Interlocked grains add to its toughness and make it more resistant to splitting. The color is light to medium reddish brown, sometimes with darker streaks.

American basswood, or linden, is a tonewood commonly used in manufacturing solid-body electric guitars. It has a soft texture suitable for making furniture, crates, wooden utensils, pulpwood, lumber, carvings, models, puppets, and aquarium accessories.

The wood of Amur corktree is relatively lightweight and soft, with a coarse texture. It ranges from pale yellow to light brown in color, with a straight, even grain. The wood is easy to work, but not widely used for structural purposes. The primary commercial value of the tree lies in its corky bark. It is sometimes used in small woodworking projects.

Belgian elm is a medium-density hardwood with interlocked grain and a somewhat uneven texture. Wavy patterns and figures are occasionally seen. Light brown to reddish-brown in color, this wood adds visual interest to decorative pieces and is often used to make boxes, baskets, and furniture.

Bitternut hickory produces a tough, strong hardwood similar to other hickories. Its heartwood is pale brown, often tinged with yellow, while the sapwood is nearly white. The grain is typically straight, but can be irregular or wavy. This dense wood is highly shock-resistant, making it ideal for tool handles, flooring, and other high-stress applications. Its workability is moderate due to its hardness, but it finishes well when properly treated.

Black cherry is a durable hardwood of medium density. Its color ranges from pale pink to dark red-brown, and it will darken naturally over time. It is easy to work, bends well, and is highly sought-after for furniture, cabinetry, and woodworking.

The wood of the Sargent cherry tree is similar to black cherry, with a rich, smooth texture and attractive figures. The heartwood turns from a pinkish hue when cut to a rich reddish-brown over time. This wood is an excellent choice for high-end furniture, cabinetry, and turned objects.

With its rich reddish brown color and close-knit grain, sweet cherry is a premium choice for high-end woodworking. Due to its straight grain pattern and smooth texture, it is easy to work. The color tends to darken with age. This wood is commonly used for furniture, cabinetry, and musical instruments.

Black locust is a very dense and heavy hardwood, with a medium texture and straight or slightly irregular grain. One of the most rot-resistant woods, it is ideal for fence posts, outdoor furniture, decking, flooring, boatbuilding, and other applications that may involve moisture.

Black walnut is a durable hardwood with a slightly open grain that is typically straight, but occasionally curly, wavy, or figured. Its deep brown color can have a gray, purple, or reddish cast. The texture of new wood is usually coarse, but the wood develops a lustrous patina over time. It is commonly used to make fine furniture, flooring, oars, and coffins.

Black willow is a lightweight, flexible hardwood, reddish to grayish brown in color. It offers good shock resistance, responds moderately well to steam bending, and is often used for millwork, furniture, doors, cabinetry, boxes, barrels, toys, and pulpwood.

Blue ash is a durable hardwood with a medium to coarse texture, similar to oak. The grain is typically straight, but may be curly or figured. This wood is easy to work and responds well to steam bending, gluing, staining, and finishing. It is commonly used for flooring, furniture, tool handles, barrels, and baseball bats.

Boxelder, or boxelder maple, is a straight-grained hardwood with a fine, even texture. One of the softest and lightest species of maple, it is easy to work, turn, and finish. It is commonly used to make baskets, boxes, musical instruments, and small ornamental objects.

The wood of the bur oak is notably hard and dense, with a coarse and typically uneven texture. The grain is prominently patterned with rays and pores, and the color ranges from light to medium brown, with an olive cast. This wood brings a rustic appeal to furniture, flooring, and cabinetry.

Callery pear is a dense hardwood with a straight grain and smooth texture. Due to these characteristics, it takes an excellent polish and is well-suited to fine detail work. Common applications of Callery pear include musical instruments, turned objects, knife handles, and furniture. Its medium brown color can darken over time.

Castor-aralia is a relatively soft wood of medium density and texture, pale yellow to light brown in color. Its grain, which may be straight or slightly interlocked, has a unique appearance that is well-suited to ornamental purposes. This wood is often used for furniture and veneer.

Chestnut oak is a coarse-grained and durable hardwood, typically medium brown in color. This wood is commonly used for construction, flooring, posts, wagons, tool handles, and furniture.

Chinese catalpa is a softwood of medium density and texture, tending to be pale gray or light brown in color. It is lightweight and generally straight-grained, with occasional interlocked grain patterns. This wood is well-suited to carving, indoor furniture, and crafts. It is more resistant to rot than most softwoods and has historically been used for fence posts.

Chinese chestnut is a remarkably strong and durable hardwood, prized for its rich brown and reddish tones. The grain may be straight or slightly wavy. This wood has excellent natural resistance to rot and is commonly used for fence posts.

Although it is classified as a softwood, Chinese juniper is moderately dense and durable. Red, orange, and brown hues in the heartwood make a dramatic contrast to the pale cream color of the sapwood. This aromatic wood is commonly used for decorative items, outdoor furniture, chests, and closet linings.

A member of the walnut family, Chinese wingnut yields wood that is similar to walnut, but less dense. The grain is typically straight, but occasionally curly, wavy, or figured. Chinese wingnut is well-suited for furniture, turning, boxes, and decorative veneer.

Crimean linden is a lightweight hardwood that is off-white to pale cream in color. Softer than most hardwoods, it is well-suited to carving. The wood is used to craft furniture, wooden utensils, carvings, models, and puppets.

Eastern larch, or European larch, is a dense and durable softwood. The wood is yellow to orange-brown in color, often with small knots and pronounced growth rings that can create interesting patterns. This wood resists rot well and is excellent for boats and decks.

Eastern red-cedar is a durable and aromatic softwood that is highly resistant to decay. The fine, even texture of this wood makes it easy to work, although knots and other irregularities tend to be present. It is commonly used for furniture, fencing, cedar chests, and pencils.

European white birch, also known as silver birch, is a pale-colored hardwood with a smooth texture. It is most often used to produce plywood and is also frequently used for joinery timber, firewood, tanning, racecourse jumps, and brooms.

The wood of the ginkgo tree is highly durable, of medium density, and resistant to splitting, warping, and cracking. Commonly used for cabinetry and furniture, this wood is known to finish well and has a striking appearance, with hues of light yellow to golden brown streaked with black.

Gray birch is a fine-textured hardwood that is typically straight-grained, although subtle figures may occur. The color ranges from creamy white to light brown. Gray birch machines well, is easy to turn, and glues reliably. Like other birch woods, it is susceptible to rot if exposed to the elements.

Hackberry is a grainy hardwood, light brown to gray in color. It has similar properties to more expensive lumbers such as oak and ash, and is often used in their place to craft furniture and frames. It excels specifically in steam bending and is sought by makers of bentwood furniture.

Honey locust is a dense and durable hardwood, reddish-brown or golden-brown in color. The grain is most often straight or slightly irregular, with attractive patterns. Although sharp tools are required for turning, honey locust works easily for its hardness. Common applications include flooring, cabinetry, and outdoor furniture.

The soft, light-colored wood of Japanese falsecypress, an evergreen shrub native to Japan, is exceptionally resistant to decay. It is suitable for a wide range of applications, but most commonly used for construction and caskets.

This heavy hardwood is renowned for its dynamic, wavy grain pattern and golden-brown color. Despite its density, Japanese zelkova is highly elastic and well suited to steam bending. It is often selected for cabinets, inlay work, furniture, and pillars.

Jeffrey pine is a straight-grained softwood that is reddish brown in color, similar to ponderosa pine. This wood is easy to work, glue, and finish. It is suitable for a wide range of applications, from construction, window frames, and doors to interior trim and cabinetry.

The wood of Korean maackia is a dense hardwood with a fine, uniform texture. It has a light brown to pale yellowish-brown color with subtle grain patterns. This durable wood is moderately hard and resistant to decay, making it suitable for applications like small-scale carpentry, tool handles, and furniture.

Mulberry is a very dense hardwood with a smooth, uniform texture and straight grain. The wood is yellow-gold when cut, but will darken to a warm golden brown with time. Mulberry takes a finish well and is a good choice for turning and furniture.

Also known as European spruce, Norway spruce is a premium tonewood commonly used for violin front plates. It is both lightweight and strong, and typically has a straight grain. Its fine and uniform texture is ideal for carving and other decorative projects. For stringed instruments, select wood with thin late wood (dark lines) that are evenly-spaced.

Overcup oak is a high-density hardwood, with a hardness similar to white oak. However, its color tends to be darker brown and more varied. This wood is moderately resistant to rot and finishes nicely. Common applications include flooring and cabinetry.

Persimmon wood is exceptionally hard, dense, and fine-textured. The contrast of its pale yellow sapwood against the dark, ebony-like heartwood can create dramatic designs for furniture and turned objects. This durable wood was the traditional material for golf club heads and is commonly used for tool handles and cutting boards.

Pin oak is a sturdy hardwood, medium to coarse in texture, with a straight grain pattern. Its color ranges from light to medium brown, sometimes with a reddish tint. This wood is commonly used for flooring, furniture, cabinetry, and millwork.

Ponderosa pine is a heavy, knotty softwood that is reddish-brown in color. It has a straight grain and medium texture, and it is easy to work, glue, and finish. It is suitable for a wide range of applications, from furniture, doors, and window frames to interior woodwork.

Like other hard maples, red maple is moderately dense and strong without being heavy. Its color ranges from cream to reddish-brown and the grain is usually straight, but may be wavy and moderately figured. Because it is easy to shape and takes detail well, this wood is a good choice for cabinetry and turning.

Three-flowered maple is hard and dense, with the fine and even texture typical of maple species. The grain of this reddish brown wood is slightly wavy. Three-flowered maple is popular for decorative veneers and turned objects, and often selected for musical instruments and high-quality furniture.

Red oak is a dense hardwood, coarsely textured, and medium to reddish-brown in color. Its grain tends to have a pronounced appearance that brings visual interest to furniture, flooring, cabinetry, and veneer.

This is a medium-density softwood with an even texture and a grain pattern that can be straight or wavy. Its color is typically reddish brown. Red pine is commonly used for construction, light poles, and paper pulp.

River birch is a light reddish-brown hardwood with a grain that is generally straight or slightly wavy. It has a fine, even texture and is generally easy to work by hand and machine. It has a wide variety of uses, from plywood and veneer to small decorative objects.

The wood of the Sargent cherry tree is similar to black cherry, with a rich, smooth texture and attractive figures. The heartwood turns from a pinkish hue when cut to a rich reddish-brown over time. This wood is an excellent choice for high-end furniture, cabinetry, and turned objects.

Like other oak species, scarlet oak is hard and dense, with a coarse texture. Scarlet oak has a straight grain pattern and is medium brown with a reddish pink tint. Common uses include furniture, flooring, interior trim, and cabinetry.

Scots pine, also called Scotch pine, is a straight-grained softwood. The sapwood is white to pale yellow and the heartwood a light reddish-brown; pitch pockets are common. This wood is easy to work and often used for construction framing and rustic furniture.

Siberian elm is a resilient, relatively hard wood of moderate density. The reddish brown heartwood often has a distinctive olive tint. Due to its dramatic colors and interlocked grain patterns, this wood is excellent for turned objects, veneers, and other decorative applications.

Slippery elm is a durable hardwood of moderate density, with a coarse texture typical of elm species. The grain of this reddish brown wood is often interlocked, resulting in interesting and attractive patterns for furniture, paneling, and turned objects.

Silver maple is a hardwood, but it is softer and lighter than hard maples like red maple and sugar maple. Its grain pattern is often curly or interlocked, and therefore proline to tearout and chipping. The wood is pale to light reddish-brown in color, occasionally with knots and figures that make it desirable for carving and turning.

This hardwood is prized for its durability and attractive grain, which can be straight, rippled, or figured. Sugar maple has a fine texture and is heavy and dense, often weighing more than other species of maple and about the same as red oak. It is typically used for furniture, flooring, and woodworking.

Slippery elm is a durable hardwood of moderate density, with a coarse texture typical of elm species. The grain of this reddish brown wood is often interlocked, resulting in interesting and attractive patterns for furniture, paneling, and turned objects.

Tulip poplar is moderately durable yet lightweight for a hardwood, with a fine texture and uniform grain. The heartwood is a light cream color, often streaked with gray or green. This wood is easy to cut and shape, and is often selected for carving, models, and furniture that will be painted.

The wood of the tuliptree is light yellow to brown with occasional streaks of purple and green. It has a straight grain and moderate density, and it is suitable for outdoor applications as well as fine woodworking projects. Tuliptree withstands rot even better than white oak and is excellent for boat building.

Yellow birch is a reddish-brown hardwood with a fine, even texture; its grain pattern can be curly or wavy. This wood is commonly used for furniture, flooring, cabinetry, and other woodworking purposes.

Yellowwood is a strong, straight-grained hardwood. This wood cuts cleanly by hand or with power tools and is excellent for joinery, decorative carving, and musical instruments. The vivid yellow heartwood mellows to golden-brown with age.

Willow wood is very strong, yet lightweight and flexible. The color of this medium-density hardwood ranges from creamy white to light brown; the texture is fine and uniform, with a grain that can be straight, irregular, or interlocked. It is easy to bend and carve, and it is commonly used to make woven baskets and cricket bats.

White birch is a moderately hard wood of medium density and with a fine, uniform texture; the grain may be straight or wavy. Typically pale white to light brown in color, this wood is widely used for plywood, boxes, crates, and toothpicks.

White oak is very hard and dense, with a medium to coarse texture; the grain tends to be straight and feature prominent rays. The wood is light to medium brown in color, and often used for flooring, furniture, boats, and exterior construction.

White spruce is a white to light yellow softwood with a straight and even grain pattern, white to light yellow in color. It is often selected for the tops (soundboards) of guitars and other musical instruments. Other common uses for white spruce include millwork and interior finish.