Walnut Wood
Black Walnut Wood is Prized for Its Dark Color
Juglans Nigra
American Black Walnut is unique as a domestic species, because there are no other North American species of wood with the same distinct chocolate brown colored heartwood.
Since the colonies started exporting Walnut lumber back to Britain and Europe, the wood’s beautiful color and grain began to gain popularity for furniture and interior woodwork applications. Because Walnut was so plentiful then and was also cheaper to obtain than Mahogany, it began to take a larger market share.
Today, Walnut is still highly prized for furniture and interior woodwork. Its growing popularity is even starting to match that of Cherry, and at J. Gibson McIlvain, we sell much of our Walnut stock to furniture makers and flooring companies. One significant development in the Walnut lumber use is in the marine industry. Many boat builders are now using the dark color on yacht interiors as a contrast to lighter Teak tones. In essence, Black Walnut wood is a statement of luxury and is used in many applications to that effect.
The wood’s rich tones make for excellent doors and paneling, and as a furniture wood, it is hard to beat. Walnut machines easily due to its middle grade hardness, and it is very gentle on cutting edges. It holds detail well and finishes beautifully to a deep, rich brown.
Freshly milled Walnut exhibits many different color hues, from deep browns and purples to light creams. The process of steaming Walnut evens out some of those color variations and creates a much more uniform and mellow chocolate color. Over time and with oxidation and UV exposure, Walnut lightens in color, and it blends well with most other species.
Most – if not all – of the walnut that we buy here at J. Gibson McIlvain has been steamed so that we can offer our customers the most beautiful and consistent product possible. We also are able to offer Walnut lumber planks in up to 12″ widths to serve our diverse customers’ unique needs.
Walnut Wood Specifications
| Character | Green | Dry | Units |
| Bending Strength | 9100 | 14800 | psi |
| Crushing Strength | 560 | 1125 | psi |
| Max Crushing Strength | 4125 | 7680 | psi |
| Static Bending | 4400 | 9100 | psi |
| Impact Strength | 53 | 44 | inches |
| Stiffness | 1480 | 1790 | 1000 psi |
| Work to Maximum Load | 16 | 14 | in-lbs/in3 |
| Hardness (Janka) | – | 1010 | lbs |
| Shearing Strength | – | 1370 | psi |
| Specific Gravity | 0.52 | 0.59 | – |
| Weight | 58 | 40 | lbs/ft3 |
| Density | – | 40 | lbs/ft3 |
| Radial Shrinkage | – | 5 | % |
| Tangential Shrinkage | – | 8 | % |
| Volumetric Shrinkage | – | 14 | % |
Walnut Lumber Sources
We buy our Walnut directly from mills in the Ohio River Valley. Because the tree does not grow as large or as straight as some other species, finding wide, clear boards can sometimes be a problem.
We work closely with our partners, however, to ensure that we can bring you the largest selection of beautiful walnut boards available.
