Natural attributes - Overview
Australian blackwood is a prince among native Australian hardwoods.
Its performance properties make it an ideal appearance-grade timber (one where the surface decorative appearance is paramount).
Blackwood displays low growth stresses and minimal shrinkage; ease of drying, dressing and sanding; good in-service stability; and the ability to bend to shape, to glue well and take a high polish.
Blackwood has a dramatic colour range from golden brown to nut/dark brown, with rosy tints and occasional black streaks. The grain is straight or wavy with a natural lustre, and sometimes feature grain (fiddleback, and more rarely ‘rain drop’ and ‘birds eye’).
Species Information |
|
|---|---|
| Family | Mimosaceae |
| Botanical Name | Acacia melanoxylon R.Br. |
| Common Name | Australian Blackwood, Black Sally, Hickory, Mudgerabah, Paluma Wattle, Tasmanian Blackwood |
Key performance properties |
|
|---|---|
| Radial shrinkage (%) | 1.5-2 |
| Tangential shrinkage (%) | 4 |
| Density (kg/m3 dry) | 665 |
| Specific gravity | 0.66 |
| Modulus of rupture (MPa) (dry) | 99 |
| Modulus of elasticity (GPa) (dry) | 13 |
| Hardness (Janka) (kN) | 6 |
| Finish | Good |
| Stability | Excellent |
| Durable | No |
| Sapwood Lyctid Susceptible | Yes |
| Resistance to split (nailing) | Good |
| Resistance to split (screwing) | Good |
| Gluing | Good |
| Machining | Good |
| Joint Design Strength (JD) | 3 |
| Bushfire resistance (BAL) (door and window joinery only) | 12.5 and 19 |
Common Applications
Australian blackwood is highly prized by designer-makers, architects, specifiers, joiners, carpenters and instrument makers.
Blackwood has a wide range of contemporary uses in veneer, panelling, furniture, joinery, flooring, tonewood and craft.