Wood species
Walnut
Updated On:
American black walnut · Juglans nigra
We stock FAS domestic black walnut from Michigan mills. It is kiln-dried after a long air-dry so it checks less in the shop.
Key facts
- Janka hardness
- MediumAbout 1,010 lb
- Stability
- AverageReliable furniture stock when kept indoors
- Grain type
- Mostly straightExcellent against straight grain; figuring and reversing grain may cause tearout
- Rot resistance
- Highly decay resistantHighly decay resistant; susceptible to insect attack
- Sustainability
- Domestic stapleU.S. black walnut
- Workability
- Generally excellentExcellent against straight grain; figuring and reversing grain may cause tearout
About this wood
Chocolate-to-purple heartwood, cream sapwood, medium texture. Oil and shellac sit well on it. Furniture, gunstocks, anything that needs to look finished.
Keep the sapwood if it fits the piece. You waste less that way. Straight grain machines easily. Figured or reversing grain can tear out, so take light passes.
Want more heartwood and wider faces than everyday walnut FAS? That is Oak Rules / Prime. Same species. Different mill sort.
What we carry
- Walnut FAS — clearer cuttings for show faces
- Walnut Oak Rules / Prime
- Live-edge walnut — when we have it in the store
Thickness is sold in quarters (4/4, 6/4, and so on) — see our hardwood thickness guide. Grades: NHLA grades.