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Clicking any heading in the main data area (at right) will scroll the page back to this top position. Use the following links to jump to the associated section in the main data. Blunting Effect Boring Carving Certified Source Comments Common Names Common Uses Countries of Distribution Cutting Resistance Drying Defects Ease of Drying Environmental Profile Gluing Grain Heartwood Color Kiln Schedules Luster Mortising Moulding Movement in Service Nailing Natural Durability Numerical Data Odor Planing Polishing References Regions of Distribution Resistance to Impregnation Response to Hand Tools Routing & Recessing Sanding Sapwood Color Scientific Name Screwing Staining Steam Bending Strength Properties Texture Trade Name Tree Size Turning Varnishing Scientific Name Ulmus campestris Trade Name English elm Family Name Common Names Elm, English elm, Nave Elm, Red Elm, Vanlig Alm Regions of Distribution Western Europe Countries of Distribution  [VIEW MAP] United Kingdom Common Uses Bedroom suites, Bent Parts, Boat building, Cabinetmaking, Canoes, Caskets, Chairs, Decorative veneer, Dining-room furniture, Docks, Dockwork, Domestic flooring, Drawer sides, Figured veneer, Fine furniture, Flooring, Furniture , Harbor work, Kitchen cabinets, Lifeboats, Living-room suites, Marine construction, Office furniture, Parquet flooring, Radio - stereo - TV cabinets, Shipbuilding, Sub-flooring, Turnery, Utility furniture, Veneer, Wharf construction Environmental Profile Status has not been officially assessed Heartwood Color Brown Yellow Green Brown Dull Sapwood Color Brown Red Clearly differentiated from the heartwood Grain Figure Crossed Irregular Irregular Crossed Produces attrative figure Texture Medium Fine Coarse Luster Medium Natural Durability Perishable Durable Non-durable Very little natural resistance Susceptible to attack by fungi and termites Odor Has an odor No specific smell or taste Kiln Schedules Schedule A: United Kingdom Drying Defects Checking Distortion Expect splits Distortion (twist/warp) is likely Collapse Checking Ease of Drying Thick Stock Requires Care End-Coating Moderately Difficult to Difficult Dries at a fairly rapid rate Closely spaced stickers and heavy weighting of piles have been suggested to reduce drying degrade Tree Size Bole length is 30-40 m Tree height is 10-20 m Tree height is 20-30 m Trunk diameter is 100-150 cm Trunk diameter is 150-200 cm Certified Source Certified Source Comments Often located in hedgerows. Wood at center is often unsound Blunting Effect Blunting effect on machining is moderate Boring Very good to excellent results Fairly easy to very easy Difficult Carving Gluing is often difficult Cutting Resistance Easy to saw Difficult to saw Tends to bind on saws. Gluing Fairly Easy to Very Easy Fair to Good Results Carefully Controlled Conditions Good properties Mortising Difficult to mortise Moulding Fair to Good Results Fairly Easy to Very Easy Requires very sharp cutting edges Tends to pick-up in moulding operations. Movement in Service Fair to Good Stability - Medium Movement Excellent Stability - Small Movement Moderate dimensional stability after seasoning Medium Nailing Fair to Good Results Fairly Easy to Very Easy Satisfactory nailing properties Material is reported to nail without splitting Planing Fair to Good Results Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult Woolly Difficult to plane Resistance to Impregnation Sapwood is permeable Heartwood is moderately resistant Response to Hand Tools Cutting edges should be kept sharp to prevent torn rays Routing & Recessing Very sharp cutting edges are required to produce a smooth surface Sanding Fair to Good Results Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult Screwing Fair to Good Results Fairly Easy to Very Easy Reported to screw without splitting Turning Very Good to Excellent Results Fairly Easy to Very Easy The material is rather difficult to turn and requires very sharp cutting edges for best results Steam Bending Team bending properties are rated as rather poor Polishing Very Good to Excellent Results Fairly Easy to Very Easy Fair to Good Results High finish Staining Fairly Easy to Very Easy Stains well Varnishing Very Good to Excellent Results Strength Properties Hardness (side grain) = medium Crushing strength = low Bending strength (MOR) = medium High Density Numerical Data Item Green Dry English Bending Strength 5302 8989 psi Density 33 lbs/ft3 Hardness 804 lbs Impact Strength 25 23 inches Maximum Crushing Strength 2264 4545 psi Shearing Strength 1715 psi Stiffness 782 1049 1000 psi Work to Maximum Load 9 10 inch-lbs/in3 Specific Gravity 0.53 Weight 37 32 lbs/ft3 Radial Shrinkage 4 % Tangential Shrinkage 6 % Item Green Dry Metric Bending Strength 372 632 kg/cm2 Density 528 kg/m3 Hardness 364 kg Impact Strength 63 58 cm Maximum Crushing Strength 159 319 kg/cm2 Shearing Strength 120 kg/cm2 Stiffness 54 73 1000 kg/cm2 Work to Maximum Load 0.63 0.70 cm-kg/cm3 Specific Gravity 0.53 Weight 592 512 kg/m3 Radial Shrinkage 4 % References HMSO, 1981. Handbook of Hardwoods, 2nd Edition. Revised by R.H. Farmer. Department of the Environment, Building Research Establishment, Princes Risborough Laboratory, Princes Risborough, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire. Lavers, G.M. 1966. The Strength Properties of Timbers. Forest Products Research Bulletin, No. 50. Ministry of Technology, Her Majesty's Stationery Office, London. Lincoln, W.A. World Woods in Color. Linden Publishing Co. Inc, Fresno, California.