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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 Comments Common Names Common Uses Countries of Distribution Cutting Resistance Distribution Overview Drying Defects Ease of Drying Environmental Profile Gluing Grain Heartwood Color Kiln Drying Rate Kiln Schedules 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 Sapwood Color Scientific Name Screwing Staining Steam Bending Strength Properties Texture Trade Name Tree Size Turning Scientific Name Ulmus procera 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 Difficult to locate Distribution Overview English elm is native to England and western Europe. It is, however, widely cultivated, escaping in the northeastern and Pacific states of the United States. It grows in thickets, along roadsides and forest borders, and is often found in moist soils. Heartwood Color Brown Yellow Red Purple Orange Golden brown with a reddish cast Dull in color, and free of knotS/The heartwood is described as dull reddish-brown in color, and is often free of knots Sapwood Color White Yellow Brown Red Clearly differentiated from the heartwood Grain Figure Crossed Irregular Irregular Crossed Attractive figure Texture Fine Coarse Natural Durability Durable Perishable Non-durable Moderately durable Non-resistant to termites Susceptible to insect attack Very little natural resistance Susceptible to attack by fungi and termites Odor No specific smell or taste Kiln Schedules Schedule A: United Kingdom Drying Defects Expect splits Distortion (twist/warp) is likely Collapse Checking Ease of Drying Slowly Highly prone to degrade Dries at a fairly rapid rate Kiln Drying Rate Naturally dries slowly Tree Size Tree height is 20-30 m Sapwood width is 10-15 cm Sapwood width is 5-10 cm Sapwood width is 0-5 cm Tree height is 30-40 m Comments Often found in hedgerows. Center is likely unsound Blunting Effect High to severe Medium effect Boring Fairly easy to very easy Difficult Carving Gluing is often difficult Cutting Resistance Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult to saw Tends to bind on saws Difficult to saw Gluing Good properties Mortising Difficult to mortise Moulding Requires very sharp cutting edges Wood tends to pick-up Movement in Service Moderate dimensional stability after seasoning Medium Nailing Satisfactory nailing properties Resists splitting Planing Very Good to Excellent Results Fair to Good Results Woolly Irregular grain interferes Difficult to plane Resistance to Impregnation Sapwood is permeable Heartwood is moderately resistant Response to Hand Tools Easy to Work Fairly Difficult to Difficult to Work Cutting edges should be kept sharp to prevent torn rays Routing & Recessing Very sharp cutting edges are required to produce a smooth surface Screwing Reported to screw without splitting Turning Requires very sharp cutting edges Difficult to turn Steam Bending Poor Polishing Fair to Good Results High finish Staining Stains well Strength Properties Hardness = medium Crushing strength = low Density is high Numerical Data Item Green Dry English Bending Strength 5302 8989 psi Density 31 lbs/ft3 Hardness 804 lbs Impact Strength 25 23 inches Maximum Crushing Strength 2264 4545 psi Shearing Strength 1715 psi Stiffness 779 1049 1000 psi Work to Maximum Load 9 10 inch-lbs/in3 Specific Gravity 0.54 Weight 37 32 lbs/ft3 Radial Shrinkage 4 % Tangential Shrinkage 6 % Item Green Dry Metric Bending Strength 372 632 kg/cm2 Density 496 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 0.54 Weight 592 512 kg/m3 Radial Shrinkage 4 % References HMSO. 1985. Broadleaves. Forestry Commission Booklet No. 20. Text by H.E. Edlin. Revised by A.F. Mitchell. Forestry Commission, Her Majesty's Stationery Office, London. 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. Laidlaw, W.B.R. 1960. Guide to British Hardwoods. Published by Leonard Hill [Books] Limited, 9 Eden Street, N.W.1, London. 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. Little, E.L. 1980. The Audobon Society Field Guide to North American Trees - Western Region. Published by Arthur A. Knopf, New York. Patterson, D. 1988. Commercial Timbers of the World. Fifth Edition. Gower Technical Press, Aldershot, UK. ix + 339 pp.