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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 Common Names Common Uses Countries of Distribution Distribution Overview Drying Defects Ease of Drying Environmental Profile Family Name Gluing Grain Heartwood Color Kiln Schedules Mortising Moulding Movement in Service Nailing Natural Durability Numerical Data Odor Painting Planing Polishing Product Sources References Regions of Distribution Resistance to Impregnation Sapwood Color Scientific Name Screwing Staining Steam Bending Strength Properties Texture Trade Name Turning Varnishing Scientific Name Celtis occidentalis Trade Name Hackberry Family Name Ulmaceae Common Names Bastard elm, Common hackberry, False elm, Hackberry, Hacktree, Hoop ash, Nettle tree, Nettletree, Sugarberry, Western hackberry Regions of Distribution North America Countries of Distribution  [VIEW MAP] Canada, United States Common Uses Bedroom suites, Boards, Boxes and crates, Building materials, Cabinetmaking, Casks, Chairs, Chests, Concealed parts (Furniture), Cooperages, Decorative veneer, Desks, Dining-room furniture, Dowell pins, Dowells, Drawer sides, Dressed boards, Figured veneer, Fine furniture, Floor lamps, Furniture , Furniture components, Furniture squares or stock, Furniture, Hatracks, Interior construction, Interior trim, Kitchen cabinets, Living-room suites, Lumber, Millwork, Office furniture, Packing cases, Paneling , Plywood, Radio - stereo - TV cabinets, Rough boards/dimension stock, Rustic furniture, Sporting Goods, Stools, Tables , Truck bodies, Utility furniture, Vehicle parts, Veneer, Veneer: decorative Environmental Profile Widespread Rare in parts of its natural range (population is at risk) Data source is Nature Conservancy Apparently secure globally Abundant Distribution Overview Hackberry is widely distributed in the eastern United States from the southern New England States through central New York west in southern Ontario to North and South Dakota. Northern outliers are found in southern Quebec, western Ontario, southern Manitoba, and southeastern Wyoming. The range extends south from western Nebraska to northeastern Colorado and northwestern Texas, then east to Arkansas, Tennessee, and North Carolina, with scattered occurrences in Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia. Because sugarberry (Celtis laevigata) and hackberry are so similar, it has been difficult to establish the exact range of either species in the South. Parts of their ranges overlap, with hackberry probably restricted to the upland and sugarberry occupying the bottom land. Heartwood Color Brown Pink Yellow to golden-yellow to orange Greenish to greyish Pale brown Yellowish - light graysh brown Light brown Sapwood Color Red Brown White to yellow Different than heartwood Same as heartwood Paler than heartwood The wide sapwood is usually discolored with blue sap-stain and is pale yellow to grayish or greenish yellow Grain Figure Straight Interlocked Even Growth rings (figure) Rays (figure) Other (figure) Texture Fine to medium Coarse Natural Durability Perishable Non-durable Very little natural resistance Susceptible to attack by fungi Prone to blue sap stain Non durable Felled logs are susceptible to attack by longhorn beetles Odor Has an odor No specific smell or taste Kiln Schedules 8 - C4 (4/4); T6 - C3 (8/4) US Drying Defects Slow drying with poor air circulation may result in chemical sapwood stains. The wood has a tendency to buckle after drying Ease of Drying Easy Dries at a fairly rapid rate Air dries and kiln dries slowly with minimal degrade Product Sources Hackberry is available in large quantities in the form of lumber and quartered, sliced, or rotary cut veneers. The wood resembles Ash and Elm, and is often sold with lower grade material from the two species. Hackbery is too weak and relatively scarce in commercial volumes to be used for building construction. Price is usually within the medium to expensive range. Blunting Effect Blunting effect on machining is moderate Boring Easy Carving Very good results Gluing Satisfactory gluing properties Easy to glue Mortising Fair mortising qualities Moulding Difficult moulding qualities Movement in Service Seasoned timber has moderate dimensional stability, and tends to show medium movement after manufacture Nailing Holds satisfactorily Pre-boring recommended Planing Planes to a satisfactory finish Easy to plane Ease of planing is moderate Resistance to Impregnation Sapwood is permeable Heartwood is resistant Screwing Screwing yields satisfactory results Pre-Boring is recommended in screwing Turning Turns with moderate ease Poor characteristics Finish is generally satisfactory Easy to turn Steam Bending Good Moderate Painting Good results The wood takes enamels very well. Polishing Good results Staining Stains well Wood yields an attractive appearance with natural finishes Varnishing Ackberry responds very well to varnishing. Strength Properties Work to Maximum Load = low Shearing strength (parallel to grain) = low Modulus of Elasticity (stiffness) = very low Hardness (side grain) = soft Bending strength (MOR) = low Toughness-Hammer drop (Impact Strength) = high Shrinkage, Tangential = fairly large Max. crushing strength = low Density (dry weight) = 38-45 lbs/cu. ft. Shrinkage, Radial = moderate Shrinkage, Radial = fairly large Max. crushing strength = medium Max. crushing strength (stiffness) = very low Heavy Hardness = medium Density (dry weight) = 31-37 lbs/cu. ft. Crushing strength = low Compression strength (parallel to grain) = low Bending strength (MOR) = very low Bending strength (MOR) = high Numerical Data Item Green Dry English Bending Strength 5908 9631 psi Crushing Strength 392 872 psi Density 37 lbs/ft3 Hardness 947 lbs Impact Strength 47 49 inches Maximum Crushing Strength 2462 4718 psi Shearing Strength 1591 psi Stiffness 994 1206 1000 psi Work to Maximum Load 11 12 inch-lbs/in3 Specific Gravity 0.45 0.49 Weight 39 36 lbs/ft3 Radial Shrinkage 4 % Tangential Shrinkage 8 % Volumetric Shrinkage 14 % Item Green Dry Metric Bending Strength 415 677 kg/cm2 Crushing Strength 27 61 kg/cm2 Density 592 kg/m3 Hardness 429 kg Impact Strength 119 124 cm Maximum Crushing Strength 173 331 kg/cm2 Shearing Strength 111 kg/cm2 Stiffness 69 84 1000 kg/cm2 Work to Maximum Load 0.77 0.84 cm-kg/cm3 Specific Gravity 0.45 0.49 Weight 624 576 kg/m3 Radial Shrinkage 4 % Tangential Shrinkage 8 % References Boone, R.S., C.J. Kozlik, P.J. Bois, E.M. Wengert. 1988. Dry Kiln Schedules for Commercial Hardwoods - Temperate and Tropical. USDA, Forest Service, General Technical Report FPL-GTR-57, Forest Products Laboratory, Madison, Wisconsin. Brown, H.P. and Panshin, A.J.,1940,Commercial Timbers of the United States Their structure, identification,,properties and uses,McGraw-Hill, London Brown, W.H.,1978,Timbers of the World: - No.7 North America,TRADA Glendon Smalley,1934,American Woods - Hackberry,USDA Forest Service American woods FS-238 Harrar, E.S.,1942,Some Physical Properties of Modern Cabinet Woods 3. Directional and Volume,Shrinkage,Tropical Woods,9(71, pp26-32 Howard, A.L.,1948,A Manual of Timbers of the World.,Macmillan & Co. Ltd. London 3rd ed. Kaiser, J. 1988 Wood of the Month: Hackberry - The 'Elm' with a Funny Name. In Wood and Wood Products, January, 1988. Page 56. Kline, M. 1983. Celtis occidentalis - Hackberry. In A Guide to Useful Woods of the World. Flynn Jr., J.H., Editor. King Philip Publishing Co., Portland, Maine. 1994. Page 103. Little, E.L. 1980. The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Trees - Eastern Region. Published by Arthur A. Knopf, New York. Markwardt, L.J., Wilson, T.R.C.,1935,Strength and related properties of woods grown in the United States,U.S.A. Department of Agriculture Technical Bulletin,No.479 Panshin, A.J. and C. deZeeuw. Textbook of Wood Technology. McGraw-Hill Series in Forest Resources. McGraw-Hill Book Company, New York. U.S.D.A. Forest Service,1974,Wood Handbook,U.S.A. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service Handbook,72 USDA. 1987. Wood Handbook: Wood as an Engineering Material. Agriculture Handbook No. 72. United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Madison, Wisconsin. USDA. 1988. Dry Kiln Operators Manual, Preliminary Copy. Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory, Madison, Wisconsin.