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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 Comments Common Names Common Uses Countries of Distribution Cutting Resistance Distribution Overview Drying Defects Ease of Drying Environmental Profile Family Name Gluing Grain Heartwood Color Kiln Drying Rate Kiln Schedules Luster Movement in Service Nailing Natural Durability Numerical Data Odor Planing Polishing Product Sources References Regions of Distribution Resistance to Impregnation Response to Hand Tools Routing & Recessing Sanding Sapwood Color Scientific Name Silica Content Strength Properties Texture Trade Name Tree Size Turning Veneering Qualities Scientific Name Cornus florida Trade Name Flowering dogwood Family Name Cornaceae Common Names Boxwood, Bunchberry, Cornel, Dogwood, Florida dogwood, Flowering dogwood Regions of Distribution North America Countries of Distribution  [VIEW MAP] Canada, United States Common Uses Bearings & bushings, Bobbins, Bushing blocks, Farm vehicles, Golf club heads, Jewelry box, Levers, Machinery parts, Propellers , Pulley sheaves, Pulley wheels, Shuttles, Sills, Skids, Specialty items, Spools, Sporting Goods, Textile equipment, Trestle Environmental Profile Widespread Rare in some parts of its range, particularly at the periphery Globally secure Data source is Nature Conservancy Abundant Distribution Overview Flowering dogwood grows from central Florida northward to southwestern Maine and extends westward through southern Ontario to central Michigan, central Illinois, Missouri, southeastern Kansas, eastern Oklahoma, and eastern Texas. The variety urbiniana (or subspecies) is found in the mountains of Nuevo Leon and Veracruz in eastern Mexico. The form xanthocarpa occurs in parts of New York. Heartwood Color Red Pink Yellowish brown Dark brown Sapwood Color Yellow White Pink White to light pink Light rose-brown Grain Closed Interlocked Closed and interlocked Texture Coarse Medium Even or uniform Uniform Fine and uniform Luster Medium High Low Natural Durability Susceptible to insect attack Non-durable Perishable Non-resistant to termites Non-resistant to marine borers Resistant to powder post beetles Non-resistant to powder post beetles Moderately durable Non-resistant to termites Sapwood is vulnerable to decay Odor No specific smell or taste Silica Content Siliceous High Kiln Schedules T6 - C3 (4/4) US T3 - C2 (4/4) US Schedule E (4/4) United Kingdom Drying Defects Splitting Checking Slight end splitting Distortion (twist/warp) is likely Ease of Drying Fairly Easy Rapidly Reconditioning Treatement Requires slow and careful seasoning to prevent degrade. Dries slowly Kiln Drying Rate Naturally dries quickly Tree Size Sapwood width is 5-10 cm Trunk diameter is 100-150 cm Tree height is 10-20 m Sapwood width is 0-5 cm Tree height is 30-40 m Bole length is 20-30 m Tree height is 20-30 m Bole length is 0-10 m Tree height is 40-50 m Bole length is 10-20 m Product Sources Dogwood is rather scarce as lumber, and is usually priced in the high range. It is very valuable and is sometimes sold by the pound, because clear Dogwood is very limited in supply. It has the advantage of being hard, smooth, and pleasing to the eye, but it is rarely found in the home workshop. Comments About 90 percent of all its timber is used commercially for making shuttles for textile weaving. Timber of Dogwood on the commercial market is composed entirely of sapwood Generally hard and heavy Blunting Effect High to severe Moderate Boring Fairly easy to very easy Fair to good results Cutting Resistance Easy to saw Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult to saw Easy to saw Gluing Fairly Easy to Very Easy Glues well Movement in Service Large Nailing Fairly Easy to Very Easy Very Good to Excellent Results Fair to Good Results Planing Fair to Good Results Fairly Easy to Very Easy Very Good to Excellent Results Easy to plane Resistance to Impregnation Permeable heartwood Permeable sapwood Response to Hand Tools Easy to Work Fairly Difficult to Difficult to Work Routing & Recessing Fairly Easy to Very Easy Very Good to Excellent Results Fair to Good Results Sanding Very Good to Excellent Results Fair to Good Results Turning Fairly Easy to Very Easy Poor to Very Poor Results Good results Easy to turn Veneering Qualities Suitable for peeling Suitable for slicing Polishing Fair to Good Results Good results Strength Properties Very heavy Compression strength (parallel to grain) = very high Bending strength (MOR) = very high Numerical Data Item Green Dry English Bending Strength 9310 18539 psi Crushing Strength 4567 5770 psi Impact Strength 27 inches Maximum Crushing Strength 3567 9785 psi Static Bending 10691 psi Stiffness 1382 2314 1000 psi Work to Maximum Load 21 inch-lbs/in3 Specific Gravity 0.51 0.67 Weight 61 49 lbs/ft3 Radial Shrinkage 7 % Tangential Shrinkage 12 % Volumetric Shrinkage 20 % Item Green Dry Metric Bending Strength 654 1303 kg/cm2 Crushing Strength 321 405 kg/cm2 Impact Strength 68 cm Maximum Crushing Strength 250 687 kg/cm2 Static Bending 751 kg/cm2 Stiffness 97 162 1000 kg/cm2 Work to Maximum Load 1.47 cm-kg/cm3 Specific Gravity 0.51 0.67 Weight 977 785 kg/m3 Radial Shrinkage 7 % Tangential Shrinkage 12 % References Bodig, J. and B. A. Jayne. 1982. Mechanics of Wood and Wood Composites. Van Nostrand Reinhold Company, New York. Boone, R. S., C. J. Kozlik, P. J. Bois, and 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. HMSO. 1972. Handbook of Hardwoods, 2nd Edition. Revised by R. H. Farmer. Department of the Environment, Building Research Establishment, Princes Risborough Laboratory, Princes Risborough, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire. Kline, M. 1981. Cornus florida - Flowering dogwood. In A Guide to Useful Woods of the World. Flynn Jr., J.H., Editor. King Philip Publishing Co., Portland, Maine. 1994. Page 122-123. Little, E.L. 1980. The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Trees - Eastern Region. Published by Arthur A. Knopf, New York. Panshin, A. J. and C. deZeeuw. Textbook of Wood Technology. McGraw-Hill Series in Forest Resources. McGraw-Hill Book Company, New York. USDA. 1987. Wood Handbook - Wood as an Engineering Material, Forest Service, Agriculture Handbook No. 72, Forest Products Laboratory, Madison, Wisconsin. USDA. 1988. Dry Kiln Operators Manual, Preliminary Copy. Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory, Madison, Wisconsin. WCMC. 1992. Conservation Status Listing - Trees and Timbers of the World. World Conservation Monitoring Center - Plants Programme, Cambridge, CB3 ODL, United Kingdom.