American basswood

American basswood is a light weight species renowned for its creamy colour and ability to be machined and shaped accurately into thin sections, and as a premium wood for carving.

Latin Name

Tilia americana

Other Common Names

linden

American_basswood_big

American basswood is botanically related to the lime tree found in Europe. The trees are generally large in height and diameter, often with straight trunks and relatively free of limbs. Basswood can be found growing throughout the USA in natural hardwood forests.

FOREST GROWTH

Forest Inventory Analysis (FIA) data shows U.S. basswood growing stock is 210 million m3, 1.4% of total U.S. hardwood growing stock. American basswood is growing 3.3 million m3 per year while the harvest is 1.7 million m3 per year. The net volume (after harvest) is increasing by 1.6 million m3 each year. U.S. basswood growth exceeds or is in balance with harvest in all the main producing states.

Alabama Arkansas Arizona California Colorado Connecticut District of Columbia Delaware Florida Georgia Iowa Idaho Illinois Indiana Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Massachusetts Maryland Maine Michigan Minnesota Missouri Mississippi Montana North Carolina North Dakota Nebraska New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico Nevada New York Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Virginia Vermont Washington Wisconsin West Virginia Wyoming Average annual growth, m3 0 3.5K
Back to whole of U.S. 0-20K 20K-40K 40K-60K 60K-80K 80K-100K 100K-120K > 120K Average annual growth, m3 0 200K
-15K -10K -5K 0 5K 10K 15K 20K 25K GROWTH AND REMOVALS, 1000 m³ -10K -9K -8K -7K -6K -5K -4K -3K -2K -1K 0 1K 2K 3K 4K 5K 6K 7K 8K 9K 10K GROWTH AND REMOVALS, 1000 m³ -2000 -1750 -1500 -1250 -1000 -750 -500 -250 0 250 500 750 1000 1250 1500 1750 2000 GROWTH AND REMOVALS, 1000 m³ -300 -200 -100 0 100 200 300 400 500 GROWTH AND REMOVALS, 1000 m³ Removals 0 Growth 0 Net growth 0
0 200K 400K 600K 800K 1M 1.2M FOREST VOLUME, 1000 m³ 0 40K 80K 120K 160K 200K 240K 280K 320K 360K 400K 440K FOREST VOLUME, 1000 m³ 0 10K 20K 30K 40K 50K 60K 70K 80K 100K FOREST VOLUME, 1000 m³ 0 4K 8K 12K 16K 20K FOREST VOLUME, 1000 m³ Forest volume 0

LCA Tool


seconds
it takes seconds to grow 1m³ of
The replacement rate is calculated from total U.S. annual increment of the specified hardwood species derived from the U.S. Forest Service Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program and assumes that 2m³ of logs is harvested to produce 1m³ of lumber (i.e. 50% conversion efficiency). The rapid rate of replacement is due to the very large volume of hardwood trees in U.S. forest.

Basswood from the USA is available in relatively limited volumes compared to some other species, both as sawn lumber and veneer. Lumber is available in a range of grades and thickness from 4/4” (25.4mm) right through to 16/4” (102mm) due to its ease of drying. Basswood lumber is also available in 9/4” (56mm) a specially produced thickness for production of window shutters and venetian blinds.

The sap of basswood tends to be large and is creamy white in colour giving way to the heartwood that is pale to reddish brown. It may display dark streaks which are not a defect. The difference between sap and heartwood is small and may be indistinct. The wood of basswood has a fine uniform texture and straight grain, which is not distinct. 

Mechanical Properties

Basswood is light and soft but said to be ‘tough’, with low density and strength. It has poor steam bending classification.

  • 0.37

    Specific Gravity (12% M.C.)

    417 kg/m3

    Average Weight (12% M.C.)

    12.60%

    Average Volume Shrinkage (Green to 6% M.C.)

    59.987 MPa

    Modulus of Rupture

    10,067 MPa

    Modulus of Elasticity

    32.613 MPa

    Compressive strength (parallel to grain)

    1,824 N

    Hardness
Oiled
basswood_oiled
Un-oiled
basswood_unoiled
  • Basswood machines easily and works well with hand tools, making it a preferred species for carving. It holds screws better than nails, and glues reasonably well and can be sanded, stained and polished to a good smooth finish. It dries fast with low degrade and has good dimensional stability when dry.

     
  • The wood is non-resistant to heartwood decay but is permeable, which makes it possible to accept preservative treatment.

This unique hardwood, growing in natural forests in the USA, is considered the best species for venetian blinds and internal shutters. It is widely used for carving, turning, mouldings and furniture. Specialist uses include pattern making and musical instruments, especially for piano parts.

Mouldings
Carving
Furniture
Musical Instruments
Turning

Examples of Use