American sycamore

American sycamore is one of the few wood species that can be confused with its European cousin Acer pseudoplatnus, which is botanically different.

Latin Name

Platanus occidentalis

Other Common Names

Buttonwood, American plane

American_sycamore_big

American sycamore trees are generally huge, being one of the largest hardwood species in North America, growing throughout the eastern and central USA in natural hardwood forests. Several other American planes, as they are called, grow in California and Arizona but are not commercially significant.

FOREST GROWTH

FIA data shows sycamore growing stock in the U.S. (excluding California and Arizona) is 144.5 million m3, 1% of total U.S. hardwood growing stock. American sycamore is growing 4.00 million m3 per year while the harvest is 1.22 million m3 per year. The net volume (after harvest) is increasing 2.78 million m3 each year. U.S. sycamore growth exceeds harvest in all supplying 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


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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.

Sycamore lumber from the USA is available in limited volumes mainly from southern producers and more easily sourced as thinner stock (4/4" & 5/4"). Check with suppliers for grades available for export. Veneer is also available from specialist suppliers. 

The wood of sycamore may display a variety of colours. The sap is white to light yellow in colour and the heartwood is light to dark brown. The wood of sycamore has a fine close texture and is interlocked. The grain is distinct with a characteristic fleck.

Mechanical Properties

Sycamore is moderate in weight, hardness, stiffness and shock resistance. It is heavy and tough. It has good bending qualities and is easy to turn on the lathe.

  • 0.49

    Specific Gravity (12% M.C.)

    545 kg/m3

    Average Weight (12% M.C.)

    11.40%

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

    68.950 MPa

    Modulus of Rupture

    9,791 MPa

    Modulus of Elasticity

    37.095 MPa

    Compressive strength (parallel to grain)

    3,425 N

    Hardness
Oiled
sycamore_oiled
Un-oiled
sycamore_unoiled
  • Sycamore machines and works well, but high speed cutters are required to avoid chipping. It is resistant to splitting due to its interlocked grain. The wood glues well and stains and polishes with care to an excellent finish. It dries rapidly and has a tendency to warp. It has moderate shrinkage and little movement in performance.

     
  • The wood is non-resistant to heartwood decay but is permeable to preservative treatment.

American sycamore, growing in natural forests in the USA, is considered highly suitable for cabinetry and furniture. It is used for mouldings, internal joinery and veneered panels. Specialist uses include butcher blocks.

Mouldings
Furniture
Cabinets
Veneered Panels
Food Related Use

Examples of Use