Alder Products
Alder (Alnus rubra)
Tilo makes a number of products from alder hardwood, including:
- doors
- furniture
- kitchen cabinets
- mouldings
- panel stock
- shutters
- turnings
Browse our catalog of
Standard Profiles, or talk to us about a
Custom Profile using alder hardwood.
General Description of Alder
A relative of birch, red alder is almost white when freshly cut, but changes when exposed to air, becoming light brown with a tinge or red or yellow. Heartwood is formed in trees only of advanced age, and it shows no visible boundary between sap and heartwood. Lumber from alder is fairly straight-grained with a uniform texture.
Relative Abundance
2.9 percent of total U.S. hardwoods commercially available. Available in dimension stock and lumber.
Working Properties of Alder
- machines well and is an excellent species for turning
- can be sanded, painted, or stained to a pleasing finish and nails, screws and glues well
- when finished, alder blends with walnut, mahogany or cherry
- dries easily with little degrade and has good dimensional stability after drying
Physical Properties of Alder
Red alder is a relatively soft hardwood, medium density with low bending strength, shock resistance and stiffness.
Moisture content |
12% |
Specific Gravity (b)
|
0.37-0.41 |
Static Bending Modulus of Rupture (lbf/in2)
|
6,50-9,800 |
Static Bending Modulus of Elasticity (c) (106 lbf/in2) |
1.17-138 |
Static Bending Work to Maximum Load (in-lbf/in3) |
8.0-8.4 |
Impact Bending to Grain (in) |
20-22 |
Compression Parallel to Grain (lbf/in2) |
2,960-5,820 |
Compression Perpendicular to Grain (lbf/in2) | 250-440 |
Shear Parallel to Grain (lbf/in2) | 770-1,080 |
Tension Perpendicular to Grain (lbf/in2) | 390-420 |
Side Hardness (lbf) | 440-590 |
a) Results of tests on small clear specimens in the green and air-dried conditions. Definition of properties; impact bending is height of drop that causes complete failure, using 0.71-kg (50 lb.) hammer; compression parallel to grain is also called maximum crushing strength; compression perpendicular to grain is fiber stress at proportional limit; shear is maximum shearing strength; tension is maximum tensile strength; and side hardness is hardness measured when load is perpendicular to grain.
b) Specific gravity is based on weight when oven dry and volume when green or at 12% moisture contentt
c) Modulus of elasticity measured from a simply supported, center-loaded beam, on a span depth ratio of 14/1. To correct for shear reflection, the modulus can be increased by 10%.
Reprinted with permission from Hardwood Manufacturers Association
© 2023 Tilo Industries, All rights reserved.
Please enter your email address to download our Profile Catalog