Black Cherry Lumber: Color, Gum and Grades

Black cherry lumber is the sawn wood of Prunus serotina, the only native North American cherry cut for lumber. It has a fine, even texture, machines very well and is stable once dry. Its reddish brown heartwood darkens with light, and gum pockets, pin knots and pith flecks are part of the wood. It is graded under the NHLA rules, with a small allowance for knots in cuttings, and is sold mostly in 4/4 to 8/4.

Item	Typical for black cherry lumber
Species	Prunus serotina
Heartwood	Light to dark reddish brown with a luster, darkens with light
Sapwood	Creamy white, narrow in old trees, wider in second growth
Natural marks	Gum pockets and streaks (vary by region), pin knots, small pith flecks
Side hardness (Janka)	about 950 lbf at 12% moisture
Specific gravity	0.47 green, 0.50 at 12% moisture
Shrinkage, green to oven dry	radial 3.7%, tangential 7.1%, volume 11.5%
Heartwood decay resistance	Moderately resistant (Wood Handbook group)
Common thicknesses	4/4, 5/4, 6/4, 8/4. 10/4 and 12/4 limited
Average dried weight	about 2.9 lb per board foot (NHLA guide)
US tariff line	4407.94 (cherry)

Figures are typical for the species from the USDA Wood Handbook and the NHLA species guide, not guarantees for a lot. The NHLA rulebook governs grades.

Where cherry comes from

The Wood Handbook says black cherry grows from southeastern Canada through the eastern half of the United States, with production centered in the Middle Atlantic States. The NHLA species guide gives US cherry growing stock as 423.6 million cubic meters, about 2.9% of all US hardwood growing stock. Cherry is readily available as lumber and veneer in a range of grades and sizes, but thick stock is limited.

Region matters for appearance. The NHLA guide notes that gum occurrence varies by region. Lumber from different areas can also differ in heartwood color and in the width of the sapwood. If you match cherry to existing work, ask the mill where its logs come from and buy enough from one lot.

Color: light, sapwood and steaming

Cherry’s color is its selling point and its most frequent complaint.

Feature	What happens	What to put on the order
Darkening	Heartwood deepens to reddish brown with light over months	Approve finish samples aged or exposed to light, keep one lot per job
Sapwood	Creamy white band, marked contrast with heartwood	A sap rule: sap on back only, or a percentage of the face
Steaming	Reduces the contrast between sapwood and heartwood (NHLA guide)	Steamed or unsteamed, stated
Color variation	Lot to lot and board to board	Color sort if offered, or select at the yard

Sapwood is not a grade defect in the standard grades, so a FAS cherry board can carry a pale edge. Many furniture makers buy “heart one face” or a sap limit at a premium, or place sapwood on hidden faces in the rough mill. Write the rule in measurable words so it can be checked when the lumber is graded.

Gum, pith flecks and knots

The NHLA species guide lists gum pockets or streaks, pin knots and small brown pith flecks as natural characteristics of cherry. They are not defects within the grade limits. Extension summaries of the NHLA rules note that small knots not over 1/8 in across can be admitted in cherry cuttings. Check the cherry section of the current rulebook for the exact allowance.

Mark	Look	Effect
Gum pocket or streak	Dark, sometimes resinous line or spot	Visible under clear finish, may need selection
Pith fleck	Small brown streak	Minor, part of the character
Pin knot	Very small dark knot	Admitted in cuttings within the cherry rule
Mineral	Dark stain	Treated like other species under grade rules

A buyer who needs clear, gum-free faces should say so on the order and expect a higher price, because it removes part of each grade. For the grade rules, see the FAS grade page and the lumber grades hub.

Properties and working

Property	Black cherry	Black walnut	Hard maple (sugar)
Side hardness at 12%	about 950 lbf	about 1,010 lbf	about 1,450 lbf
Specific gravity at 12%	0.50	0.55	0.63
Modulus of rupture at 12%	about 12,300 psi	about 14,600 psi	about 15,800 psi
Tangential shrinkage	7.1%	7.8%	9.9%

Values from the Wood Handbook tables. The Handbook describes cherry as moderately heavy, strong, stiff and moderately hard, with high shock resistance and very good machining properties. It is softer than oak and maple, so it suits furniture and cabinets better than floors in heavy-traffic rooms. It can burn under a dull cutter or slow feed, so keep tools sharp. See also black walnut lumber and hard maple lumber.

Grades and uses

Use	Grade usually quoted	Note
Fine furniture	FAS and F1F, heart one face	Long clear parts, color matched
Kitchen cabinets	No.1 Common and F1F	Short parts, sap on hidden faces
Doors, paneling, mouldings	FAS, F1F	Stain grade, aging considered
Flooring	Common grades	Softer, character marks accepted
Musical instruments, boat interiors	Selected stock	Special sorts

For choosing who supplies it, see how to choose a hardwood lumber supplier.

Drying

Cherry dries without great difficulty, but its color reacts to drying conditions. Mills that sell for appearance dry carefully to avoid sticker stain and uneven color. For interior use in North America the usual target is 6 to 8%. Ask for the kiln record or moisture readings at loading. Our guide to sticker stain in lumber explains the stain that shows after planing.

What to write on the RFQ

Name the species, grade and rulebook, sap rule, gum rule if needed, steamed or not, thickness, surfacing, drying, width and length limits, board feet and paperwork. Our hardwood lumber specifications guide explains every field.

RFQ line: Black cherry (Prunus serotina), FAS and F1F, NHLA rules (edition named), heart one face, light gum allowed on back, 4/4 rough, KD 6-8%, 5 in and wider, 8-12 ft, 2,000 BF, Lacey Act data.

Send it through our lumber RFQ form and we pass it to up to 3 mills or yards that carry cherry in that grade. More species are on the hardwood species hub.