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Western hemlock

Tsuga heterophylla

U.S. softwood · Hemlocks · United States

Western hemlock measures 540 lbf on the Janka scale, about 42% as hard as northern red oak.

  • Of the three hemlocks in the handbook, none is stiffer, and none shrinks more across the face.
  • American chestnut and yellow-poplar have exactly the same Janka figure.
  • On the Janka scale its nearest neighbours are black spruce at 530 lbf and hura at 550 lbf.

Compare western hemlock

U.S. hardwoodsU.S. softwoodsImported woodsNorthern red oak

Western hemlock · 540 lbfCeibaBlack cherryNorthern red oakShagbark hickoryIpe01,0002,0003,0004,000 lbf← softerharder →Ceiba, 240 lbfNorthern white-cedar, 320 lbfAtlantic white-cedar, 350 lbfBlack cottonwood, 350 lbfQuaking aspen, 350 lbfSubalpine fir, 350 lbfWestern redcedar, 350 lbfBalsam fir, 380 lbfCuangare, 380 lbfEastern white pine, 380 lbfOkoume, 380 lbfSugar pine, 380 lbfEngelmann spruce, 390 lbfAmerican basswood, 410 lbfNoble fir, 410 lbfRedwood (young-growth), 420 lbfWestern white pine, 420 lbfEastern cottonwood, 430 lbfObeche, 430 lbfPacific silver fir, 430 lbfLight red meranti, 460 lbfPonderosa pine, 460 lbfIncense-cedar, 470 lbfLodgepole pine, 480 lbfRedwood (old-growth), 480 lbfWhite fir, 480 lbfButternut, 490 lbfGrand fir, 490 lbfLimba, 490 lbfCalifornia red fir, 500 lbfEastern hemlock, 500 lbfBanak, 510 lbfSitka spruce, 510 lbfBlack spruce, 530 lbfAmerican chestnut, 540 lbfYellow-poplar, 540 lbfHura, 550 lbfRed pine, 560 lbfJack pine, 570 lbfYellow-cedar, 580 lbfRed alder, 590 lbfTamarack, 590 lbfDouglas-fir (Interior North), 600 lbfSpanish-cedar, 600 lbfIlomba, 610 lbfCativo, 630 lbfPort-Orford-cedar, 630 lbfDeterma, 660 lbfDouglas-fir (Interior West), 660 lbfPrimavera, 660 lbfMountain hemlock, 680 lbfLoblolly pine, 690 lbfShortleaf pine, 690 lbfCucumbertree, 700 lbfSilver maple, 700 lbfDouglas-fir (Coast), 710 lbfVirginia pine, 740 lbfAmerican sycamore, 770 lbfYellow meranti, 770 lbfDark red meranti, 780 lbfParana-pine, 780 lbfMahogany, 800 lbfBlack tupelo, 810 lbfAfrican mahogany, 830 lbfAmerican elm, 830 lbfWestern larch, 830 lbfBigleaf maple, 850 lbfBlack ash, 850 lbfSweetgum, 850 lbfSlippery elm, 860 lbfLongleaf pine, 870 lbfHackberry, 880 lbfWater tupelo, 880 lbfSande, 900 lbfOcote pine, 910 lbfPaper birch, 910 lbfBlack cherry, 950 lbfRed maple, 950 lbfRoble, 960 lbfTeak, 1,000 lbfBlack walnut, 1,010 lbfAlbarco, 1,020 lbfSouthern magnolia, 1,020 lbfSouthern red oak, 1,060 lbfAvodire, 1,080 lbfManni, 1,120 lbfAndiroba, 1,130 lbfChestnut oak, 1,130 lbfOregon ash, 1,160 lbfBlack maple, 1,180 lbfOvercup oak, 1,190 lbfWater oak, 1,190 lbfGreen ash, 1,200 lbfBlack oak, 1,210 lbfLaurel oak, 1,210 lbfKapur, 1,230 lbfCaribbean pine, 1,240 lbfSwamp chestnut oak, 1,240 lbfIroko, 1,260 lbfYellow birch, 1,260 lbfKeruing, 1,270 lbfAngelique, 1,290 lbfMersawa, 1,290 lbfNorthern red oak, 1,290 lbfAmerican beech, 1,300 lbfRamin, 1,300 lbfRock elm, 1,320 lbfWhite ash, 1,320 lbfPost oak, 1,360 lbfWhite oak, 1,360 lbfBur oak, 1,370 lbfScarlet oak, 1,400 lbfSepetir, 1,410 lbfSugar maple, 1,450 lbfWillow oak, 1,460 lbfSweet birch, 1,470 lbfPin oak, 1,510 lbfSapele, 1,510 lbfAfrormosia, 1,560 lbfHoneylocust, 1,580 lbfPeroba de campos, 1,600 lbfOpepe, 1,630 lbfBlack locust, 1,700 lbfPilon, 1,700 lbfKempas, 1,710 lbfPara-angelim, 1,720 lbfPiquia, 1,720 lbfPeroba rosa, 1,730 lbfAngelin, 1,750 lbfBenge, 1,750 lbfShellbark hickory, 1,810 lbfPurpleheart, 1,860 lbfShagbark hickory, 1,880 lbfJarrah, 1,910 lbfDegame, 1,940 lbfMockernut hickory, 1,970 lbfKarri, 2,040 lbfPignut hickory, 2,140 lbfSucupira, 2,140 lbfGoncalo alves, 2,160 lbfMora, 2,300 lbfCourbaril, 2,350 lbfGreenheart, 2,350 lbfTropical oak (roble), 2,500 lbfBubinga, 2,690 lbfBrazilian rosewood, 2,720 lbfKaneelhart, 2,900 lbfMacawood, 3,150 lbfIndian rosewood, 3,170 lbfBulletwood, 3,190 lbfAzobe, 3,350 lbfManbarklak, 3,480 lbfMarishballi, 3,570 lbfIpe, 3,680 lbfWestern hemlock · 540 lbfNorthern red oakIpe01,0002,0003,0004,000 lbf← softerharder →

Six measures

Western hemlockU.S. softwoods medianOther woods

  • Janka hardness

    540 lbf2,402 N35th softest of 155
    240 lbf3,680 lbf
    15th of 37 U.S. softwoods

  • Density

    0.420.45 at 12% MC45th lightest of 155
    0.250.96

  • Bending strength

    11,300 psi77.9 MPa56th weakest of 155
    4,300 psi29,900 psi

  • Cupping tendency

    1.8670th highest of 155
    1.092.90

  • Stiffness

    1.63 M psi11.2 GPa74th most flexible of 155
    0.54 M psi4.06 M psi

  • Shrinkage across the face

    7.8%radial 4.2%76th highest of 155
    3.5%12.7%

How much it moves

Both its face shrinkage (7.8%) and its T/R ratio (1.86) sit in the middle half of the list.

0.47 in.

off a 6-inch flatsawn board, green to oven-dry; quartersawn 0.25 in.

Tangential
7.8%
Radial
4.2%
Volume
12.4%
T/R ratio
1.86 (85th most stable of 155)
6 in. green (dashed)5.53 in. dry · −7.8%
Flatsawn
6 in. green (dashed)5.75 in. dry · −4.2%
Quartersawn

End view, shrinkage drawn 3× life size.

Closest substitutes

  • Red pine

    4% harder · 2% lighter · shrinks 0.6 points less across the face

  • Sitka spruce

    6% softer · 12% lighter · shrinks 0.3 points less across the face

  • California red fir

    7% softer · 14% lighter · shrinks 0.1 points more across the face

Compare with the first two

Among the hemlocks

2nd hardest of 3, lbf.

Laboratory values

PropertyGreenDry, 12% MCChange when driedMetric, 12% MC
Tension perpendicular290psi340psi+17%2.30MPa
Side hardness410lbf540lbf+32%2,402N
Work to maximum load6.90in-lbf/in³8.30in-lbf/in³+20%57.2kJ/m³
Compression perpendicular280psi550psi+96%3.80MPa
Impact bending22in.23in.+5%584mm
Shear parallel to grain860psi1,290psi+50%8.90MPa
Modulus of rupture6,600psi11,300psi+71%77.9MPa
Compression parallel to grain3,360psi7,200psi+114%49.6MPa
Modulus of elasticity1.31M psi1.63M psi+24%11.2GPa

Wood Handbook Table 5-3b, Table 4-3. Data & method · Guides