Bark around which normal wood has grown.

Small decorative circular figure, common in Hard Maple.

A burl is a swirl or twist in the grain of the wood which does not contain a knot (figured wood around a knot).

Wood with narrow growth rings.

"Rapid growth" wood with wide growth rings.

A series of naturally occurring figure effects characterized by a mild or dominate pattern across the grain in some board faces. For example, a washboard effect occurs in fiddle-back cross figure; and cross wrinkles occur in the mottle figure (decorative design of grain).

Lumber grain as seen from one end of a board.

A grain characteristic that has a rippled appearance. (Maple, Mahogany and Sycamore). veneers used on violins.

The pattern produced in a wood surface by annual growth rings, rays, knots, deviations from natural grain such as interlocked, curly and wavy grain and irregular coloration.

Portion of a ray as it appears on the quartered surface. Fleck is often a dominate appearance feature in quartered Oak.

The direction, size, arrangement and appearance of the fibers in wood.

New wood formed by the annual growth of a tree. (Also called annual rings).

Well-defined openings between rings of annual growth, containing gum or evidence of prior gum accumulations.

Gum or resinous material or color spots and streaks caused by prior resin accumulations common in Cherry and Walnut.

General term used to designate lumber or veneer produced from temperate zone deciduous or tropical broad-leaved trees in contrast to softwood, which is produced form trees, usually needled bearing or coniferous. The term does not infer hardness in its physical sense.

General term used to designate lumber or veneer produced from temperate zone deciduous or tropical broad-leaved trees in contrast to softwood, which is produced form trees which usually needled bearing or coniferous. The term does not infer hardness in its physical sense.

The non-active or dormant center of a tree generally distinguishable from the outer portion (sapwood) by its darker color. Heartwood is more decay-resistant than sapwood.

Radial vertical tissues, extending across the growth rings of a tree, that enable the transmission of sap and produce a decorative spotted figure in quarter-sawn boards (especially oak and sycamore).

Referring to unselected color with varying degrees of sapwood and/or heartwood.

National Hardwood Lumber Association sets the industry accepted grading standards for hardwood lumber. A short course in hardwood lumber grading rules (pdf).

A resinous, gummy substance in firs and pines. This is the resin in the bag a baseball pitcher utilizes.

The small soft center core of a tree around which growth takes place. The Pith in hardwoods is usually a cavity (open) while the Pith in softwoods is usually sound.

Sapwood The lighter colored wood growing between the heartwood and bark.

The non-porous wood of and cone-bearing, needle-leaved tree, regardless of whether the wood is in fact hard or soft; such as cedar, pine, fir, hemlock, etc.

In softwood lumber, VG refers to the grain on quarter-sawn boards.