The sapwood of walnut is creamy white, while the heartwood is light brown to dark chocolate brown, occasionally with a purplish cast and darker streaks. Walnut is usually supplied steamed, to darken sapwood. The wood is generally straight-grained, but sometimes with wavy or curly grain that produces an attractive and decorative figure.

Working Properties - Walnut works easily with hand and machine tools, and nails, screws and glues well. It holds paint and stain very well for an exceptional finish. It dries slowly, and care is needed to avoid kiln degrade. Walnut has good dimensional stability.

Physical Properties - Walnut is a tough hardwood of medium density, with moderate bending and crushing strengths and low stiffness. It has a good steam-bending classification.

Main Uses - Furniture, cabinets, architectural millwork, doors, flooring, paneling, and gun stocks. A favored wood for using in contrast with lighter-colored species.

Perfection Percentages (Percentage of time specie machines properly)
Planning - Perfect Pieces - 62%
Turning - Fair to Excellent Pieces - 91%
Sanding - Good to Excellent Pieces - Unavailable

Janka Hardness Rating - 1010 (Whats This?)