Spruce

Botanical name: Picea abies

 

Other names: GB: Spruce, Whitewood, Norway Spruce F: Epicéa D: Fichte, Rottanne, Rotfichte I: Abete rosso VL: Vuren, Epicéa NL: Vuren, Gewone Spar, Fijnspar

The colours range from creamy white to light yellow and to red-brown. Heartwood is not distinct from sapwood. Spruce is straight-grained with thin and regular texture. Resin canals are rather common. The wood is soft, low in weight and has medium density. The strength properties are good. Sawing and machining is easy, also assembling. Spruce has a slight tendency to split when nailed.

The typical end-uses for spruce wood are for structural end uses, indoors and outdoors, thus it is the most important building and construction timber in Europe. It is also used for decorative plywood, decorative veneer, domestic flooring, factory flooring, general carpentry, interior construction, joinery (external). Spruce wood from Central and Eastern Europe shows exceptional resonance qualities and is used for musical instruments like sound boards of pianos and bellies of violins and guitars.