Spruce

Names and distribution:

The common spruce(Piecea abies), the “bread tree” of European forestry, is widespread throughout Germany, the Alps up to the northern timberline in Scandinavia and the Urals. Other spruce species can also be found in North America and Asia. Domestic spruce is ‘the’ classic construction timber. High-quality spruce from north-eastern America also finds its way onto the German market, particularly in the form of spruce from the USA. Sitka spruce(P.sitchensis) and Engelmann spruce(P.engelmannii). The species are not always easy to distinguish from one another.

Wooden picture:

Sapwood and heartwood not differentiated in color; wood of yellowish-white color, quickly darkening to yellowish under the influence of light. With distinctive striped or faded pattern. Frequent resin galls, branches partly healthily overgrown, partly with black branches. Fresh wood with a pleasant terpene scent. Simple.

Properties:

Density at u=12% is 0.43 (0.33-0.68)t/m³ – depending on the growth site. The shrinkage from the fresh state to 12% wood moisture is specified as 6.7% tangential and 3.3% radial. Low shrinkage and good staying power after drying. Easy and clean to work, resulting in uniformly smooth surfaces, excellent for polishing and staining.
The Brinell hardness is specified as 12, the modulus of elasticity as approx. 10,500 ^N/mm2. Favorable strength and elasticity properties in relation to weight. Spruce is not naturally weather-resistant.

Use:

Timber for construction and furniture, windows and doors in southern Germany, façade cladding in southern Germany and the Alpine region, floorboards, selected lots also for stringed instruments (sound spruce, ceilings)