This page is a list of the species information sheets that we have produced covering the properties of timber grown in the UK and Ireland. For other information you can refer to the wood database website, TRADA’s wood species database, Wood Campus, “Lavers”, the USDA wood handbook, the European atlas of forest tree species, and several other websites, industry publications and books – but please bear in mind that wood properties vary hugely by growth area, by the standards used to measure them, and by reference conditions. Some literature also reports values based on very limited sampling and with a misleading level of certainty and precision. The information we present here is what we consider to be the best available for home-grown timber at this time.
The four letter species and species combination codes are from EN13556 and EN14081-1
For an overview of properties related to grading, see our “Grade in Britain revisited” and original “Grade in Britain” blog posts.
The main commercial species
- British spruce (WPCS) – download info sheet version 25-02-2020
- Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis) (PCST) see also Moore 2011
- Norway spruce (Picea abies) (PCAB) see also Moreno et al 2016
- Larch (WLAD) coming soon
- Hybrid larch (aka Dunkeld larch) (Larix x eurolepis) (LAER)
- Japanese larch (Larix kaempferi) (LAKM)
- European larch (Larix decidua) (LADC)
- British pine (WPNN)
- Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) (PNSY)
- Corsican pine (Pinus nigra laricio) (PNNL)
- Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) (PSMN) coming soon
Candidate “minor species” for future forest diversification, and current forest species with potential for greater utilisation
- Hem-fir (WABA) – a species combination in use for American timber that includes some of our target “minor species”
- Pacific silver fir (aka amabilis fir) (Abies amabilis) (ABAM) coming soon
- Grand fir (Abies grandis) (ABGR) coming soon
- Noble fir (Abies procera) (ABPR) coming soon see also Moreno et al 2016
- Western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla) (TSHT) coming soon see also Moreno et al 2016
- Western red cedar (Thuja plicata) (THPL) coming soon see also Moreno et al 2016
- Serbian spruce (Picea omorika) coming soon
- Japanese incense cedar (aka sugi / Japanese red cedar) (Cryptomeria Japonica) (CYJP) coming soon
- European silver fir (Abies alba) (ABAL) coming soon
- Sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus) (ACPS) coming soon
- Birch (Betula pendula/pubescens) (BTXX) coming soon
Note that these species combination also exist, and are common for imported timber, but less relevant to home grown because they include Norway spruce, but not Sitka spruce.
- Spruce and fir whitewood (WPCA)
- European silver fir (Abies alba) (ABAL) see above
- Norway spruce (Picea abies) (PCAB) see above
- Redwood and whitewood (WPPA)
- European silver fir (Abies alba) (ABAL) see above
- Norway spruce (Picea abies) (PCAB) see above
- Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) (PNSY) see above
For information about the current and future timber availability of these species in Great Britain, see the Forestry Commission National Forest Inventory 50-year forecasts.