White Ash has excellent shock resistance. It is one of the most commonly used hardwoods for tool handles in North America—particularly in shovels and hammers where toughness and impact resistance is important.

When stained, ash can look very similar to oak, although oaks have much wider rays, which are visible on all wood surfaces—even on flatsawn surfaces, where they appear as short, thin brown lines between the growth rings. Ashes lack these conspicuous rays.

SPECIES DETAILS

• Botanical Name: Fraxinus americana
• Color: The heartwood is a light brown color, though darker shades can also be seen, which is sometimes sold as Olive Ash. Sapwood can be very wide and tends to be beige or light brown; not always clearly or sharply demarcated from heartwood.
• Origin:
• Grain/Texture: Has a medium to coarse texture similar to oak. The grain is almost always straight and regular, though sometimes moderately curly or figured boards can be found.
• Rot Resistance: Heartwood is rated as perishable, or only slightly durable in regard to decay. Ash is also not resistant to insect attack.
• Workability: Produces good results with hand and machine tools. It responds well to steam-bending. Glues, stains and finishes well.
• Availability: Readily available
• Uses: Flooring, millwork, boxes/crates, baseball bats, and other turned objects such as tool handles.

STOCK AVAILABILITY

• Quarter Sawn Lumber:
• Quarter sawn Beams:
• Sawn Lumber
• Grading: FEQ, S2S, S3S, S4S
• Round logs
• Rough squares
• Wider Boards
• Drying: KD, AD