Black Walnut
Black Walnut is a medium-density North American hardwood with dark heartwood, supplied green, air-dried or kiln-dried at about 0.61 specific gravity, 100 MPa tensile strength and 11.6 GPa modulus.
Reference datasheet — Black Walnut is not in the instant-quote catalog. Upload your part and an engineer will quote it in this grade or suggest the closest stocked equivalent.
Black Walnut tempers and conditions
Black Walnut is supplied in one standard condition, GREEN.
Supply forms, finishes and certifications
Ways Black Walnut is supplied — form, process route, surface or paperwork — without a datasheet of their own. The property values above apply.
| Option | What it is | Type |
|---|---|---|
AD | Air-dried, ~15–18 % moisture content | Surface finish |
KDDefault | Kiln-dried, 6–12 % moisture content | Surface finish |
What is Black Walnut?
Black Walnut is a medium-density North American hardwood with dark heartwood, supplied green, air-dried or kiln-dried at about 0.61 specific gravity, 100 MPa tensile strength and 11.6 GPa modulus. It is chosen for fine furniture, gunstocks and veneer because it is dimensionally stable, machines and carves with low tool wear (machinability 85), and finishes attractively without stain. Thermal conductivity is 0.15 W/m·K and service temperature tops out near 90 °C; decay resistance is only moderate (rating 55), wide clear stock is limited and cost is high. Hard maple or cherry are the usual substitutes when colour can be matched by staining. Black Walnut has a density of 0.61 g/cm³ (0.022 lb/in³), lighter than 65% of natural material grades. Black Walnut has a tensile strength of 100 MPa (14.5 ksi), stronger than 85% of natural material grades. Elongation at break is 1.5% and the elastic modulus is 11.6 GPa (1.68 Msi).
What is Black Walnut used for?
- fine furniture
- gunstocks
- decorative veneer
- cabinetry
- musical instruments
Advantages
- Polishes to a fine finish — 80/100, better than 80% of natural material grades
Black Walnut properties
Typical room-temperature values; bars are the position among natural material grades.
Physical2
Black Walnut has a density of 0.61 g/cm³ (0.022 lb/in³), lighter than 65% of natural material grades.
Mechanical9
Black Walnut has a tensile strength of 100 MPa (14.5 ksi), stronger than 85% of natural material grades. Elongation at break is 1.5% and the elastic modulus is 11.6 GPa (1.68 Msi).
Thermal5
Black Walnut is rated for continuous service to 90°C (194 °F). It conducts heat at 0.15 W/m·K (0.0867 BTU/hr·ft·°F), better than 52% of natural material grades. Thermal expansion is 4.5 µm/m·K (2.5 µin/in·°F).
Electrical2
Black Walnut is an electrical insulator with a dielectric strength of 4.5 kV/mm (114.3 V/mil) and a resistivity of 1×10¹⁰ Ω·m.
Chemical & Environmental1
Corrosion resistance is good (55/100), better than 69% of natural material grades.
Sustainability4
Producing a kilogram of Black Walnut takes about 11 MJ of energy and emits 0.55 kg of CO₂ — less than 51% of natural material grades. Typical recycled content is 3%.
Manufacturability2
Black Walnut's machinability is excellent (85/100, better than 63% of natural material grades).
Common Calculations4
Values are nominal handbook figures for design screening. Certified mill or lot data ships with every FabDigit order on request.
Working with Black Walnut
Is Black Walnut easy to machine?
Cuts, turns and carves cleanly with low tool wear; use sharp carbide and moderate feed to avoid burnishing, and pre-bore for screws near ends.
Can Black Walnut be welded?
Not weldable — join by PVA/urea or epoxy adhesives and mechanical fasteners; walnut glues well with clean, freshly machined faces.
Can Black Walnut be formed, bent or molded?
Steam bends only fairly (compression strap advised); rotary/slice veneering and CNC 3D shaping are the usual forming routes.
Black Walnut chemical composition (wt %)
Limits by weight percent from the governing specification, written the way the spec states them — a single maximum for impurities, a range for alloying elements, and the base element as balance. Nominal is the typical mid-range value.
| Element | Spec limit (wt %) | Nominal |
|---|---|---|
| celluloseoven-dry basis | 42 – 48 | 45 |
| hemicellulose | 18 – 25 | 22 |
| lignintypical hardwood syringyl/guaiacyl lignin | 21 – 26 | 24 |
| extractiveshigh in heartwood; includes juglone/tannins giving colour and decay resistance | 3 – 10 | 8 |
| ash | 0.3 – 0.9 | 0.5 |
| organic matrix | balance |
What surface finishes work on Black Walnut?
Sands to a fine surface and accepts oil, shellac, lacquer or waterborne finishes without stain; use UV-blocking topcoats since heartwood lightens and sapwood is often steamed or dyed to match.
Equivalent designations
Standards and trade names that resolve to Black Walnut in FabDigit's catalog. Equivalence is nominal — check the exact specification when certification matters.
- Also called
- Juglans nigra
How much does Black Walnut cost?
Black Walnut is a standard-cost natural material ($$), cheaper than about 71% of the materials FabDigit quotes. Part price depends far more on geometry, tolerance and quantity than on the raw stock — upload a CAD file for a live quote.
Black Walnut — frequently asked
What is Black Walnut used for?
Black Walnut is typically used for fine furniture, gunstocks, decorative veneer, cabinetry and musical instruments. In short: best-machining domestic hardwood; dark colour without staining; high cost, limited widths.
What is the tensile strength of Black Walnut?
Black Walnut has a typical tensile strength of 100 MPa (14.5 ksi) — stronger than 85% of natural material grades.
Is Black Walnut easy to machine?
Yes — machinability is rated excellent (85/100, better than 63% of natural material grades). Cuts, turns and carves cleanly with low tool wear; use sharp carbide and moderate feed to avoid burnishing, and pre-bore for screws near ends.
Can Black Walnut be welded?
Not weldable — join by PVA/urea or epoxy adhesives and mechanical fasteners; walnut glues well with clean, freshly machined faces.
What surface finishes work on Black Walnut?
Sands to a fine surface and accepts oil, shellac, lacquer or waterborne finishes without stain; use UV-blocking topcoats since heartwood lightens and sapwood is often steamed or dyed to match.
Can Black Walnut be formed, bent or molded?
Steam bends only fairly (compression strap advised); rotary/slice veneering and CNC 3D shaping are the usual forming routes.
What is the maximum service temperature of Black Walnut?
Black Walnut is rated for continuous use to about 90°C (194 °F). Strength falls off well before that limit — check the elevated-temperature data for load-bearing parts.
How much does Black Walnut cost?
Black Walnut is a standard-cost natural material ($$), cheaper than about 71% of the materials FabDigit quotes. Part price depends far more on geometry, tolerance and quantity than on the raw stock — upload a CAD file for a live quote.
Sources
- Wood Handbook — Wood as an Engineering Material (FPL-GTR-282), Ch. 5 & 19 — USDA Forest Products Laboratory (2021)
- Wood species mechanical property tables (Juglans nigra) — USDA FPL / TechLine (2019)
- ASTM D143 Standard Test Methods for Small Clear Specimens of Timber — ASTM International (2022)
- NHLA Rules for the Measurement and Inspection of Hardwood and Cypress — National Hardwood Lumber Association (2023)
Property data is compiled from published supplier and standards handbooks and normalised for comparison; hardness values on non-Brinell scales are converted approximately for charting only. Manufacturability limits are FabDigit quote-engine defaults and may be relaxed by engineering review. Nothing on this page is a certification — request mill certs, CoC or material test reports with your order.