Pinus sylvestris

Pinus sylvestris L. -- Scots pine

group: 	SOFTWOODS

Macroscopic structure of wood

heartwood/sapwood: 	heartwood

description: 	wide sapwood (3–10 cm), yellowish, pinkish (very often blue stain); heartwood is light brown (when first cut), later it has tendency to change colour to reddish brown

rings: 	distinct boundary between rings; abrupt transition from early wood to late wood in ring

resin canals: 	relatively numerous, visible in X, R and T

rays: 	invisible

texture: 	flatsawn (T) and radial figure (R); decorative wood

Microscopic structure of wood

brief overview: 	RC; ray HetC; windowlike pitting, dentate cell wall of ray tracheids

ring: 	abrupt transition from early wood to late wood tracheids in ring	X

bordered pits on tracheids: 	usually one in a row	R

tracheid thickenings: 	absent	R, T

resin canals: 	large, predominantly solitary, very numerous	X, T

epithelial cells: 	thin-walled epithelial cell, big (4–6)	X, T

rays: 	heterocellular	R

width of rays	uniseriate and fusiform	T, (P)

height of rays: 	low to medium high, 8–15	T

cross field pitting: 	windowlike (1–2)	R

ray tracheid: 	one or more rows along the upper and lower margins and in the middle of the ray, dentate ray tracheid	R

axial parenchyma: 	absent	X, (R, T)

Wood properties

density: 	light

ρ 0: 	505 kg/m3

ρ 12-15: 	535 kg/m3

ρ green: 	800 kg/m3

shrinkage: 	medium

- volumetric (βV): 	12,3 %

- radial (βR): 	3,9 %

- tangential (βT): 	8,1 %

ultimate strength in compression ||: 	55 MPa

ultimate strength in bending: 	80 MPa

ultimate strength in tension ||: 	104 MPa

hardness: 	soft

Janka's hardness: 	28,5 MPa

technological properties: 	no problem with drying, working, finishing (resin makes problem with finishing), sapwood is more permeable to preservatives than is heartwood

resistance: 	heartwood rated as moderate resistant to decay, sapwood rated as slightly or nonresistant to decay

Wood utilization

wide field of utilization; timber, inside and outside building constructions, water and bridges constructions, veneers, furniture (garden furniture), windows, doors, floors, stairs, inside and outside joinery facings, mast, pole, particle board (chipboard, MDF/HDF – medium/high density fibreboards, OSB – oriented strand boards), railway ties, chemical and paper industry

References