Tallowwood Timber Species – Eucalyptus microcorys

Wood Appearance

Colour – The heartwood ranges from pale to dark yellow brown. Sapwood is usually almost white in colour.

Grain – Moderately coarse textured, generally with interlocked grain. Usually free from gum veins.

Wood Properties

Density – 1010 kg/m3

Durability – Class 1 – Highly resistant to decay when in ground contact or in persistently damp or badly ventilated situations.

Hardness – Very hard (rated 1 on a 6 class scale) in relation to indentation. Relatively easy to work with hand tools due to its natural greasiness, and hence the descriptive name given to the timber by early settlers.

Identification Features

Sapwood – Pale coloured, almost white

Heartwood – Varies in colour from light to dark yellow brown

Texture – Moderately coarse, generally with interlocked grain; greasy to touch

Wood Structure

Growth rings – Absent

Vessels – Medium in size, solitary with some touching; a few in multiples, tending to oblique chains. Tyloses abundant. Vessel lines prominent.

Parenchyma – Visible with the aid of a lens. Abundant, paratracheal and diffuse

Rays – Fine

Other Features

Burning Splinter Test – Produces a charcoal tipped with grey or white ash

Figure – Lacking, but possesses a distinctive lustre and greasy appearance.