Celery Top Pine

A durable and tough timber that provides a hard-wearing surface for flooring and an attractive fine-grained appearance with feature knots and figure for a beautifully unique character in furniture.

The wood is creamy white when freshly cut and darkens to a mellow rosy gold hue over time and with exposure to sunlight. The timber has distinct annual rings with pronounced latewood. Slowly grown, it has a hardness, strength, and density not generally associated with conifers.

Celery top is light and easy to work. It turns well and has long been employed in the traditional crafts of boat building and spindle turning. Valued for its durability, it withstands exposure well, especially out of ground contact.

A tough wood, providing a hard-wearing surface for flooring and has an attractive fine-grained appearance. Features such as knots and other figure provide character to furniture constructed of Celery top. Knots are sound and hard, the timber planes and sands well and accepts varnish, stains, and paint readily.

Celery Top Pine Products & Applications

Quality assured Celery Top Pine products are available from these suppliers:

The Tasmanian Timber Quality Assurance Program assesses nominated products for Australian Standards compliance through a quarterly mill audit. Buyers can trust that the guaranteed products from our suppliers come from a company that employs sustainable practices, holds Chain-of-Custody, and Responsible Wood accreditation.

Celery Top Pine Properties

Phyllocladus asplenifolius

For further information click tables marked  

Availability & Appearance
General Availability
Availability is limited, and is constrained by location and style of harvesting operations.
Appearance Grade
Available
Plantation
Not available
Structural Grade
Not usually available
Veneer
Limited (mainly decorative thicknesses)
Sizes
Undressed seasoned timber 25 to 300 mm wide by 25 to 50 mm thick. Unseasoned timber available in smaller sizes, or cut to order.
Colour
Varies from white to pale straw. Darkens with age.
Grain
Grain is straight, fine and even with clearly visible growth rings.
Texture
Close and uniform.
Density  
Unseasoned
Seasoned
Density (per standard)
1050 kg/m3
650 kg/m3
Durability  
Above-Ground
Class 2: 15-40 yrs
In-Ground
Class 3: 5-15 yrs
Susceptible to Lyctid Borer
Not Susceptible
Marine Borer Resistance
NA
Termite Resistant
Yes
Environmental Details
Resource
Native - Wet Eucalypt and Rainforest
Reserves
82% of total Celery Top Pine forest types are reserved.
Certification
Available
Chain of Custody
Available
Carbon Storage
286 kg/m3
R Values
0.68 (100mm)
Fire Properties  
Average Specific Extinction Area
> 250 m2/kg
Bushfire Resistance
Critical Radiance Flux - Higher
> 2.2 < 4.5 kW/m2
Critical Radiance Flux - Lower
> 2.2 < 4.5 kW/m2
Smoke Development Rate
< 750% per min
EFH Ignitibility: 1
EFH Smoke-Develop Index: 1
EFH Spread-of-Flame Index: 1
Fire Properties Group Number: 3
Joint  
Unseasoned
Seasoned
Joint Group
J3
JD3
Mechanical Properties  
Unseasoned
Seasoned
Hardness (Janka)
3.9 kN
4.5 kN
Impact
7.6 J
6.5 J
Maximum Crushing Strength
36 MPa
56 MPa
Modulus of Elasticity (MOE)
9.4 GPa
12 GPa
Modulus of Rupture (MOR)
69 MPa
98 MPa
Toughness (IZOD)
7.6 Nm
6.5 Nm
Movement  
Radial
0.11% per 1% MC change
Tangential
0.19% per 1% MC change
Shrinkage  
Radial
1.6%
Tangential
3.1%
Stress  
Unseasoned
Seasoned
Common Structural Grades
Structural #3: F8
Structural #3: F11
Structural Grades
S1:F14, S2:F11, S3:F8, S4:F7, S5:F5
S1:F17, S2:F14, S3:F11, S4:F8, S5:F7
Strength  
Unseasoned
Seasoned
Strength Group
S4
SD5
Workability
General Workability
The close grain and resilience of Celery Top make it an easy timber to work.
Bending
An excellent bending timber. 25 mm material bends very well to a radius of 50mm.
Blunting
Moderate
Boring
Holes are clean and to size.
Finishing
Readily worked to a smooth, flat surface. Most finishes adhere very well.
Gluing
Glues satisfactorily with most common adhesives.
Moulding
Straight-grained material produces good mouldings.
Nailing
Difficult to nail when seasoned. Pre-drilling is recommended.
Planing
Planes well with the grain. Tends to chip and flake when working against the grain, which can be a problem near knots.
Rebating + Mortising
Generally produces good results.
Sawing
Usually cuts cleanly and accurately. Moderate feeding forces required.
Turning
Turns well. Care needs to be taken to avoid chipping near fine edges.

Sources: Centre for Sustainable Architecture with Wood (CSAW), Wood Solutions

The Tasmanian Timber Expert Helpline is a free service operated by the Centre for Sustainable Architecture with Wood at the University of Tasmania; providing advice on choosing the right timber, obtaining quotes from suppliers, and troubleshooting problems.

Call the Helpline 1300 041 766

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