Overview

Victorian Ash is a tall‑grown Australian hardwood valued for its clean, consistent appearance and reliable performance. It machines and finishes well, making it a go‑to choice for interior joinery, flooring and stairs. In structural settings it can achieve specified grades, but its best work is often in appearance applications where a refined, light aesthetic is desired.

• Primary availability: VIC (predominant), with supply into TAS and NSW
• Sustainability: Can be grown in plantation; widely used in appearance-grade products

Appearance

• Colour: Pale pink through pale yellow/brown; heartwood and sapwood are often similar in tone
• Grain/figure: Typically straight grain with occasional wavy “fiddleback”; gum veins may be visible
• Texture: Moderately coarse
• Colour treatment: A deeper “walnut” tone can be achieved by steaming with ammonia

Workability

• Excellent machining, gluing and finishing characteristics
• Steam bends readily; suitable for curved interior elements
• Drying: Requires care—prone to collapse and internal/surface checking if rushed; reconditioning is common
• Stability: Quarter-sawn material provides excellent dimensional stability, with low movement after proper drying

Performance & durability

• Above-ground durability: Moderate (suitable for protected/exterior joinery when properly detailed and finished)
• In-ground durability: Low (not recommended without additional protection)
• Termites: Not resistant
• Lyctid borer: Not susceptible when sourced in Victoria; may be susceptible when sourced from TAS/NSW
• Bushfire: Suitable for BAL 12.5 and BAL 19 in door/window joinery only (when specified and detailed correctly)

Structural/grades

• Structural stress grades (indicative): up to F17 (seasoned); up to F14 (unseasoned) when graded/spec’d
• Often selected for appearance applications due to colour uniformity and finish quality

Typical applications

• Interior flooring and stairs (treads, risers, nosings)
• Interior joinery: skirting, architraves, linings and panelling
• Furniture and cabinetry, benchtops and feature joinery
• Protected exterior joinery (e.g., painted windows/doors, with appropriate detailing)
• Plywood manufacture; boxes and crates; paper pulp (where specified)

Key properties (indicative)

• Density at 12% MC (seasoned): ~650 kg/m³
• Density (unseasoned): ~1050 kg/m³ (approximate)
• Modulus of Rupture (MOR): 110 MPa (seasoned); 65.9 MPa (unseasoned)
• Modulus of Elasticity (MOE): 15.5 GPa (seasoned); 12.6 GPa (unseasoned)
• Janka hardness: 5.0 kN (seasoned); 3.7 kN (unseasoned)
• Shrinkage (green to 12% MC): Tangential 8.5%; Radial 5.2%
• Unit movement per 1% MC change: Tangential 0.31%; Radial 0.20%

Note: Values are typical ranges reported for the species pairing and can vary with resource and processing.

Source & attribution

Facts compiled and cross‑checked from WoodSolutions technical information on Australian timber species. For reader reference:

• WoodSolutions – Wood species (overview)

This page is original copy based on public technical information and common industry usage. Link attribution is provided for transparency.