Category: Glossary of Terms -C

Caused when wood strips or parquet slats absorb excess moisture and expand so much that the cells along the edges of adjoining pieces in the floor are crushed. This causes them to lose resiliency and creates cracks when the floor returns to its normal moisture content.

Visual changes in the color of the wood species caused by exposure to light, deprivation of light and air, or some chemical reaction.

When using hardwoods, portions of a board or plank having the quality required by a specific grade or for a particular use.

A term to describe what happens to wood as it grows. Curly wood looks like sand on the beach or river bottom with repeated ripples in the grain. The grain goes up and down causing the unusual look in the wood. This is also called “Fiddleback” or “tiger” grain.

A split caused by lack of cohesion between the annual rings.

A defect in the lumber where the face of the board warps up like the letter “U”.

Color varies from golden tan to a reddish brown; Grain is interlocked, with a medium texture and a waxy feel. Difficult to saw. High density. Very durable. Used for flooring, cabinetry, furniture, heavy construction, docks, railroad ties, bearings, handles, and other turned objects.

The deviation of grain direction from the longitudinal axis of a piece of wood or from the stem axis in a tree. Pronounced deviation from the surface, especially in veneer, is termed short grain.

A cut made perpendicular to the grain of a board.

Transverse planes of failure in tension parallel to the grain, caused by localized abnormal longitudinal shrinkage restrained by adjacent normal wood.