Black oak

Casuarina pauper

Black oak can become a medium-sized tree up to 16 m and 0.6 m diameter, but is smaller where competition occurs. The rough dark bark covers trees to the branchlets. Black oak is widespread in the Goldfields and east to the Great Victoria Desert and the Nullarbor Plain, and is often found near the edges of salt lakes. It also grows in the other southern states.

Wood description [more info]
Heartwood is dark chocolate-brown, and sapwood whitish.

Wood density [more info]
Green density is about 1320 kg/m3, air-dry density about 1290 kg/m3, and basic density about 1090 kg/m3.

Shrinkage [more info]
Tangential and radial shrinkage are about 2.6 and 2.1 per cent respectively.

Workability [more info]
Goldfields craftsmen rate black oak as average for machinability and stability, good for turning, screwholding and sanding, and excellent for boring and finishing.

Durability [more info]
-

Strength group and properties [more info]
Green and dry strength groups are (S1) and (SD1). The brackets indicate conservative provisional ratings based on the air-dry density. The more important strength properties based on strength group are given in the table below.

Uses [more info]
Uses have included fencing in remote areas, but the species is becoming increasingly popular for craft purposes. It has been assessed for use in woodwind instruments.

Availability [more info]
Limited availability because of the scattered nature of the resource.