Eastern and northern spruces

Overview

The spruces of the north-east and Canada: red, white and black. They are pale, light, fine-textured woods that make up much of the 'SPF' (spruce-pine-fir) lumber stack. For woodworkers they are cheap, clean-looking painted or utility timbers, and a few go for instruments: red spruce is the traditional Adirondack guitar top.

Pros

• Easy to work, as long as there are no knots (Wood Database).
• Fine, even texture and consistently straight grain.
• Light, with Janka hardness 480-520 lbf depending on species.
• Cheap and everywhere in dimension lumber.

Cons

• Heartwood is slightly resistant to non-resistant to decay.
• Blotchy results with stain because of closed pores.
• Soft, and knots are common in cheap grades.
• Reported as a sensitizer.

Variants and subspecies

• Red spruce (Picea rubens): 490 lbf, 435 kg/m3; the soundboard species.
• White spruce (P. glauca): 480 lbf, 425 kg/m3; occasionally used for piano soundboards.
• Black spruce (P. mariana): 520 lbf, 450 kg/m3.
• SPF: sold mixed with Lodgepole pine and True firs; for the western species see Sitka spruce and Engelmann spruce.

Working and finishing

Easy to cut and plane. Use sharp edges to prevent fuzzing; knots are hard and can chip. Glues and finishes well. Dimension stock is often wet, so let it dry before building.

Staining and finishing colour

Closed pores make spruce stain blotchy and inconsistent; the Wood Database recommends a sanding sealer, gel stain or toner when colouring it. Clear finishes and paint are the easy routes.

Sustainability and handling

Not CITES-listed (Wood Database; checked 2026-09-30); IUCN Least Concern as of 2026-09-30 for all three. The Wood Database reports that spruce (Picea) has been reported as a sensitizer, with skin irritation and respiratory problems the usual reactions, although severe reactions are uncommon.

Popular projects

Shelving, workbenches, painted cabinets and carcases, crates and boxes; instrument soundboards where quartersawn red spruce is used.

Buying notes

Everywhere as SPF framing lumber; clear quartersawn pieces and instrument billets are much more expensive (Wood Database). No species-specific retail price was opened for this guide, so the range shown is an estimate.