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Sitka spruce

Picea sitchensis

Also sold as Sitka, silver spruce, tideland spruce

Sitka spruce trees (Picea sitchensis); the lumber is pale cream to yellow
Sitka spruce trees (Picea sitchensis); the lumber is pale cream to yellow · Photo: Steve Hillebrand, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Public domain · Source

Overview

A pale, fine-textured, straight-grained softwood with an outstanding strength-to-weight ratio. It is the standard tonewood for acoustic guitar and piano soundboards and was used for aircraft and boat spars. For furniture it is a cheap, light, clean-looking wood when knot-free, best for painted or lightly finished work.

Pros

  • Very good strength-to-weight ratio (Wood Database).
  • Fine, even texture and consistently straight grain.
  • Easy to work as long as there are no knots; glues and finishes well.
  • Instrument-quality quartersawn stock has outstanding tonal properties (and a price to match).

Cons

  • Heartwood is slightly resistant to non-resistant to decay (Wood Database).
  • Closed pores mean poor, blotchy stain results.
  • Soft (Janka 510 lbf) and dents.
  • Reported as a sensitizer (Picea genus).

Variants and subspecies

  • Construction grade: ordinary lumber, often sold as part of SPF or 'spruce'.
  • Instrument grade: quartersawn billets that can exceed most domestic hardwoods per bf (Wood Database).
  • Bearclaw figure: a rippled grain marking, prized for soundboards.
  • Relatives: Eastern and northern spruces, Norway spruce and Engelmann spruce.

Working and finishing

Planes and sands easily if knot-free. Knots are hard and cause tear-out. Glues readily. Quartersawn tops can be resawn and bookmatched for instruments with great stability.

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. Spruce tends to age from cream to a warm yellow.

Sustainability and handling

Not CITES-listed (Wood Database; checked 2026-09-30); IUCN Least Concern as of 2026-09-30. 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.

Guitar and violin-family tops, boat spars, shelving and painted furniture, millwork, and light-weight frames.

Buying notes

Construction-grade spruce is cheap and easy to find; old-growth or quartersawn clear pieces cost more, and instrument-grade quartersawn billets can exceed the price of most domestic hardwoods (Wood Database). No retail listing was opened for this species, so the range shown is an estimate for ordinary lumber.

Typical projects

  • guitar and piano soundboards
  • boat masts and spars
  • millwork
  • furniture
  • boxes
  • aircraft parts

Sources

Researched 2026-09-30. Prices, conservation status and CITES listings on this page are indicative and were checked on that date. They change: confirm them with your supplier, and with the relevant authority before importing or exporting.

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