Flowering Dogwood
Cornus florida · hardwood · Eastern North America · high movement
- Janka hardness —not published in the Wood Handbook
- Density ≈ 51 lb/ft³specific gravity 0.73 at 12% MC
- Shrinkage — tangential 11.3%flatsawn width, green → ovendry
- Shrinkage — radial 7.1%quartersawn width
- T/R ratio 1.6 : 1higher = more cupping in flatsawn stock
Shop notes Historically the wood for weaving shuttles — it wears glass-smooth under friction. Extremely dense and a heavy mover; use it small and dry.
Seasonal movement at a glance
Width change for flowering dogwood across a typical indoor year — 6% moisture content in the heated winter to 12% in a humid summer:
| Board width | Flatsawn | Quartersawn |
|---|---|---|
| 6″ | 5/32″ (0.145″) | 3/32″ (0.091″) |
| 12″ | 9/32″ (0.291″) | 3/16″ (0.183″) |
| 24″ | 19/32″ (0.581″) | 3/8″ (0.365″) |
| 36″ | 7/8″ (0.872″) | 9/16″ (0.548″) |
Run your own numbers
Different width, different climate swing — the calculator below is preset to flowering dogwood:
Typical swings:
Flowering Dogwood questions
How much does flowering dogwood move with the seasons?
A 12″-wide flatsawn flowering dogwood board moves about 9/32″ across a typical indoor swing from 6% to 12% moisture content; quartersawn, about 3/16″. Its tangential shrinkage is 11.3% and radial 7.1% (green to ovendry) — a high-movement wood.
How hard is flowering dogwood?
The Wood Handbook doesn’t publish a Janka figure for flowering dogwood, but at a specific gravity of 0.73 (about 51 lb/ft³) it handles like the similarly dense species listed below.
Is flowering dogwood good for wide panels and tabletops?
Yes, with normal precautions: its 1.6:1 tangential-to-radial ratio is unusually balanced, so panels stay flatter than most. Still fasten solid tops so they can move across their width.
Similar species
Balsam Poplar · Quaking Aspen · American Basswood · Bigtooth Aspen · Eastern Cottonwood · Black Willow
Shrinkage, specific gravity, and hardness from the Wood Handbook, FPL-GTR-282 (2021 edition), USDA Forest Products Laboratory (public domain). Values are species averages — individual boards vary with growth conditions and how they were dried.