Redwood or 'boongul' is a medium to large tree up to 25 m tall. It has smooth white bark, which shed as flaky ribbon-like strips of reddish bark. It occurs from east of the Darling Scarp, east to Balladonia, and north to Mullewa. It grows in open forest and woodland, associated with other species, including salmon gum, gimlet, and mirret.

Wood description [more info]
Heartwood is red-brown, tough, hard and durable, with an attractive grain.

Wood density [more info]
Green density is about 1200 kg/m3, air-dry density about 1080 kg/m3, and basic density about 925 kg/m3.

Shrinkage [more info]
Tangential and radial shrinkage are about 5.7 and 4.2 per cent respectively.

Workability [more info]
Goldfields craftsmen rate redwood as good for boring, screwholding, and gluing, good to excellent for sanding, and excellent for turning, machinability, stability and finishing.

Durability [more info]
Although formal assessments have not been done, anecdotal evidence indicates that it is durable.

Strength group and properties [more info]
Green and dry strength groups are (S2) and (SD2). The brackets indicate conservative provisional ratings based on the air-dry density. The dry MOR and MOE data from Melotte (1997) suggest SD2.

Uses [more info]
Uses included mining timber and fuelwood for the goldmining industry, and aboriginal use for spears. Recent uses include flooring, panelling and fine design furniture. It has potential for use in musical instruments.

Availability [more info]
Availability is limited.