Vasicentric parenchyma
Axial parenchyma cells that surround wood vessels in a sheath-like arrangement. A diagnostic anatomical feature in many tropical hardwoods.
Read the definitionThe glossary
The trade terms you'll come across.
Plain-English definitions for the words that turn up when you're buying, specifying or working with timber.
Veneers
Thin sheets of wood (typically 0.6-1.5mm) sliced from a log and glued to a substrate to create a decorative surface with the figure of expensive wood at low cost.
Read the definitionVessels (pores)
Large tube-like cells in hardwoods that transport water in the living tree. On sawn timber they appear as pores in the grain.
Read the definitionVolumetric shrinkage
Volumetric shrinkage is the total percentage volume change of wood from green to oven-dry. It provides a broad indicator of overall stability and drying difficulty, but does not replace directional (tangential/radial) data for design decisions.
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