Wood Species Guide
Sweetgum
Liquidambar styraciflua
Also called: Red gum (heartwood), Sap gum (sapwood), American sweetgum, Satin Walnut, Alligator Wood, Gumwood
What Sweetgum looks like
Heartwood is reddish brown, sometimes with darker streaks that can look a little like walnut or Circassian figure. The wide sapwood is pale pinkish white. Lumber sold as red gum is heartwood, and sap gum is the sapwood.
Grain and texture
Interlocked grain with a fine, uniform texture and a soft satin luster. Streaked heartwood can be quite pretty.
Working Sweetgum: planing, cutting and gluing
Machines easily but the interlocked grain can tear out, so take light passes. Sweetgum is notorious for warping and twisting while it dries, which is why it is under-used. Well-dried stock behaves fine. It glues and screws well.
Finishing Sweetgum: oil, film finishes and epoxy
Takes stain very evenly, which is why it was long used to imitate walnut and mahogany. Clear oil brings out the streaks. The tight grain is easy to seal under epoxy.
Durability, stability and Florida humidity
Not durable outdoors. Movement is moderate once dry, but green or poorly dried boards twist badly. Florida trees are common, so if you mill your own, slow air drying with heavy weight on the stack helps a lot.
Shop notes from our Fort Myers shop
Most Florida homeowners know sweetgum for its spiky seed balls, not its lumber. Streaky red gum heartwood makes handsome furniture and trim and stains beautifully. If you have a sweetgum coming down, saw it into thick slabs and weight the stack well while it dries. We don't stock it, but ask us and we can often source it.
Common uses for Sweetgum
Furniture, interior trim, cabinets, plywood and veneer, boxes, and turned objects.
Sustainability and CITES status
Not listed in the CITES Appendices. Rated Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Safety and toxicity
- Skin irritation
Skin irritation has been reported in some people, but serious reactions are uncommon.
- In the shop
- Dust collection + mask when sanding
- Food contact
- Good choice for cutting boards, bowls and utensils
General information, not medical advice. See a doctor if you have a reaction.
Sweetgum has been reported to cause skin irritation in some people. Use dust collection and a mask.
Sweetgum in stock now
Ask us. We can often source it.
We don't have Sweetgum listed online right now, but new slabs and lumber come in all the time and not everything makes it to the website. Tell us what you're building and we'll check our racks and suppliers.
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