Species data
American Holly
Ilex opaca - a hardwood from eastern United States. Also sold as holly.
Properties at a glance
| Janka hardness | 1,020 lbf |
| Stiffness (MOE) | 1,110,000 psi |
| Specific gravity | 0.64 |
| Density | 39.9 lb/ft3 (640 kg/m3) |
| Weight per board foot | 3.33 lb |
| Shrinkage, green to oven-dry | 9.9% tangential / 4.8% radial |
| Indicative price | $12.00 per board foot (estimated) |
Values are at about 12% moisture content. Density is specific gravity times 62.4; a board foot is one twelfth of a cubic foot, so weight per board foot is that density divided by twelve. Anything marked estimated is our own figure, not a measured one.
How American Holly compares
Measured against the 113 solid woods in this database: it is harder than 51% of them, heavier than 51%, and stiffer than 5%.
What that means in the shop
A 4/4 board 8 inches wide and 8 feet long is 5.33 board feet, so in American Holly it weighs about 17.7 lb. A stack of ten is 177 lb - worth knowing before you load a rack or a car.
Against red oak, the trade's usual yardstick at 1,220 lbf, American Holly is about 84% as hard and 91% as heavy.
Its shrinkage is 9.9% tangential against 4.8% radial, a ratio of 2.1 to 1. The wider that ratio, the more unevenly a flatsawn board moves across its width as humidity changes, and the more it wants to cup; anything near or above 2 to 1 is worth quartersawing or restraining for panels and wide tops. This one sits in that range.
Woods of similar hardness
Closest to American Holly on hardness in this database: Black Walnut (1,010 lbf), Anigre (990 lbf), Imbuia (970 lbf), Teak (1,070 lbf). Similar hardness does not mean similar behaviour - check density and movement before substituting one for another.
Working with it
Workability. Knots and interlocked grain make it tricky; turns, finishes, stains and glues well; often dyed to imitate ebony
Durability. Non-durable or perishable; an easy mark for insects
Typical uses. inlays, furniture, piano keys, handles, turning, novelty items.
Related calculators
Sources
MOE, SG (12% MC), Janka and shrinkage from The Wood Database (cites USDA FPL Wood Handbook). CT/CR omitted: American holly is not listed in the FPL/Hoadley dimensional change coefficient table. Uses, region, durability and workability summarized from The Wood Database. Price indicative.
These calculators are for planning and estimation. Engineering results (shelf sag, wood movement) use published average material properties; real boards vary by grade, grain, moisture and defects. Verify load-bearing designs with a professional.