Species data
Olivewood
Olea europaea - a hardwood from mediterranean region; cultivated across subtropical areas worldwide. Also sold as european olive, italian olive, mediterranean olive.
Properties at a glance
| Janka hardness | 2,710 lbf |
| Stiffness (MOE) | 1,797,000 psi |
| Specific gravity | 0.98 |
| Density | 61.2 lb/ft3 (980 kg/m3) |
| Weight per board foot | 5.10 lb |
| Shrinkage, green to oven-dry | 7.7% tangential / 4.9% radial |
| Indicative price | $30.00 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 Olivewood compares
Measured against the 113 solid woods in this database: it is harder than 92% of them, heavier than 92%, and stiffer than 71%. Hard enough to be tough on edges and on machinery. At this density a full sheet or a long board gets heavy fast; check the shelf-sag and weight tools before you size anything.
What that means in the shop
A 4/4 board 8 inches wide and 8 feet long is 5.33 board feet, so in Olivewood it weighs about 27.2 lb. A stack of ten is 272 lb - worth knowing before you load a rack or a car.
Against red oak, the trade's usual yardstick at 1,220 lbf, Olivewood is about 2.2x as hard and 1.40x as heavy.
Its shrinkage is 7.7% tangential against 4.9% radial, a ratio of 1.6 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 moves comparatively evenly.
Woods of similar hardness
Closest to Olivewood on hardness in this database: Jatoba (2,690 lbf), Live Oak (2,680 lbf), Osage Orange (2,620 lbf), Bloodwood (2,900 lbf). Similar hardness does not mean similar behaviour - check density and movement before substituting one for another.
Working with it
Workability. Dense, wild grain causes tearout while surfacing, and the timber moves heavily in service
Durability. Accounts conflict between perishable and moderately durable; it does poorly at resisting insect damage
Typical uses. high-end furniture, veneer, turned objects, small specialty items.
Related calculators
Sources
MOE, SG (12% MC), Janka and shrinkage from The Wood Database (citing USDA FPL and related sources). This imported species is not listed in the FPL/Hoadley dimensional change coefficient table, so CT/CR and movement source are omitted. 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.