Cherry wood holds a special place in fine furniture making, valued not only for its warm reddish-brown tones and fine, uniform texture but also for a property almost unique among commercial timbers: it improves dramatically with age. American cherry (Prunus serotina) and European cherry (Prunus avium, also known as wild cherry or sweet cherry) both darken and richen over time through a photochemical reaction that deepens the wood's colour from a pale pinkish-brown when freshly milled to a deep, lustrous reddish-brown within months of exposure to sunlight.
Physical Properties
American black cherry has a Janka hardness of 950 lbf (4,230 N) and an average density of 560 kg/m3 at 12% moisture content, placing it among the softer domestic hardwoods - softer than hard maple, oak, and ash. Its modulus of rupture is approximately 85 MPa, adequate for furniture but below what is required for heavy structural applications. The wood machines exceptionally well, holding crisp edges in routing and turning without the burning that plagues harder species, and its straight, fine grain and uniform pore structure make it one of the easiest woods to finish to a glass-smooth surface.
European cherry (Prunus avium) is slightly denser at roughly 600 kg/m3 and marginally harder, with a Janka rating near 1,100 lbf (4,890 N). European cherry trees typically grow larger than their American counterparts in managed forest settings, yielding wider, clearer boards, though the heartwood colour tends to be somewhat lighter and pinker than the rich tones of American cherry from the Appalachian region.
The dimensional stability of cherry is good but not exceptional, with volumetric shrinkage near 11.5% - better than oak but not as stable as walnut or mahogany. It seasons well with moderate care, though it can be prone to surface checking if dried too aggressively.
The Aging Process
The darkening of cherry is driven primarily by oxidation and ultraviolet light exposure, not by the wood staining itself. Freshly planed cherry ranges from very pale pinkish-brown to light reddish-brown, and a new cherry piece of furniture can look surprisingly light on delivery. Within weeks to months of exposure to natural light, the colour deepens to the rich reddish-brown that defines classic cherry furniture, while areas shielded from light (under lamps, behind closed doors) retain the lighter original colour.
This property has practical implications for furniture makers. Most professional shops accelerate the process by exposing freshly sanded cherry to sunlight for several days before finishing, or by using a light application of lye (sodium hydroxide) or potassium dichromate to chemically darken the surface. Oil-based finishes accelerate the warm tone development, while water-white lacquers slow it.
Cherry also develops a distinctive patina through use, with high-contact areas darkening and burnishing to a softer, deeper sheen over decades. This is distinct from the yellowing of aged lacquer or varnish - it occurs within the wood fibres themselves.
Historical and Regional Applications
In North America, cherry became popular during the Federal period (roughly 1790-1820), when cabinetmakers in New England and the Mid-Atlantic states discovered its excellent working properties and rich colour. American cherry furniture from the Connecticut River Valley and eastern Pennsylvania reached a peak of refinement that remains influential in contemporary American furniture design. The Shakers, despite their preference for painted furniture, also produced fine cherry pieces at communities including Pleasant Hill, Kentucky.
European cherry has a distinguished history in Continental cabinetmaking. The Biedermeier period in Germany and Austria (1815-1848) saw cherry used extensively, often in combination with contrasting ebony stringing, to create furniture defined by simplicity of form and beauty of material. French ebenistes used cherry, known locally as merisier, for provincial furniture throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, with the cherry furniture of the Jura and Alsace regions developing distinctive regional characteristics.
Today, the United States produces the vast majority of the world's commercial cherry lumber, with Pennsylvania earning the nickname the Cherry Capital for its concentration of high-quality black cherry forests. European cherry production is more fragmented, with Germany, France, and Switzerland producing notable volumes, often sold as figured cherry when the wood exhibits the prized rippled or fiddleback grain pattern that occurs in some trees. Japan imports both American and European cherry for high-end interior joinery, where the species' fine texture and aging properties align with Japanese aesthetic sensibilities around materials that improve with age.