Working with Cherry Wood
What Is Cherry Wood?
American cherry wood (Prunus serotina) is a colorful hardwood prized for furniture, with a smooth texture and mostly straight grain. Its heartwood, the inner core of the tree, varies from rich red to reddish brown, and it darkens with exposure to light, which is a big part of its appeal for fine furniture.
Fortunately for woodworkers, cherry grows throughout the eastern United States, and the main commercial areas are Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, and New York State.
The cherry tree is useful beyond its lumber, too. Its small, dark fruit is eaten by birds and other wildlife. Black cherry is also a pioneer species, one of the first trees to take hold in open fields.
Cherry’s Characteristics
Cherry goes by many common names. The American Hardwood Export Council lists it as American black cherry, but you may also see it called wild cherry, rum cherry, or mountain black cherry.
To work successfully with any wood species, you need to know its strengths and weaknesses. Cherry’s two main strengths are its color and how well it finishes. However, it can also contain brown pith flecks and small gum pockets, which can detract from its appearance and grade.
Working Properties
According to the American Hardwood Export Council, cherry is one of the easier hardwoods to work with:
- Machining: Easy
- Finishing: Produces an excellent, smooth finish when sanded and stained or polished
- Nailing: Nails well
- Gluing: Glues well
- Shrinkage: Moderately high; dries fairly quickly
- Stability: Dimensionally stable once kiln-dried
Managing Moisture Content
All wood, including cherry, holds moisture in its cell walls and cell cavities. Wood naturally absorbs and releases moisture as the relative humidity (RH) around it changes. When lumber mills kiln dry wood, they dry it to a target moisture content (MC) based on how it will be used. When the wood’s MC is in balance with the surrounding temperature and RH, the wood is at its equilibrium moisture content (EMC).
Cherry keeps interacting with its environment after it leaves the mill, even if it was dried to the right MC. That’s why the MC needs to be measured and managed to get the best performance from cherry over time.
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Wood Moisture Meters
Wood moisture meters are essential tools for managing moisture. Lumber producers use industrial moisture measurement systems throughout production to ensure quality on delivery. But changing conditions and accidents like spills keep affecting the wood’s MC after it leaves the mill, so builders, hobbyists, and consumers rely on moisture meters to make sure the wood hasn’t been exposed to excess moisture.
Today’s pinless meters use electromagnetic wave technology to measure MC. Wagner Meters makes handheld wood moisture meters for softwoods, hardwoods, exotic woods, and building inspection. Its pinless meters measure the MC of the wood without leaving holes in the surface.
For woodworkers working with cherry, a pinless moisture meter is an easy way to check the wood’s MC without marking the wood itself.
Tony Morgan is a senior technician for Wagner Meters, where he serves on a team for product testing, development, and also customer service and training for moisture measurement products. Along with 19 years field experience for a number of electronics companies, Tony holds a B.A. in Management and his AAS in Electronics Technology.
Last updated on October 8th, 2026
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I will be installing 3/4″ Brazilian Cherry in my house. the wood came bundled in stacks of approx 12″ high and 7′ long (banded with plastic straps). I have had 1/2 (16 bundles) of the wood order sitting in my house for over 1 month and the other 16 bundles sitting in my garage. Using my Orion 930, the current moisture content of the top pieces of the bundles is about 11.5% and the readings of the top pieces from the bundles in the garage is about 12.3%.
What is reasonable moisture content when the wood is ready to install?
Thank you in advance for your assistance.
J Murphy
DIY Homeowner
J. Murphy,
Proper acclimation requires all the wood to be in the home to acclimate. The wood must reach its Equilibrium Moisture Content (EMC) inside your home. In order to achieve this, you must know what the EMC is in your home. This requires reading the relative humidity and temperature before measuring the woods moisture content (MC). Once you have your EMC for your home, then you can measure the woods MC to understand when it’s properly acclimated. I hope this helps.