Radiata pine or Pinus radiata, is a member of the Pinaceae family. Native to North America it is also known as Monterey or Insignis pine. Grown in FSC certified forests and classified by Greenpeace as ‘Good Wood’ it is the main plantation species in Australia and New Zealand.
Its strength and soft, lightweight properties make it a popular softwood used in the housing construction industry. It is suited to structural and decorative use and when treated with preservative it can be used for above ground external applications such as verandah posts and fence post knobs.
The timber consists mainly of pale yellow to white sapwood with resin canals. The heartwood is reddish brown or yellow. Straight grained with alternating bands of earlywood and latewood. The large proportion of porous sapwood makes the species suited to timber preservative treatment.
It is a medium density timber. Untreated it has a class 4 CSIRO durability rating for fungal decay and termite. Strength rating is S6 in green state and SD6 seasoned. It has relatively low shrinkage but young wood of radiata pine is not recommended where stability is a requirement. Laminating or finger jointing can increase the stability.
Application & Attributes
Its strength and soft, lightweight properties make it a popular softwood used in the housing construction industry. It is suited to structural and decorative use and when treated with preservative it can be used for above ground external applications such as verandah posts and fence post knobs.
The timber sands well and readily accepts paints, stains and polish. Follow the recommended painting instructions for use in external applications.
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