Douglas
[dou gla sie]; [Pseudotsuga menziesii]; Trade names Douglas fir, Douglas fir, Red fir, Yellow fir
| Origin |
West Coast North America, recent plantings in Europe |
|
bulk density |
0,5 g / cm³ |
|
durability class |
3-4 |
|
radial shrinkage |
0,4 % |
|
Tangential shrinkage |
1,2 % |
|
wood color |
pink to light yellow |
|
wood structure |
Straight-grained softwood |
|
Usage |
Door and window construction, terrace wood |
Douglas fir is originally a North American type of wood. The "Douglas fir" that is popular in German terrace construction today mostly comes from younger forests in Europe and is usually much younger with an associated lower durability.
It has established itself as a cheap decking board and thus as an alternative to spruce and larch wood. Douglas fir corresponds to durability class 3-4 (little durable to moderately durable) and has an increased tendency to de-resin.
Douglas fir from Europe and North America
American Douglas fir and European Douglas fir differ significantly in terms of age, technical characteristics and quality. In Europe, the woods from domestic new plantings have established themselves. With its relatively low price, the European Douglas fir is in competition with the native softwoods spruce and larch.
Douglas fir as decking wood
Decking made of Douglas fir has a strong tendency to de-resin. When it comes to quality, attention should be paid to quality without knots, since Douglas fir also loses the knots that have grown together over time, which can result in knotholes on the wooden terrace.
