NORCLAD® SWEET CHESTNUT FROM THE UK (CASTANEA SATIVA)

This is an indigenous specie which grows widely across many parts of Britain and Europe and gives an improved carbon footprint to local contracts.

It is durable as long as the sap is excluded. It offers a similar golden colour to oak, but with stronger and more pronounced grain and occasional dark brown mineral streaks. It is a very stable, straight grained, hard-wearing, strong and durable timber making it ideal to use in external cladding and decking applications. It is easy to work with and can be cut and nailed easily and will take stains, oils and paint coatings very well.

Sweet Chestnut will weather to a natural silver colouring if it is not protected with a good quality semi or fully translucent UV-radiation protective coating.

Length specification are short, however this can be improved by offering our finger jointing service which will create much longer lengths. A further benefit of finger jointed boards is an improvement in length, with a reduced chance of distortion and improved quality over shorter standard length material.

More Information

Wood Type: Hardwood.

Origin: Extensively planted in many European Countries and the U.K.

Sustainability: Sourced from well managed forests – FSC certified available on request

Availability: Sawn and planed products in a wide range of thicknesses, widths and profiled patterns.

Colour: A pale Red/Brown.

Quality: Joinery and Structural.

Typical end uses: External Structural application, Cladding, Flooring, and Joinery.

Durability: Heartwood Durable (excluding sapwood).

Density: 550 kg per m3 at 12% moisture content.

Dimensional stability: If the product is finger jointed and moisture content is 18%, movement should be small, however if the moisture content is higher it may have a tendency to distort when wet or not dried, but once dry, is generally stable.

Fixings: This specie has a high tannin content. We would recommend only top quality stainless steel fixings are used to avoid corrosion of fixings and blue staining of the profile.

Ring shank nails are preferable to normal wire nails as ring shank nails offer extra grip.

We would suggest the length of the nail should be two and a half times the thickness of the board. The nail should penetrate the batten by at least 32mm.

Strength & Working properties: Sweet Chestnut resembles Oak, however it is less hard. It is 50% harder than Scots Pine and about the same strength as Scots Pine.

It can be sawn and machined fairly well however it can split on nailing so pilot drilling of fixing holes is recommended particularly at board ends. There is a tendency for knots to be loose which can be a problem.

Sizes and lengths available: 25mm, 38mm, 50mm, 63mm & 75mm Thicknesses//100 mm wider 1.8 – 4.8 metres and longer

Chemical Properties:     Sweet Chestnut has a high tannin content which can be released when the timber becomes damp or wet. This can lead to staining in contact with metal or ferrous fixings.  It is advisable to protect any surfaces that may come into contact with the board prior to fixing. Staining may be removed using a high pressure wash or an oxalic acid cleaning agent.