Cherry Black
Appearance
COLOR: Heartwood is light to dark reddish brown, lustrous; sapwood is light brown to pale with a light pinkish tone. Some flooring manufacturers steam lum-ber to bleed the darker heartwood color into the sap-wood, resulting in a more uniform color.
GRAIN: Fine, frequently wavy, uniform texture. Dis-tinctive flake pattern on true quartersawn surfaces. Texture is satiny, with some gum pockets.
VARIATIONS WITHIN SPECIES AND GRADES: Significant color variation between boards.

Properties
HARDNESS (JANKA): 1950; 26% softer than Northern red oak.
DIMENSIONAL STABILITY: Above average (change coefficient .00248; 33% more stable than red oak).
DURABILITY: Strong, moderately hard; excellent shock resistance. Usually considered too soft for an entire floor — mostly used for borders and accents.