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PZC Chatometry

A standard system to measure wood chatoyance

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  • What is Chatoyance?
    • Curl
    • Ribbon Stripe
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  • The PZC method
    • Scale example 1
    • Scale example 2
    • Scale example 3
    • Scale example 4
  • Woods
    • Summary Table
    • Africa
      • Abura
      • Afrormosia
      • Agba
      • Agba
      • Afzelia
      • Aniegre
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      • Bilinga
      • Bilinga
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      • Ocotea
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      • Zebrawood
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      • Acacia, unspecified
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      • Satinwood
      • Sen
      • Sucupira
      • Teak
    • Europe
      • Alder
      • Apple
      • Ash, European
      • Ash, Olive
      • Beech, European
      • Birch
      • Birch, Karelian Burl
      • Black Locust
      • Bog Oak
      • Cedar, European
      • Cherry, Sweet
      • Chestnut, Horse
      • Chestnut, Sweet
      • Cypress, Mediterranean
      • Elm
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      • Hawthorn
      • Hazelnut
      • Hornbeam
      • Laburnum
      • Lagerstroemia
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      • London Plane
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      • Madrone
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      • Mulberry
      • Oak, Sessile
      • Olive
      • Olive, Russian
      • Poplar, Yellow
      • Pine, Maritime
      • Pine, Swiss Stone
      • Pine, unspecified
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      • Spruce, Fiemme (Ciresa tonewood)
      • Sumac
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      • Yew
    • North America
      • Ash, American White
      • Alder, Red
      • Beech, North American
      • Beech, North American
      • Boxelder
      • Butternut
      • Catalpa
      • Cedar, Eastern Red
      • Cedar, Western Red
      • Cherry, Black
      • Cypress, Bald
      • Cypress, Lawson
      • Desert Ironwood
      • Desert Ironwood
      • Dogwood
      • Fir, Douglas
      • Giant Sequoia
      • Hackberry
      • Hemlock
      • Hickory
      • Holly
      • Honey Locust
      • Juniperus misc.
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      • Maple, Bigleaf
      • Maple, Bigleaf
      • Maple, Hard
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      • Mesquite
      • Oak, Red
      • Oak, White
      • Osage Orange
      • Osage Orange, Green
      • Red Gum
      • Pecan
      • Pecan
      • Redwood
      • Sassafras
      • Service Tree
      • Sycamore, American
      • Sycamore, American
      • Walnut, Black
      • Walnut, Claro
      • Walnut, Claro
      • Willow
    • Oceania
      • Agathis
      • Ash, Crow’s
      • Australian Blackwood
      • Black Bean
      • Cedar, Australian Red
      • Eucalyptus, unspecified
      • Ash, Mountain
      • Gum, River Red
      • Oak, Tasmanian
      • Jarrah
      • Maple, Queensland
      • Oak, Northern Silky
      • Oak, Southern Silky
      • Pine, Huon
      • She-Oak, River
      • Spotted Gum
      • Tasmanian Myrtle
      • Walnut, Queensland
    • South and Central America
      • Angelim
      • Araucaria
      • Aspidosperma
      • Bloodwood
      • Bocote
      • Canarywood
      • Carapa
      • Cedar, Spanish
      • Cerejeira
      • Chechen
      • Cumaru
      • Curupixa
      • Freijo
      • Garapa
      • Goncalo Alves
      • Goupie
      • Granadillo
      • Guanacaste
      • Guatambu
      • Imbuia
      • Ipe
      • Jacareuba
      • Jatoba
      • Jequitiba
      • Katalox
      • Leopardwood
      • Lignum Vitae
      • Louro Faia
      • Louro Preto
      • Mahogany, Cuban
      • Mahogany, Honduras
      • Massaranduba
      • Nothofagus
      • Osage Orange, Argentine
      • Pao Rosa
      • Peroba Rosa
      • Piquiarana
      • Podocarpus
      • Primavera
      • Rosewood, Brazilian
      • Rosewood, Cocobolo
      • Rosewood, Honduras
      • Rosewood, Kingwood
      • Rosewood, Santos
      • Tatajuba
      • Timbauba
      • Tineo
      • Tulipwood (Brazilian)
      • Ziricote
  • Case studies
    • Roasting Curly Maple
    • Epoxy resin
    • Bleaching Sapele
    • Sapwood vs Heartwood
    • Different Materials
    • Sunlight & Weather
      • Sunlight exposure on purpleheart
      • Sunlight & Weather exposure on sweet cherry
      • Sunlight exposure on field maple
      • Sunlight exposure on Tasmanian Blackwood
      • UV light exposure
    • Finishing
      • Finishing Maple
      • Finishing Curly Maple
      • Finishing Curly Maple – part 2
      • Surface preparation on Curly Maple
      • Incremental grit and finishing on Curly Maple
      • Finishing Okoume
      • Finishing London Plane
      • Finishing Blonde European Walnut
      • Finishing European Ash
      • Finishing European Elm
      • Finishing Etimoe
      • Finishing Sweet Cherry
      • Finishing Ovangkol
      • Finishing European Oak
      • Finishing Birch
      • Finishing Teak
      • Finishing Iroko
      • Finishing Sapele
      • Finishing Sumac
      • Finishing Redbud
      • Finishing Kotibe
      • Finishing Indian Rosewood
      • Finishing Hackberry
      • Finishing Paldao
      • Finishing Bocote
      • Finishing Merbau
      • Finishing Snakewood
      • Finishing Purpleheart
      • Finishing Padouk
      • Finishing Mulberry
      • Finishing Niangon
      • Finishing Tasmanian Blackwood
    • Progressive grit sanding
    • Ultra-fine sanding
    • Supersurfacing
    • Raw Veneer vs fine sanded
    • Cleaning Black Walnut
    • Quartersawn vs Flatsawn
      • Quartersawn vs Flatsawn on London plane
      • Quartersawn vs Flatsawn on Red Oak
      • Quartersawn vs Flatsawn on European Beech
      • Quartersawn vs Flatsawn on Louro Faia
    • Runout Angle
    • Mud Curing on Osage Orange
    • No. 1 – Hawaiian Koa
    • High-res videos
    • Large GIFs [heavy pages…]
      • Large GIFs 1
      • Large GIFs 2
      • Large GIFs 3
      • Large GIFs 4
      • Large GIFs 5
      • Large GIFs 6
      • Large GIFs 7
      • Large GIFs 8
      • Large GIFs 9
      • Large GIFs 10
      • Australian species
    • Wood samples
    • Fresh-cut wood
    • From firewood to PZC results
    • Hunting for Tasmanian Blackwood
    • Included branches and Crotches
    • Chatoyance distribution within a tree
    • Tasmanian Blackwood – heartwood and sapwood
    • Stabilization
    • Microscope pictures
    • Out of the tablesaw
    • Chatoyance vs Fluorescence
    • Patch of Black Cherry trees
    • Spalting
    • Bark
    • Thuya Burl
    • Dying Curly Maple
    • Ammonia fuming
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Tasmanian Blackwood – heartwood and sapwood

The trip shown in this page provided some samples from different trees, ranging from large dead trees to small young trees. Here we analyze how visible chatoyance is distributed within the trees.

This Ø12cm log ting results: it shows a center grayish section well delimited on a growth ring by a black band (highlighted in blue) and a sapwood discoloration area (from whitish to brown – highlighted in red):

These areas were all investigated by dedicated sections, which are showed as animated gifs followed by chatoyance maps.

A section through the grayish hear reveals a relatively uniform high chatoyance, with the only non-chatoyant spot being the pith:

This section shows a flatsawn cut through the grayish heart and the black layer, with the former appearing highly chatoyant and the latter appearing non-chatoyant:

This is a more radial cross section, again showing good chatoyance in the core and in the brown area and very low chatoyance in the black layer:

A tangential cut that only cuts through the brown layer does not show the black layer’s chatoyance pit:

Some more smaller logs were evaluated:

Similar results were seen on this younger tree (M5 in picture above) where the gray core is only about 15mm in diameter:

In this case it would look like both the black layer and the brown area are non chatoyant:

Gray core vs black layer
Brown area
Gray core vs black layer

Sapwood chatoyance was also measured; these four samples come from four different individual trees:

Log 1 – 10.0 PZC
Log 2 – 10.3 PZC
Log 3 – 12.2 PZC
Log 4 – 10.4 PZC

The results are quite consistent.

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