MOKUREI COLLECTION / ORIGINAL PHOTOGRAPHMOKUREI STUDIO / SPECIMEN 027
European Yew / Eibe
Taxus baccata
Apricot and honey-coloured heartwood against pale cream sapwood.
- Botanical family
- Taxaceae
- Average dry density
- 675 kg/m³ (≈12% MC)
- Janka hardness
- 1,520 lbf
- Native distribution
- Europe, North Africa and southwest Asia
- Grain & texture
- Very fine; straight to wavy
Original photograph © Mokurei Studio · physical timber held in the studio collection. Identification supplied by the studio; reference properties are not individual sample measurements.
Material character
Fine, elastic timber capable of dramatic burrs and contrasting interfaces.
Notable applications
Historic longbows, decorative turning, marquetry and boxes.
Of particular interest
Yew provided the material for many historic European longbows.
Workshop note
Yew foliage, seeds and most other parts of the tree are highly toxic; use dust extraction when machining.
Wood identification is provided by the Mokurei Studio collection, not independently laboratory-verified. Technical figures are reference averages, not measurements of the photographed piece; they vary with provenance and moisture.