COLOUR REFERENCE / ILLUSTRATIVE ONLY
MOKUREI STUDIO / SPECIMEN 005
Golden Chain
Laburnum anagyroides
Warm golden sapwood adjacent to olive, orange-brown or purplish-brown heartwood.
- Botanical family
- Fabaceae
- Average dry density
- 850 kg/m³ (≈12% MC)
- Janka hardness
- 2,020 lbf — estimated
- Native distribution
- South-central & southeastern Europe
- Grain & texture
- Fine with occasional decorative ray fleck
Material character
An unusually strong chromatic difference between the light exterior and darker core; rich natural lustre.
Notable applications
Fine turning, decorative inlay, boxes and small carved details.
Of particular interest
Historically used in parts of Europe as a dark decorative substitute for ebony.
Workshop note
All parts of the living plant are poisonous; avoid use in any application where wood dust or plant parts could be ingested. Reference hardness is estimated from specific gravity (not directly measured); use appropriate dust controls when shaping laburnum.
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.