King Billy Pine
Scientific name: Athrotaxis selaginoides
Overview
King Billy Pine (Athrotaxis selaginoides) is a slow-growing conifer endemic to Tasmania’s cool, wet mountain forests. The species can live for many centuries and produces a light, fine-textured timber historically prized for boatbuilding, furniture, joinery, shingles, and specialty craft. Living stands are now protected and commercial material is scarce.
Quick Facts
- Common Name: King Billy Pine
- Alternate Common Name(s): King William Pine
- Scientific Name: Athrotaxis selaginoides
- Region: Oceania & Pacific Woods
- Tree Size: Typically 65–100 ft (20–30 m) tall
- Average Dried Weight: Approximately 29 lb/ft³ (465 kg/m³)
- Janka Hardness: Approximately 650 lbf (2,890 N)
- Grain: Usually straight; growth rings visible but generally indistinct
- Texture: Fine and even
Identification Characteristics
King Billy Pine is a tall, narrow-crowned evergreen with fibrous reddish-brown bark and drooping branchlets. Its small scale-like leaves are arranged spirally, and old trees often rise above dense, mossy Tasmanian rainforest. The timber is pale yellow to pinkish brown with fine texture and close growth rings.
- Tall narrow conifer native only to Tasmania
- Fibrous reddish-brown bark on mature trunks
- Drooping branchlets with small overlapping leaves
- Small rounded woody cones
- Pale yellow to pinkish-brown wood with fine even texture
Working Properties
King Billy Pine is generally easy to saw, machine, turn, glue, and finish. Its fine, uniform texture allows clean mouldings and smooth painted or clear-finished surfaces. Resin pockets, knots, and localized grain deviation may occur, and fasteners near board ends should be pre-drilled when splitting is a concern.
- Machines and sands readily with sharp, well-maintained cutters.
- Usually planes cleanly because the grain is predominantly straight.
- Glues, nails, and screws satisfactorily under normal shop practice.
- Accepts paint, stain, and clear finishes evenly after careful preparation.
- Use properly dried stock for stable joinery and dimensionally accurate components.
Safety Note
Avoid breathing King Billy Pine dust during sawing, routing, turning, or sanding. Use effective dust extraction, suitable respiratory and eye protection, and wash exposed skin after handling. As with other softwoods, individual sensitivity to dust or resin can vary.
Common Uses
King Billy Pine is light, stable, and generally easy to work with sharp tools. It planes, turns, carves, glues, and finishes well, but old dry stock can be brittle and the scarcity of legal material makes careful layout essential.
- Furniture, cabinetry, shelving, and interior joinery
- Traditional boatbuilding and marine restoration
- Furniture, cabinetry, and interior joinery
- Shingles, boxes, turnery, and carving
- Veneer and heritage restoration work
- Boatbuilding and selected musical-instrument components
Sustainability & Notes
King Billy Pine is protected in Tasmania and has suffered major historical losses from logging and wildfire. New harvesting from living native trees is not a normal commercial source. Any timber offered today should have clear documentation as old stock, salvage, or legally recovered material.
Comparative Notes & Related Species
- Norfolk Island Pine – A close relative in the genus Araucaria, with similarly pale timber but a distinctive symmetrical landscape form.
- Australian Cypress Pine – A durable Australian conifer whose stronger odor, darker color, and natural decay resistance contrast with King Billy Pine.
- Caribbean Pine – A plantation softwood useful for comparing resin content, grain character, and structural applications.
- Radiata Pine – A widely planted construction softwood that is generally coarser and more visibly ringed than fine-textured King Billy Pine.
Related Guides
- Pine Species Guide – Compare commonly traded timbers called pine and their woodworking characteristics.
- Oceania & Pacific Woods – Explore timber species native to Australia, New Guinea, New Zealand, and neighboring islands.
- Plantation vs. Wild-Harvested Hardwoods – Understand how timber origin affects availability, properties, and responsible sourcing.
- Understanding Wood Grain – Learn how grain direction and growth-ring structure influence machining and appearance.
- Wood Identification – Review practical features used to identify unknown wood samples.
Compare Wood Properties
See how this species ranks in density and hardness using our Wood Density & Janka Hardness Chart. You can also explore Hardest Woods, Softest Woods, and Most Dense Woods for quick comparisons.
Collector Notes
Sugar Gum is a valuable reference sample for collectors because its pale color and exceptional density challenge the assumption that very heavy Australian eucalypts are always dark red. A documented specimen should include face grain and end grain, geographic origin, tree age if known, and whether the material came from a plantation, farm shelterbelt, salvage source, or the restricted native range.
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Wood Sample Collection
This species is part of an ongoing effort to document and preserve wood samples from around the world.
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Resources
Authoritative botanical and forestry references used in compiling information about this species include:
• USDA Forest Service – Wood Handbook: Wood as an Engineering Material
https://www.fpl.fs.usda.gov/products/publications/
• The Wood Database – Global reference for wood identification, physical properties, and woodworking characteristics
https://www.wood-database.com/
• Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew – Plants of the World Online – Botanical taxonomy and species distribution database
https://powo.science.kew.org/
• International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN Red List) – Global conservation status assessments
https://www.iucnredlist.org/
• Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) – International trade regulations for protected plant species
https://cites.org/
Additional forestry publications, academic research papers, and regional timber studies may also be referenced where available.
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Availability & Where to Buy
Exotic hardwood availability can vary significantly depending on region, sustainability regulations, and supplier inventory.
As this archive grows, recommended suppliers and specialty wood retailers will be listed here to help woodworkers locate responsibly sourced material.
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