Description
A large hardwood of very common occurrence growing in an area ranging from the New South Wales/Victorian border to the Maryborough district in Queensland.

It is quite a tall tree up to 50 metres in height. The tree sheds elliptical strips of bark as it weathers and the resultant mottled or spotted appearance lends itself to its common name.

Appearance
The heartwood colour range is quite broad from very pale browns through to very dark browns. Some samples may have a slightly orange colouration in the lighter variations. The sapwood is distinctly paler. The grain is often interlocked and generally features some ‘fiddleback’ figure. This wavy type grain may be quite distinctive.

Description
Ironbarks are a very characteristic group of trees, so named on account of the thick, compact, hard bark. The name however could equally apply to the timber itself, for it is certainly the ironwood of the whole Eucalyptus genus. The wood is very heavy, hard and compact, making working with the timber difficult. It ishard to nail and planes with difficulty. Microscopically, the fibres are seen to be very thick walled, compact and closely compressed.

The commercially available Ironbark species in NSW can be broadly divided into Grey and Red Ironbarks.

Appearance
(Red Ironbark)The heartwood colour is a deep red. Sapwood is very distinctive, being a pale yellow in colour. Texture is medium and even.

(Grey Ironbark)The heartwood of the Grey Ironbarks ranges from light grey or light chocolate with some darker reds and browns sometimes occurring. Sapwood is slightly lighter in colour. Grey Ironbark may have various regional variations such as the ‘Black Ironbarks’ which have similar light colours with black narrow to broad streaks running through the timber. Texture is moderately coarse and even.