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Metals and Other Materials - Does Any Type Of Wood Sink In Water?

Does any type of wood sink in water?

Ironwood is a name applied to many species of hardwood trees, the wood of which is so dense and heavy that it sinks in water. North American ironwoods include the American hornbeam, the mesquite, the desert ironwood, and leadwood (Krugiodendron ferreum).

Water has a specific gravity, or relative density, of 1. To sink in water, a substance must have a specific gravity greater than 1. Leadwood has a specific gravity between 1.34 and 1.42, making it the densest wood in the United States.

The world's most dense wood is black ironwood (Olea laurifolia), also called South African ironwood. Found in the West Indies, it has a specific gravity of 1.49 and weighs up to 93 pounds (42.18 kilograms) per foot. The lightest wood is Aeschynomene hispida, found in Cuba, with a specific gravity of 0.044 and a weight of 2.5 pounds (1.13 kilograms) per foot. Balsa wood...

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