Alder is one of the most common commercial timbers and grows to an average height of 90 feet. There is no visible boundary between heartwood and sapwood and is almost white when freshly cut but quickly changes on exposure to air, becoming light brown with a yellow or reddish tinge. It is a fine-grained hardwood similar to cherry, birch, and maple and has a density or hardness comparable to Appalachian soft maple. The average weight is 29 to 31 pounds per cubic foot.

Alder is used to make cabinets, fine furniture, furniture frames, pallets, plywood, veneer, specialty items, and paper products. Its excellent stability makes it very popular for edge-glued table tops, and its turning and carving quality suits most chair applications well.

Alder machines well and is excellent for turning. It nails, screws and glues well, and can be sanded, painted, or stained to a good finish. When stained, it blends with walnut, mahogany or cherry. It dries easily with little degrade and has good dimensional stability after drying. Cutting tools should be kept sharp.