How to spot fake olive wood
BY THE ARTISRAW EDITORIAL TEAM · OCTOBER 13, 2026 · 15 MIN READ
This guide sets out the checks in full, for importers, wholesalers and retail buyers. It applies to any olive wood from any supplier, including us.
How to use this guide
Three things to be clear about before the tests, because they decide how much weight each result carries.
These are screening checks, not proof. They are designed to tell you when something is worth investigating, not to settle a dispute on their own. No figure in this guide is a basis for rejecting a shipment unless you and your supplier have agreed it in writing beforehand. Where species identity is commercially or legally critical, use a qualified wood-identification specialist or laboratory rather than a loupe and a set of scales.
Assess five things separately. Species, construction, moisture condition, workmanship and finish are five different questions, and one visual clue rarely answers more than one of them. A piece can be genuine solid olive wood and still be badly dried. A piece can be perfectly dried and still be veneer.
Photographs are a starting point, not an answer. Finishes, lighting, age and phone cameras all change what olive wood looks like. For anything beyond a first order, work from a physical sample.
The six-point check, in sixty seconds
Genuine solid olive wood is consistent with all six. A fake or low-grade piece usually fails two or more.
- Weight. Olive wood has a published density of about 980 kg/m³ (0.98 g/cm³) at 12% moisture content. A flat 30 × 15 × 2 cm board should weigh roughly 880 g.
- End grain. Tiny, evenly scattered pores, many in short radial rows of two to four, often plugged with dark deposits. No bands of large open pores.
- Depth of figure. The dark streaks continue through the cross-section. Printed or stained grain disappears after about 0.5 mm of sanding.
- Edges. No glue line, no thin surface layer, and no grain pattern that repeats from piece to piece.
- Moisture. A core reading suited to the destination climate, with no wide gap between core and surface.
- Scent, as a supporting check. Freshly sanded raw olive wood gives off a mild, sweet, slightly fruity smell. Common lookalikes smell neutral. Finishes and age reduce it, so treat a negative result as inconclusive.
What goes wrong, and what it costs
| PROBLEM | HOW IT IS MADE | WHAT IT COSTS YOU |
|---|---|---|
| Printed or dip-stained imitation | Cheap, fast-growing wood — ash, beech, poplar, rubberwood — with printed or dyed “olive” figure under a lacquer | Pale wood shows through after use; returns; goods sold under a false description |
| Veneer over a composite core | 0.5–1.0 mm olive veneer glued over MDF or softwood | Delamination and glue-line failure after washing; product sold as solid when it is not |
| Green or under-dried wood | Shipped wetter than the destination climate will tolerate | Warping, cracks and mould during ocean transit or in heated stores |
| Species substitution | Another figured hardwood sold as olive | False species on customs declarations; uneven performance |
| Low-grade genuine olive | Pale or low-contrast wood sold at premium grade | You pay premium prices for standard-grade stock |
The last row is not fraud. Pale olive wood is still olive wood. It is a different visual grade and should be priced as one.
Reference card: what genuine olive wood looks like
Benchmark against these published values. They describe the species, not a guarantee for any individual piece — natural material varies, and a single reading outside the range is a prompt to look further, not a verdict.
| PROPERTY | GENUINE OLIVE WOOD (OLEA EUROPAEA L.) | SOURCE |
|---|---|---|
| Density at 12% moisture | 980 kg/m³ | The Wood Database |
| Janka hardness | 12,060 N (2,710 lbf) | The Wood Database |
| Pore type | Diffuse-porous: pores spread evenly, not in rings | Urso et al., 2024 |
| Pore grouping | Partly solitary, partly in radial rows of 2–4 or small clusters | Urso et al., 2024 |
| Pore contents | Tyloses and orange-to-dark oily deposits, sometimes filling heartwood vessels completely | Urso et al., 2024 |
| Growth rings | Indistinct or absent | Urso et al., 2024 |
| Rays | 1–3 cells wide | Urso et al., 2024 |
| Colour | Pale cream sapwood; yellow-brown to reddish heartwood with irregular dark brown to near-black streaks | Urso et al., 2024 |
| Texture | Fine and even; polishes to a natural sheen | — |
| Shrinkage | Tangential ~7.7%, radial ~4.9% — a ratio of about 1.6 to 1 | The Wood Database |
| ArtisRaw export moisture | 10% ± 2% — a company production target, not a universal standard | ArtisRaw |
The full material profile is in olive wood properties.
Test 1 — Printed, stained and painted fake grain
Printed and stained grain lives only on the surface. Real olive figure runs through the whole piece.
Counterfeiters start with cheap, pale, fast-growing wood: white ash (Fraxinus), European beech (Fagus sylvatica), poplar (Populus) or rubberwood (Hevea brasiliensis). They print, laser-mark or dye an “olive” pattern on top, then seal it under lacquer. The lacquer hides the trick at the container door, so you have to look below it.
Step 1 — Read the end grain under a lens
Sand or slice a clean spot on an underside corner. Look at it through a 10×–40× loupe or a USB microscope.
- Genuine olive: tiny pores spread evenly, many in short radial rows of two to four. In the heartwood, many pores are plugged with dark or orange deposits. Growth rings faint or missing.
- Ash: a band of large, open pores at the start of every growth ring — ring-porous. Under print, these pores either soak up dye as dark dotted lines or stay open under the ink.
- Beech: tiny pores, but wide, visible rays and a uniform pinkish tone.
- Poplar and rubberwood: pale, soft and featureless once the surface layer is gone.
Step 2 — Check how deep the colour goes
On real olive wood, the dark streaks cross the end grain like the layers of a cake. On printed or stained wood, the figure is a skin under 0.2 mm thick. Light sanding of about 0.5 mm on a hidden spot exposes plain, pale wood underneath.
Step 3 — Check that the pattern makes sense
Printed figure ignores the wood’s own pores and rays, and it often repeats the same motif across units in a carton. Real olive figure follows the wood structure and differs on every piece.
Step 4 — Do a solvent wipe
Wet a white cloth with isopropyl alcohol and rub an unfinished, fully cured spot for fifteen seconds. Strong brown or black transfer means surface dye. A faint golden tint can come from an oil finish or from natural extractives, and is not a fail on its own. This is a screening check for dye, not a test of the finish’s composition.
| FEATURE | GENUINE CHEMLALI OLIVE WOOD | PRINTED OR STAINED IMITATION |
|---|---|---|
| Pores | Fine, diffuse; radial rows of 2–4; often plugged | Ring-porous bands (ash) or open, unplugged pores |
| Depth of figure | Through the whole cross-section | Surface layer under 0.2 mm; pale core |
| Pattern | Follows the wood structure; unique per piece | Ignores the structure; repeats across units |
| Solvent wipe | No dye transfer | Brown or black dye on the cloth |
Test 2 — Veneers and composite cores
Some makers slice olive wood into 0.5–1.0 mm veneers and glue them over MDF or a light softwood core. Veneer is a legitimate product when it is declared. The problem is veneer sold as “100% solid olive wood”.
Read the edges first
| WHAT YOU OBSERVE | POSSIBLE EXPLANATION | NEXT STEP |
|---|---|---|
| A visible layer at an edge | Veneer over a core | Ask the supplier to confirm construction and send an edge detail photograph |
| A seam or abrupt grain change | Joined components, veneer, or a repair | Inspect closely and compare with the approved sample |
| Grain nearly identical across units | Veneers cut sequentially from one log | Compare five pieces side by side; solid olive never repeats |
| Unexpectedly light for its size | Different species, construction, or moisture level | Measure and weigh; compare equivalent pieces |
| Wood structure continuing through every visible edge | Consistent with solid construction | Continue with moisture, finish and workmanship checks |
Look especially at rounded edges, bevels, handle holes and juice grooves. A groove cut into a veneered piece exposes the core.
Then weigh it
Density flags an inconsistency. It does not identify a species on its own, because moisture, shape, cavities and natural variation all move the number. Use it to compare like with like.
For a rectangular board, volume = length × width × thickness. For curved or grooved pieces, use water displacement: push the piece fully under water in a measuring jug with a thin skewer, read the rise in millilitres — 1 ml = 1 cm³ — then dry and re-oil it.
| WORKED EXAMPLE: 30 × 15 × 2 CM BOARD (900 CM³) | EXPECTED DENSITY | EXPECTED WEIGHT |
|---|---|---|
| Solid olive wood | ~0.98 g/cm³ | ~880 g |
| Olive veneer on MDF | 0.65–0.80 g/cm³ | 585–720 g |
| Olive veneer on poplar or softwood | 0.40–0.50 g/cm³ | 360–450 g |
As a working rule: at or above 0.85 g/cm³ the weight is consistent with solid olive wood; between 0.75 and 0.85, check moisture and the proportion of pale sapwood; below 0.75, investigate the construction. Always pair this with a moisture reading, because wet wood is heavier and can pass a density check it should fail. These are thresholds for your own screening, not grounds for rejection unless your contract says so.
Screen the shipment before unloading. Multiply the expected unit weight by the units per carton and compare with the carton weights on the packing list. A gap well below expectation justifies opening that carton first.
Confirm with a sanding test
On a sample unit, sand a hidden underside corner with 180-grit paper. A veneer breaks through within 0.5–1.0 mm and shows a glue line, then fine brown MDF dust or soft pale fibres. Solid olive wood keeps producing dense, pale-yellow to brown dust with no seam.
Test 3 — Moisture and drying
Wood changes dimension as it gains or loses moisture. A product dried for one climate and sold into another will move after it arrives, and that movement shows up as cupping, twisting, surface checks or mould.
Olive wood is unforgiving here because it shrinks unevenly: tangential shrinkage is about 7.7% against radial shrinkage of about 4.9%, a ratio of roughly 1.6 to 1. That imbalance is the force that cups a board. A species with a ratio near 1 tolerates sloppy drying; olive does not. How the wood is brought to its target before it is cut is in inside the kiln.
What to agree
- A target core moisture content, chosen for the destination rather than the origin.
- A maximum gap between core and surface. A wide gap means the kiln schedule was rushed and the piece will keep moving after delivery.
- Whether there is a conditioning step after the main drying schedule.
- The measurement method, so a disputed reading can be repeated the same way by both sides.
How to measure it
- Use a pin-type meter with insulated pins, so the reading comes from the pin tips only.
- Set the meter’s species or density correction. Most meters are calibrated for softwoods and read dense hardwoods inaccurately without it.
- Take shell and core readings — pins to a quarter of the thickness, then to half — at several representative points, not one.
- Record date, ambient conditions, meter model and every reading, so buyer and supplier can compare like with like.
- For a disputed shipment, use the oven-dry method (ASTM D4442 or ISO 13061-1): weigh a sample, dry it at 103 ± 2 °C until its weight stops changing, then calculate:
Field signs of wet wood
- A darker, damp-looking core on a fresh cross-cut.
- A freshly cut face that feels cold compared with the room.
- Condensation, a musty smell or mould spots when you open the container.
- End checks, or internal splits — honeycombing — that show only when a piece is cut open.
- Pieces heavier than expected without a matching heartwood colour.
Test 4 — Lookalike species
Most common substitutes are lighter than olive wood, and most have a pore pattern visible with a loupe. Use density as the first filter and the end grain as the confirmation.
| SPECIES | DENSITY AT ~12% MC | PORE TYPE | TELL-TALE SIGN |
|---|---|---|---|
| Olive (Olea europaea) | 980 kg/m³ | Diffuse; radial rows of 2–4, often plugged | Wild dark streaks through the wood; fruity scent when sanded |
| Zebrawood (Microberlinia brazzavillensis) | ~800 kg/m³ | Diffuse, larger pores | Regular parallel stripes; coarse, interlocked grain |
| European ash (Fraxinus excelsior) | ~710 kg/m³ | Ring-porous | Bold band of large pores in every ring |
| European beech (Fagus sylvatica) | ~710 kg/m³ | Diffuse, very fine | Even pinkish tan; ray flecks; no dark veining |
| White ash (Fraxinus americana) | ~675 kg/m³ | Ring-porous | Coarse texture; odourless |
| Rubberwood (Hevea brasiliensis) | ~595 kg/m³ | Diffuse, medium pores | Plain pale wood, often stained or printed |
| Poplar (Populus spp.) | 400–455 kg/m³ | Diffuse, fine | Very light; dents under a fingernail; greenish-white |
Densities are published averages from The Wood Database; individual pieces vary, and several species overlap. A density reading narrows the field — it does not name the species.
Where species identity carries legal or commercial weight — a customs declaration, a due-diligence statement, a dispute — use a qualified wood-identification specialist or laboratory. A loupe, a scale and an internet photograph are not authentication.
Test 5 — Origin and visual grade
Origin and quality are related but separate. A well-made product may still need origin evidence, and a plausible origin story does not establish the species.
Southern Tunisian Chemlali, from the Sfax region. Chemlali is the dominant olive cultivar of central and southern Tunisia. Trees grow slowly in a dry climate with long, hot summers, which gives dense wood with faint, compact growth rings. The heartwood runs honey to amber, with dark chocolate and near-black veins and swirling, high-contrast figure. What the cultivar is, and what research has and has not established about it, is in Chemlali olive wood.
Higher-rainfall olive regions. Faster-growing trees in wetter areas tend to produce wider growth increments and paler wood: yellowish-tan with faint, low-contrast brown streaks. Urso et al. (2024) studied two such cultivars in Calabria, Italy.
Branch wood is not automatically inferior
The trade often assumes branch wood is the weaker material. Mammoliti et al. (2024), working on two Calabrian cultivars, found the opposite: branch wood performed better on most mechanical tests, with significant differences in modulus of elasticity, bending strength, static hardness and screw withdrawal depending on the cultivar. For Sinopolese, static modulus of elasticity measured 10,476 N/mm² in branch against 8,526 N/mm² in stem.
The study covers two Calabrian cultivars rather than Chemlali, and the difference between the two cultivars was larger than the difference between branch and stem. So the finding does not transfer automatically. What it does support is a narrower point: treat branch wood as a visual grade rather than a strength grade, and ask for evidence if a supplier charges a premium for stem wood on structural grounds.
Agree the grade before production
| GRADE | FIGURE AND COLOUR | TYPICAL USE |
|---|---|---|
| Grade A | Strong dark veining over amber heartwood; little or no pale sapwood | Statement boards, gift sets, premium retail |
| Grade B | Moderate figure; some sapwood allowed on edges or underside | Everyday boards, serveware, kitchen tools |
| Grade C | Pale or low-contrast wood; sound knots and natural features allowed | Utensils, small items, value ranges |
This is an example to agree with your supplier, not an industry standard. The reliable way to fix a colour band is with three signed physical samples — palest acceptable, darkest acceptable, one from the middle — kept by both parties. Words describing colour do not survive contact with a real shipment; objects do.
Looks alone cannot prove origin. Figure varies tree to tree, even within Chemlali. Confirm origin with documents: certificate of origin, the supplier’s harvesting or forestry licence, and batch traceability records. Ask what specific evidence supports any sustainability or legal-harvest claim — a general statement is not a certification.
The fifteen-minute receiving inspection
A simple plan that gets followed beats an elaborate one that does not. For repeat orders, record what was checked and use the same method every time.
Tool kit: digital caliper · scale accurate to 1 g · 10×–40× loupe or USB microscope · razor blade or fine saw · 180-grit sandpaper · isopropyl alcohol and a white cloth · pin-type moisture meter with insulated pins · neutral light source · approved sample and specification sheet.
Per sample unit
- Look (2 min). Grain variety across the carton, edges, cut-outs, finish. Flag repeated patterns, glue lines and plastic-looking lacquer.
- Weigh and measure (4 min). Calculate density. Compare unit and carton weights with the packing list.
- Read the end grain (3 min). Diffuse pores in short radial rows, plugged heartwood pores, figure running through the section.
- Wipe and smell (2 min). Solvent wipe on an unfinished spot; warm a raw spot and check for the fruity scent.
- Probe the moisture (4 min). Shell and core readings at several points.
Across the shipment
- Confirm shipment identity: purchase order, product code, quantity, packaging, supplier documents.
- Draw the sample across cartons and across the beginning, middle and end of the batch.
- Run the five checks on each sample unit.
- Photograph any non-conformity with a ruler or other scale in the frame.
- Compare findings with the written specification and the approved sample — not with an unstated expectation.
- Record the outcome and agree replacement, rework, credit or acceptance with the supplier.
| CHECK | CONSISTENT WITH GENUINE | INVESTIGATE | TYPICAL RESPONSE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Density | 0.85–1.0 g/cm³ | Below 0.75 g/cm³ | Open more units; confirm construction before any claim |
| End grain | Diffuse, radial rows of 2–4, plugged pores | Ring-porous bands or surface-only figure | Possible species or print substitution — escalate to the supplier with photographs |
| Sanding (0.5 mm) | Figure unchanged; no seam | Pale core or glue line | Possible stain or veneer — request construction confirmation in writing |
| Solvent wipe | No dye transfer | Brown or black dye on cloth | Possible surface dye — request the finish specification |
| Core moisture | Within the agreed target | Outside it | Quarantine, re-measure by the agreed method, share readings |
| Core-to-surface gap | Narrow | Wide | Request kiln logs for the batch |
Sampling size should reflect order size, product risk and defect history. AQL plans under ISO 2859-1 are useful in a formal quality programme, but no single sampling limit is automatically right for every order. Agree the sampling method and the acceptance criteria before production, not after the container lands.
Write the specification before you order
Most disputes start because “premium”, “natural” or “solid” meant different things to the two parties. A short written specification turns those words into checks that can be repeated.
| SPECIFICATION ITEM | WHAT TO DEFINE |
|---|---|
| Material | Olive wood / Olea europaea; solid wood or another construction, stated explicitly |
| Dimensions | Nominal dimensions, measurement points, and tolerances — referenced to a stated moisture content |
| Moisture | Target range and the agreed measurement method |
| Visual grade | Reference images or signed sample; acceptable colour variation, knots and natural features |
| Workmanship | Requirements for cracks, sharp edges, sanding, joints and surface quality |
| Finish | Finish type, sheen, colour expectations, curing and intended use |
| Inspection | Sampling approach, acceptance criteria, and how defects will be documented |
| Packaging and documents | Packaging requirements and the commercial and export documents applicable to the shipment |
For regulated product categories, add the destination-market requirements to the specification. A general description such as “natural wood” does not establish regulatory suitability, and appearance cannot establish compliance.
Documents to request, and red flags to watch
A supplier that can produce species, origin, moisture and finish records for every batch is telling you something about how it runs. Ask before you confirm the order.
Documents checklist
- Commercial invoice and packing list stating the species as Olea europaea L. and the country of harvest
- Certificate of origin
- Kiln or moisture log for the batch
- Safety data sheet for the finish
- ISPM 15 marks on wooden pallets and crates — ISPM 15 covers the packaging, not the products inside
- Lacey Act declaration data for US imports: genus, species, country of harvest, quantity and value. What a Lacey Act declaration asks for →
- For EU imports, due-diligence information under the EU Deforestation Regulation, which covers wooden kitchenware and requires species-level identification. EUDR dates, data and who files what →
- Quality-system certificate, for example ISO 9001, with its stated scope. Our certificate and the documents we issue →
On EUDR timing. The dates have moved more than once. Following the Commission’s simplification package of 4 May 2026, which did not reopen the legal text, application is set at 30 December 2026 for medium and large operators and for micro and small undertakings in the timber sector, and 30 June 2027 for the remaining micro and small undertakings. The due-diligence statement is the obligation of the operator placing the goods on the EU market, normally the importer rather than the supplier. Confirm current scope and status with your customs adviser before making any compliance claim. Olive wood is not listed under CITES.
Red flags in offers and listings
- A unit price far below market for solid olive wood of that size.
- Wording such as “olive wood finish”, “olive grain”, “olive look” or “made with olive wood”.
- Product photographs where every piece shows nearly the same grain.
- No species name or country of harvest on the pro forma invoice.
- No moisture readings or kiln records available.
- A thick, glossy, plastic-feeling lacquer on products normally finished with oil.
- Uniform colour edge to edge, with no natural sapwood and heartwood variation.
- A general sustainability statement offered in place of specific evidence.
How ArtisRaw answers these questions
We make solid Chemlali olive wood products in our own workshop on Route Saltnia in Sfax, Tunisia, and we expect to be tested the same way as anyone else.
- Solid wood only. No veneers, no composite cores, no printed or stained grain.
- Controlled drying. Air drying followed by kiln drying, with a production target of 10% ± 2% moisture content. That is our company target, not a universal standard — tell us the destination climate and it becomes part of the conversation.
- Certified quality system. ISO 9001:2015, certificate 45.2025.0143, issued by Bureau Veritas Certification for the design, production and sale of olive wood products, valid 13 November 2025 to 12 November 2028. The certificate concerns the quality-management system and its stated scope. It is not a product-specific safety or species certificate, and no certificate guarantees that every piece is identical.
- Export paperwork. Commercial invoice, packing list, certificate of origin, Lacey Act declaration data, and ISPM 15 heat-treated pallets. Which documents apply depends on the shipment and the destination.
The most useful starting point is a clear product brief and an approved sample. They settle what is being supplied, what variation is normal, and what counts as a defect — before anything is made.
Test us the way this guide describes. Ask for a sample set and run the five checks yourself, or request a quotation and tell us what documentation your compliance team needs.
Frequently asked questions
1. How can I tell if olive wood is real?
Check weight, end grain and depth of colour together. Olive wood has a published density of about 0.98 g/cm³, shows fine pores in short radial rows under a 10× lens, and keeps its dark figure after light sanding. Printed or stained imitations turn pale when sanded, and veneered pieces show a glue line at the edges. No single check is conclusive on its own.
2. How heavy should a real olive wood cutting board be?
Multiply its volume by about 0.98 g/cm³. A 30 × 15 × 2 cm board is 900 cm³, so roughly 880 g. A board well below that is worth investigating — it may be another species, a veneer over a lighter core, or simply drier or thinner than specified. Compare equivalent pieces rather than treating one weight as a pass mark.
3. Can genuine olive wood be pale with little grain?
Yes. Pale, low-contrast olive wood is common from faster-growing trees in wetter regions, and in sapwood. It is genuine olive wood but a lower visual grade, and should be priced as one. A quiet pattern is not evidence of a substitute, and a dramatic one is not proof of authenticity.
4. Can I authenticate olive wood from a photograph?
Not reliably. Finishes, lighting, age and phone cameras all change what the wood looks like. Ask for clear images of several faces including an unfinished edge, and work from a physical sample for anything beyond a first order.
5. Is density a definitive species test?
No. Density flags an inconsistency worth investigating. It is affected by moisture, dimensions, construction and natural variation, and several species overlap in range. Use it to compare like with like, and pair it with an end-grain reading.
6. Can olive wood be veneered?
Yes, and veneer is a legitimate material when it is declared as veneer. The problem is veneer over MDF or softwood sold as solid olive wood. Check rounded edges, handle holes and grooves for a thin surface layer or a glue line, and confirm with weight and a sanding test.
7. What moisture content should imported olive wood have?
There is no universal figure. The right target depends on the product and on the climate where it will be used and stored. Agree a target range and a measurement method with the supplier before production. ArtisRaw’s own production target is 10% ± 2%.
8. Why do olive wood boards crack?
Usually because the wood was not dried properly for its destination, or because it was soaked or put through a dishwasher. Olive wood’s tangential shrinkage is about 1.6 times its radial shrinkage, so uneven drying pulls it out of flat. Matching the drying target to the destination climate prevents most of it.
9. Is branch wood weaker than stem wood?
Not according to the available evidence. Mammoliti et al. (2024) compared branch and stem wood in two Calabrian olive cultivars and found branch wood performed better on most mechanical tests. The study does not cover Chemlali, so it does not transfer automatically, but it does not support paying a premium for stem wood on strength grounds.
10. Does an ISO 9001 certificate certify the product?
No. ISO 9001 concerns a quality-management system and the scope stated on the certificate. It is not a product-specific safety or species certificate, and it does not guarantee that every item is identical. Ask for the certificate number and scope so you can verify both independently.
11. Is olive wood restricted or CITES-listed?
No. Olea europaea is not listed under CITES. Importers still need correct species and origin data for US Lacey Act declarations and for EU Deforestation Regulation due diligence, both of which require the botanical name rather than a trade name.
12. Are olive trees cut down to make olive wood products?
Responsible suppliers use pruning wood and trees that have reached the end of their productive fruiting life rather than felling healthy, fruiting trees. Ask for the harvesting licence and batch traceability records rather than accepting a general statement.
13. What HS code applies to olive wood kitchenware?
Wooden tableware and kitchenware generally falls under HS heading 4419. The exact subheading depends on the product, and your customs broker should confirm it for each item rather than applying one code across a mixed order.
Glossary
| TERM | MEANING |
|---|---|
| AQL | Acceptable Quality Limit: the maximum defect rate a sampling plan accepts (ISO 2859-1) |
| Chemlali | The main olive cultivar of central and southern Tunisia, known for dense, high-contrast wood |
| Diffuse-porous | Pores spread evenly through each growth ring, as in olive and beech |
| Ring-porous | Large pores concentrated at the start of each growth ring, as in ash |
| End grain | The exposed ends of wood fibres, visible where a piece is cut across the grain |
| Heartwood / sapwood | The darker, inner wood / the paler, outer wood of the trunk |
| Moisture content (MC) | Water in wood as a percentage of its oven-dry mass |
| Equilibrium moisture content | The moisture content wood settles at in a given temperature and humidity |
| Solid wood | Wood forming the body of the component, rather than a thin surface over a different core |
| Traceability | The ability to follow a product or material through defined stages of its supply chain |
| Tyloses | Natural growths that plug the pores of heartwood |
| Veneer | A thin slice of wood, here 0.5–1.0 mm, glued over another material |
| Visual grade | An agreed description of appearance, including acceptable natural features and defects |
Sources and further reading
Requirements and guidance change, and applicability depends on the product and destination. Check current primary sources before making a regulatory claim.
- Urso, T., Zanetti, M., Magnabosco, A., Mammoliti, A., Paccagnella, M., & Proto, A. R. (2024). Qualitative wood anatomy study of Ottobratica and Sinopolese cultivars of Olea europaea L. Forests, 15(11), 2001. DOI 10.3390/f15112001
- Mammoliti, A., Cataldo, M. F., Papandrea, S. F., & Proto, A. R. (2024). Mechanical properties of branch and stem wood for two Mediterranean cultivars of olive tree. Journal of Wood Science, 70(1), article 40. DOI 10.1186/s10086-024-02153-1
- The Wood Database — Olive — density, Janka hardness, shrinkage. wood-database.com/olive
- Regulation (EU) 2023/1115 (EUDR); European Commission simplification package, 4 May 2026. Check current scope and timetable directly.
- Lacey Act, 16 U.S.C. §§ 3371–3378, as amended 2008 — USDA APHIS. aphis.usda.gov
- CITES official Appendices and species database — check current listings directly.
- ISO 9001:2015, Quality management systems — requirements.
- ISO 2859-1, Sampling procedures for inspection by attributes.
- ASTM D4442 and ISO 13061-1, moisture content of wood.
- IPPC ISPM 15, regulation of wood packaging material.
- ArtisRaw ISO 9001:2015 certificate 45.2025.0143, Bureau Veritas Certification.
- National customs, plant-health and product-safety authorities in the destination market, for shipment-specific requirements.
About ArtisRaw. ArtisRaw (STE ART IS RAW) manufactures handmade Chemlali olive wood kitchenware, tableware and décor in Sfax, Tunisia, for retailers, distributors, hospitality groups and private-label brands. Its quality management system is certified ISO 9001:2015 by Bureau Veritas, certificate n° 45.2025.0143, valid November 2025 to November 2028. Route Saltnia Km 4.5, Sfax, Tunisia.
