Typical uses
Swiss Pear Lumber
5.02 reviewsFine-grained European pear wood — also called pearwood or Swiss pear (Pyrus communis) — dried solid stock in rough sawn boards. Warm pinkish-cream tone with excellent surface finish. Ideal for carving, turning, lutherie and fine detail work.
- Cross-section
- 40–50 mm × 50–300 mm
- Length
- 500–550 mm
- Processing
- Rough cut or jointed
- Quality grade
- AB (international hardwood grading standards)
- Moisture content
- 8–12%
Tell us the rough dimensions you need — we'll confirm available stock, total weight and shipping.
Typical uses
About Swiss Pear
Steamed Swiss pear — sometimes sold simply as pear wood, pearwood or pear lumber — is one of the most loved planking woods in fine model making. Its warm pinkish-cream tone and exceptionally fine, even grain (Pyrus communis) give a soft, natural-looking plank run that builders return to again and again.
Steamed Swiss Pear is stable with minimal movement across the grain, and it bends predictably — a real advantage when running planks around a hull's curves. The smooth surface takes glue, stain and varnish beautifully with little preparation.
Wood Properties
| Species | Pyrus communis / Sorbus torminalis |
| Origin | Central Europe |
| Janka Hardness | ~1,660 N (medium-hard) |
| Density | ~700 kg/m³ (air dried) |
| Grain | Fine and even, straight |
| Colour | Warm pinkish-cream, slight blush |
| Texture | Very smooth — excellent surface finish |
| Workability | Excellent — bends, cuts and glues well |
| Moisture content | 8–12% |
More applications & workshop uses
Where Swiss Pear is used beyond ship modelling, and what makes it work in each case.
Model making & miniatures
Swiss pear is a mainstay of ship modelling, architectural models and museum replicas because its grain is fine enough to stay in scale: at 1:48 or smaller there is no visible figure to break the illusion. The same evenness suits dollhouse and miniature furniture, where parts a few millimetres thick still need to plane, carve and hold a crisp arris without tearing out.
Fine woodworking & restoration
Restorers reach for pear when matching 18th- and 19th-century European furniture, where it was widely used both solid and as a veneer ground. Colour runs consistently from board to board, so patched and replaced elements blend after finishing. In marquetry and inlay it cuts cleanly across the grain and holds narrow stringing lines, and it machines predictably for fine joinery.
Workshop machining
Pear is medium-hard at roughly 700 kg/m³ and dimensionally settled at 8–12% moisture, which makes it forgiving on CNC routers: it holds tolerance between setups, carves and engraves with clean walls, and produces little fuzzing on small-diameter cutters. It scroll-saws without splintering on tight interior curves and mills to consistent thickness.
Craft & instrument making
Luthiers use pear for fingerboards, bridges, purfling and bindings on early and folk instruments — dense enough to wear well, soft enough to bend and fret comfortably. It also turns cleanly for chess pieces, knobs and pens, and carvers value it for figure and ornament, where a fine grain lets detail read at small sizes.
If you are choosing between our species, Swiss pear is the safe all-rounder: uniform grain, very little seasonal movement, predictable machining and a surface that takes oil, shellac or varnish with almost no preparation. Pick boxwood when you need the absolute finest detail, and hornbeam when you need black — otherwise pear will do most jobs well.
Swiss Pear — common questions
- Is Swiss pear stable enough for CNC work?
- Yes. Our lumber is supplied at 8–12% moisture content and stored indoors, so parts hold their dimensions between roughing and finishing passes. Let stock acclimatise in your shop for a few days before machining tight-tolerance work.
- Does Swiss pear need a sealer before finishing?
- Not usually. The grain is closed and the surface sands smooth, so oil, shellac and varnish go on evenly. A thin wash coat of shellac helps if you are spraying a pigmented stain and want to avoid blotching.
- Why is it called steamed pear?
- European pear is steamed during drying, which evens out the colour and gives the warm pinkish-cream tone. Unsteamed pear is paler and more variable from board to board.
- Will the colour change over time?
- Pear darkens slightly to a deeper rose-brown with light exposure, as most fruitwoods do. A UV-resistant finish slows it; the change is gradual and generally considered an improvement.
- Can you cut lumber to a custom size?
- Yes. We mill to your dimensions in our Rapla workshop — use the Custom Quote Calculator for an instant estimate.
Customer reviews
5.0· 2 reviews
- Aug 2026
Perfect in every way!
The wood product was milled to the exact measurements requested and delivered with exacting tolerances, providing perfect material to complete my project. Additionally, the owner was patient and responsive to all of my requests. Can't say enough about the product, professionalism, and service provided by Hobbymill!
Richard Sloop· United States Verified purchase
- Aug 2026
Wood strips and
I or d ered wood strip for my scratch build HMS Royal William. All part custom size. As I live in Bangkok it is difficult to find suppliers shipping to Asia. All arrived well and moreover all pieces nicely labelled to avoid mistakes. Thanks again. Great Service.
Alexander Skaria· Thailand
