Shina: The Calm, Pale Wood Familiar from Shina Plywood
WOOD DICTIONARY
Shina is a material to consider when you want a calm overall surface rather than strongly pronounced grain. It belongs to the same group as the shina used in familiar craft plywood, but plywood and thin veneer sheets differ in construction and purpose.
The photographs are examples of the color and grain associated with each wood or figure. Every piece of natural wood is different; the sheet you receive will not have exactly the same color or grain as the photographs.
Names and basic facts
- Trade name
- Shina (Linden) MORI KOUGEI: Shina (Linden) A4 Veneer Sheet
- Trees included in the timber group
- Tilia species, including Japanese linden and Japanese bigleaf linden Hokkaido Research Organization, Forest Products Research Institute: Japanese Linden and Japanese Bigleaf Linden
- Classification
- Currently Malvaceae; older sources use Tiliaceae. Hokkaido Research Organization, Forest Products Research Institute: Japanese Linden and Japanese Bigleaf Linden / Kew POWO: Tilia japonica
- Species of the wood offered
- The individual species is not identified. Tilia japonica is the scientific name of Japanese linden. Hokkaido Research Organization, Forest Products Research Institute: Japanese Linden and Japanese Bigleaf Linden / Kew POWO: Tilia japonica
Shinanoki and aojina
Timber references sometimes call Japanese linden akajina and Japanese bigleaf linden aojina. Both belong to the genus Tilia, and their wood uses are broadly similar. The trade name shina alone should not be used to decide which species is present, so this page discusses the shina timber group. Hokkaido Research Organization, Forest Products Research Institute: Japanese Linden and Japanese Bigleaf Linden
Tilia is included in Malvaceae under current classification. The older family name Tiliaceae remains common in timber references, so recognizing changes in classification over time is useful when researching the name. Hokkaido Research Organization, Forest Products Research Institute: Japanese Linden and Japanese Bigleaf Linden / Kew POWO: Tilia japonica
Pale wood with understated growth rings
Shina species are diffuse-porous, with vessels scattered through the wood. The sapwood is pale yellowish white and the heartwood pale yellowish brown; their boundary and the growth rings tend to be inconspicuous. Japanese bigleaf linden is described as whiter than Japanese linden. The timber is also light, soft, and relatively uniform in character. Hokkaido Research Organization, Forest Products Research Institute: Japanese Linden and Japanese Bigleaf Linden
When combining it with a strongly grained wood, try using shina as the background and compare differences in color and the density of grain lines. MORI KOUGEI offers flat-cut and figured options. Even a quiet-looking wood has natural variation, so not every light-colored sheet should be expected to look like the same plain surface. MORI KOUGEI: Shina (Linden) A4 Veneer Sheet
Thin wood surfaces and fibers from the bark
Shina is commonly used as a face material for plywood and lumber-core panels and is familiar through shina plywood. Other uses include carving, thin wooden sheets, and implements. The fibers traditionally made into cordage and shina cloth, however, come from the inner bark rather than the timber itself. One tree connects both boards and textiles. Hokkaido Research Organization, Forest Products Research Institute: Japanese Linden and Japanese Bigleaf Linden
Not plywood, but a sheet to apply to a surface
MORI KOUGEI A4 sheets combine natural wood veneer with industrial washi paper, measuring 210 × 297 mm and approximately 0.25 mm thick. Unlike shina plywood, they are not used as a board in their own right. They are surface materials for applications such as furniture edging, repairing flat wooden areas, and marquetry. MORI KOUGEI: Shina (Linden) A4 Veneer Sheet
The color or pattern of a substrate may show through pale wood. Before finishing a prominent surface, test the planned substrate, adhesive, and finish together on a small area. Considering what lies beneath the thin wood, not only its color, helps make the most of shina’s quiet appearance. MORI KOUGEI: Shina (Linden) A4 Veneer Sheet
Shop Shina (Linden) A4 Veneer ↗
Explore related woods
This article draws on publicly available sources from Japan and abroad, with AI used to support research and organization.