Is Lime Wood Expensive? Real Basswood Prices in 2026

No – lime wood, better known in North America as basswood, is actually one of the more affordable carving hardwoods you can buy. Real 2026 retail prices run roughly $9.75 to $17.40 per board foot, well under walnut, hard maple, and even tupelo, the other classic carving wood. Most of the confusion comes from the fact that “lime wood” and “basswood” are the same tree sold under two different names, plus a persistent myth that it has to be imported from Europe – neither of which affects what you’ll actually pay for it in the U.S.

Real Lime Wood (Basswood) Prices in 2026

Lime wood and basswood both come from trees in the genus Tilia – “lime” (or “linden”) is the common name used in the UK and Europe, while “basswood” is the name used for the same genus in the United States and Canada. It is not a rare or specialty import; American basswood (Tilia americana) grows natively across the eastern U.S. and Canada, and most of what U.S. retailers sell is cut and kiln-dried domestically.

Current pricing from U.S. hardwood dealers puts basswood at roughly $9.75 to $17.40 per board foot depending on thickness and grade, with pre-cut carving blocks and blanks typically running $0.75 to $2 per piece for small sizes. That makes it one of the cheaper carving hardwoods on the market – noticeably less than tupelo, walnut, cherry, or hard maple.

Why Basswood Costs Less Than Most Carving Woods

Basswood’s low price comes down to biology, not scarcity. It is a fast-growing tree that reaches harvestable size faster than slower-growing hardwoods like walnut or hard maple, and it grows abundantly across a wide native range in North America – which keeps supply high and transport distances short for most U.S. buyers.

It also rates just 410 lbf on the Janka hardness scale, making it one of the softer hardwoods sold. Softer wood is faster and cheaper to mill, dry, and process into lumber, which keeps production costs – and retail prices – down. For comparison, cherry rates around 950 lbf, black walnut around 1,010 lbf, and hard maple around 1,450 lbf; all three take more time, tooling wear, and energy to process into finished boards, and that shows up in the price tag.

Lime Wood vs. Other Carving Woods: Price Comparison

Here’s how basswood/lime wood stacks up against the other hardwoods most commonly used for carving and fine woodworking, based on current U.S. per-board-foot pricing:

Wood	Typical Price (per board foot)	Janka Hardness
Basswood (Lime Wood)	$9.75 – $17.40	410 lbf
Cherry	$6.50 – $14.00	950 lbf
Black Walnut	$10.00 – $22.00	1,010 lbf
Hard Maple	$11.00 – $15.00	1,450 lbf
Tupelo	$17.50 – $22.50	~740 lbf

Basswood comes out at or near the bottom of that list. Cherry can occasionally undercut it at the low end of its range, but basswood is consistently the softer, faster carve of the two – which is why it remains the default recommendation for beginners in carving classes and kits.

The “Imported From Europe” Myth

A common claim floating around is that lime wood is cheap in Europe but gets expensive once it’s “imported” into the United States. That’s a myth for most U.S. buyers. Basswood is a North American native species – it isn’t shipped across the Atlantic to reach American retailers. If you’re buying from a U.S. hardwood dealer, you’re almost always getting domestically grown and milled lumber, not an import.

Where import costs genuinely apply is the reverse direction: a European buyer sourcing true European lime (Tilia europaea/cordata) instead of local basswood, or a U.S. buyer seeking out a specific European-grown carving grade rather than the domestic species. For the vast majority of hobbyists and carvers in the U.S., the domestic supply is what you’ll find on the shelf, and it’s priced like the affordable domestic hardwood it is.

What Actually Changes the Price

Within that $9.75-$17.40 per board foot range, a few real factors move the number:

• Thickness and dimension – thicker boards and larger carving blanks cost more per board foot than thin stock, since thicker cuts require larger, slower-growing sections of the log.
• Grade – clear, knot-free “carving grade” basswood costs more than construction- or craft-grade material with visible defects.
• Pre-cut convenience – small pre-cut carving blocks and whittling blanks carry a per-piece markup over buying rough lumber and cutting it yourself.
• Retailer type – a local sawmill or lumberyard is usually cheaper per board foot than a specialty craft retailer or an online marketplace, which bundles in packaging and shipping.

Basswood’s Other Common Uses

Carving is basswood’s best-known use, but it’s not the only one. Its low density and stable, even grain also make it a popular choice for electric guitar bodies – it’s lighter than alder or mahogany, which suits high-volume production instruments, and its neutral tone doesn’t fight with the pickups the way a denser wood can. It’s also long been used for piano keys, sounding boards for musical instruments, and beehive frames, since beekeepers value how easily bees can work its soft grain.

None of those uses require premium pricing the way, say, a highly figured maple guitar top does – they lean on basswood’s consistency and workability rather than dramatic grain figure, which is part of why the wood stays in the affordable tier even as demand for it spans several different industries.

Where to Buy Lime Wood Without Overpaying

For one-off carving projects, pre-cut basswood carving blocks from a craft or hobby retailer are the simplest option and are already sized and smoothed for hand tools. For larger furniture or instrument-making projects, buying rough basswood lumber by the board foot from a hardwood dealer or local sawmill will almost always beat the per-board-foot cost of pre-cut blanks – you just need to do your own cutting and surfacing. Either way, basswood’s low cost means it’s realistic to buy extra stock for practice pieces without a big financial commitment, which is exactly why it’s the wood most carving instructors hand beginners on day one.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is lime wood the same as basswood?

Yes. Both names refer to trees in the genus Tilia. “Lime wood” (or “linden”) is the common name used in the UK and Europe, while “basswood” is the name used for the same genus of tree in the United States and Canada.

Is lime wood a hardwood or a softwood?

Botanically, it’s a hardwood (it comes from a broadleaf, deciduous tree), but its Janka hardness rating of 410 lbf makes it one of the softest hardwoods sold, well below oak, maple, or walnut. That combination – hardwood grain structure with softwood-like workability – is exactly what makes it easy to carve.

Why is basswood the go-to wood for carving?

Its low density and fine, even grain mean it cuts cleanly in any direction with minimal tear-out, and it holds crisp detail without the hand fatigue that harder woods like oak or maple cause. Combined with its low price, that makes it the standard choice for beginner and intermediate carvers.

Do I need to import lime wood to the U.S.?

No. American basswood (Tilia americana) is a native North American species, so U.S. retailers are almost always selling domestically grown and milled lumber rather than a European import. That’s a large part of why it stays inexpensive compared to woods that do rely on longer supply chains.

Bottom Line

Lime wood is not expensive – it’s one of the more affordable hardwoods available, especially compared to other carving woods like tupelo, walnut, or hard maple. At roughly $9.75 to $17.40 per board foot, and often less for small pre-cut carving blocks, it’s realistic to keep on hand for practice pieces, not just finished projects. If you want to see how basswood’s cost stacks up against other species for a specific project, our wood price calculator guide walks through the board-foot math in detail.