American red elm has a greyish white to light brown narrow sapwood with heartwood that is reddish or dark brown in colour. The grain can be straight but is often interlocked and the wood has a coarse texture.

The wood of elm is fairly easy to work and nails, screws and glues well and can be sanded, stained and polished to a good finish. It dries well with minimum degrade and little movement in performance.

Red elm is mainly used in furniture, cabinet making, internal joinery and coffins.