Hemis
From the publications I have to hand, the only data I can find is for German sourced European Beech which puts it in D35-D40 strength classes (ref. BE EN 1912:2004).
According to BS EN 338:2003, compression perpendicular to the grain can be calculated as 0.015 x Characteristic Density (560-590kg/cu.m) for hardwoods. I believe the characteristic shear strength specified (fv.k) is applicable to both perpendicular and parallel directions. This is also indicated in EC5 cl.6.1.7.
Hope this helps...
Trevor