White Oak
Quercus alba • Hardwood
Grain Pattern
Straight-grained with a coarse, uneven texture. The end grain shows prominent growth rings and large earlywood pores arranged in a ring-porous structure. Features tight tyloses in pores.
Color Description
Light to medium brown heartwood, often with an olive cast. Sapwood is near-white or light brown and is not always sharply demarcated from heartwood. Tends to darken slightly over time with a golden-yellow hue.
Hardness Rating
1,360 lbf (Hard)
Durability Rating
Very Durable. High resistance to rot and decay due to tyloses in the pores, making it suitable for water-tight applications. Good resistance to insects.
Common Uses
Furniture, flooring, cabinetry, boat building, barrels (cooperage), trim, and tool handles.
Geographic Origin
Eastern North America
Market Value & Sustainability
Estimated Market Value
$6.00 - $10.00 per board foot depending on grade and region.
Wood Age Estimate
Modern kiln-dried lumber, likely cut within the last 1-5 years based on fresh color and machine marks.
Sustainability Status
Least Concern (IUCN). Generally sustainable and widely available with FSC certification common.
Workability
Works well with both hand and machine tools. Responds well to steam bending. Glues, stains, and finishes well. Can react with iron fasteners (causing blue/black staining) when wet due to high tannin content.
Notable Features
Distinctive 'tannic' scent when worked. Contains tyloses which block the vascular tubes, making the wood waterproof. High tannin content can cause corrosion in unprotected steel fasteners.
Finish Recommendations
Takes all finishes well including oils, polyurethane, and lacquer. Especially suited for fuming with ammonia to darken the wood through chemical reaction with tannins.
Identification Confidence
High. The ring-porous structure visible on the end grain, combined with the presence of tyloses in the large earlywood pores and the characteristic color/texture, is diagnostic of the White Oak group.