Wood species
Olivewood
Olive · Olea spp.
Our kiln-dried Greek Olive is the finest available and undergoes extensive air-drying before the kiln to minimize checking and case hardening. You have probably seen this wood countless times on high end kitchen items (we even sell some here!).
Key facts
- Janka hardness
- Medium-highAbout 2,710 lb — denser than it looks
- Stability
- AverageRadial ~4.9% · Tangential ~7.7%
- Grain type
- Reversing & fineVaried, frequent reversing grain with fine texture
- Rot resistance
- Indoor / moderate pestsPrimarily interior use; moderate pest resistance
- Sustainability
- Least concern / non-CITESIUCN least concern · non-CITES
- Workability
- Moderate difficultyMachines and hand tools need respect; sands smooth
About this wood
We buy only olive graded for high contrast and clarity, which when combined with the wood’s hardness and smooth texture, make it an excellent choice for essentially any project involving wood, from charcuterie boards to chests of drawers.
What we carry
- High-contrast olive graded for clarity — kitchen items to drawers
Thickness is sold in quarters (4/4, 6/4, and so on) — see our hardwood thickness guide. Grades: NHLA grades.