Wood species
White Oak
American white oak · Quercus alba
Our FAS domestic whiteoak is sourced from the finest sawmills on the East Coast and is always kiln-dried after a long period of air-drying to minimize case-hardening and checking, maximizing yield.
Key facts
- Janka hardness
- Medium-highSolid everyday hardness for floors, tables, and case goods
- Stability
- Depends on cutPlain-sawn moves more across the width; quartersawn stays flatter season to season
- Grain type
- Straight and coarseStraight and coarse with an uneven texture
- Rot resistance
- Durable heartwoodHeartwood resists moisture better than red oak; finish for the application
- Sustainability
- Domestic stapleWidely available U.S. hardwood
- Workability
- ExcellentExcellent workability with machines and hand tools
About this wood
White oak heartwood runs light-to-medium brown, often with an olive cast, and those open ring-porous faces take stain and oil with classic oak character.
Compared with red oak, the heartwood is more moisture-tolerant — good news for furniture near bathrooms or mild outdoor-adjacent work (still finish for the job). Plain-sawn shows cathedrals; grab quartersawn when ray fleck and width stability matter.
What we carry
- Plain-sawn white oak with cathedral faces
- Quartersawn stock when ray fleck matters — see Quartersawn White Oak
Thickness is sold in quarters (4/4, 6/4, and so on) — see our hardwood thickness guide. Grades: NHLA grades.