Red Oak

Scientific Name: Quercus Rubra

Other Common Names: American Red Oak, Black Oak, Buck Oak, Eastern Red Oak, Leopard Oak, Spanish Oak, Spotted Oak, Water Oak

Red Oak, sourced from the Glacial and Appalachian regions, stands out for its robust strength and enduring durability. With its striking grain and versatile color palette, ranging from light creamy pink to warm reddish-brown, Red Oak is ideal for flooring, furniture, cabinetry, and millwork.

Red Oak’s renowned for its hardness and wear resistance, suited to high-traffic floors and structural applications. The wood’s excellent staining qualities enable it to seamlessly fit into a variety of decor themes. NWH ensures superior quality by kiln drying Red Oak, providing a level of consistency that elevates it beyond standard offerings, making it a preferred choice for diverse projects and applications.

Machining
Sanding
Finishing
Gluing
Fastening

Screwing/Nailing

Quick Fact:

Fast-grown Red Oak, with wide growth rings, is heavier than slow-grown Red Oak. NWH offers select Red Oak color sorts to produce applications with beautiful, uniform color tones.

What’s Red Oak Used For?
  • Cabinetry
  • Furniture
  • Flooring
  • Joinery
  • Architectural Millwork
  • Paneling
  • Caskets
Why Red Oak?
  • Natural high-contrast grain
  • Heavy-duty durability
  • Dense hardness
  • Varied color finishes

NWH Glacial is available as PEFC certified, FSC Mix Credit, FSC Controlled Wood or PEFC Controlled Sources.

How Does Red Oak Compare To Other North American Hardwood Species?

Lumber
(12 % moisture content)
MachiningSandingFinishingGluingFastening/
Nailing/
Screwing
Weight
per bdft
Specific
Gravity
(Density)
Hardness
(Janka)
Bending
Strength
(MOR)
Bending
Stiffness
(MOE)
Dimensional
Movement
(Shrinkage)
R (%)
Dimensional
Movement
(Shrinkage)
T (%)
Alder101010972.45.415909,8001,3804.47.3
Ash9109863.56.611,32015,0001,7404.97.8
Basswood10109882.50.374108,7001,4606.69.3
Beech8810883.69.641,26014,9001,7205.511.9
Cherry10910973.07.5295012,3001,4903.77.1
Hickory377334.14.671,82013,7001,7304.98.9
Hard Maple9810943.73.641,45015,8001,8304.89.9
PC Maple9910952.74.5085010,7001,4503.77.1
Soft Maple8910953.19.5595013,4001,6404.08.2
Red Oak (Northern)10109973.64.631,22014,3801,7614.08.6
Oregon White Oak999884.34.721,64010,2001,0904.29.0
White Oak (Eastern)9109773.94.681,35014,3801,7624.48.8
Poplar9810962.81.4354010,1001,5804.68.2
Walnut989773.36.561,01014,6001,6805.57.8
Yellow Birch10810823.53.621,26016,6002,0107.39.5

Grades Available

NWH’s proprietary grades are designed to maximize yield and deliver consistent performance by controlling key structural and dimensional characteristics to optimize cutting structure and maximize your profits.
8 Grades Available
Red Oak FAS yields at a minimum 83-1/3% clear-face cuttings on the best face. Reverse face to grade ...
Applications
  • Cabinets
  • Entry doors
  • Furniture
  • Millwork
Red Oak Superior is our highest yielding grade, yielding at a minimum 83-1/3% clear-face cuttings an...
Applications
  • Cabinets
  • Entry Doors
  • Furniture
  • Millwork
Red Oak Superior Rift & Quartered is rift sawn, yielding at a minimum 83-1/3% clear -face cuttin...
Applications
  • Cabinets
  • Entry Doors
  • Furniture
  • Millwork
Red Oak Superior Natural yields a minimum of 83-1/3% clear face cuttings and 66-2/3% on the back. Mi...
Applications
  • Cabinet and Entry Doors
  • Casegoods
  • Millwork
Red Oak CAB is designed specifically for the cabinet door industry. It is the high end of mid-grade ...
Applications
  • Cabinets
  • Furniture
  • Millwork
Red Oak Com Sel is graded for cabinets, furniture and panels. Best face minimum is 66-1/3% clear fac...
Applications
  • Cabinets
  • Furniture
  • Panels
Rustic Red Oak is designed for rustic and distressed furniture, cabinetry and flooring applications....
Applications
  • Rustic Cabinets
  • Furniture
  • Millwork
  • Specialty Wood Products
Red Oak #2A is designed to yield shorter cuttings, with best face yielding a minimum of 50% clear-fa...
Applications
  • Panels
  • Drawer Fronts
  • Picture Frames
  • Toys
  • Table Legs