Oak, American white
Latin name: Quercus spp, Quercus alba, Quercus prinus, Quercus montana, Quercus lyrata, Quercus michauxii
Also known as: American white oak (Q. alba), chestnut oak (Q. prinus, Q. montana), overcup oak (Q. lyrata), swamp chestnut oak (Q. michauxii)
Wood Type:
Hardwood
Durability:
Moderately durable
Treatability:
Extremely difficult
Moisture Movement:
Medium
Density (mean, Kg/m³):
770
Texture:
Medium
Availability:
Readily available at timber merchant
Price:
Medium
Chemical Properties:
Acidic nature, iron staining may occur in damp conditions, may also corrode metals
Use(s):
Heavy structural use, Joinery - Exterior, Joinery - Interior, Furniture, Flooring
Colour(s):
White/cream, Yellow brown (Pale yellow to mid-brown)

Introduction
The Fagacae family includes some fifty species of the genus Quercus, producing the true oaks of North America, but many of these are so small in size or found in such limited quantities that they are of no commercial importance. Some twenty species are important but since it is difficult to distinguish between the wood of individual species it is common practice to group them either as red or white oak. White oak group timbers are characterised by the small, late-wood pores fine and numerous, not easily distinguished without a magnifying glass. Large pores of the heartwood filled with tyloses in heartwood.
Environmental
Not listed in CITES. Believed available from well-managed sources. Check certification status with suppliers.
Distribution
From southern Quebec and Ontario to eastern Minnesota and Iowa, extending eastward to the Atlantic and southward through the lower western slopes of the Allegheny and Appalachian Mountains.
The tree
The white oaks vary in size and form according to species and soil conditions, some are unsuitable for timber production. But others vary in height from 15m to 30m, well-grown specimens having a clear cylindrical bole of up to 15m with a diameter of about 1.0m.
The timber
Although generally resembling European oak, American white oak is more variable in colour, ranging from pale yellow-brown to pale reddish-brown, often with a pinkish tint. The multi-seriate rays are generally higher than those of the red oaks producing a more prominent and attractive silver-grain figure on quarter-sawn surfaces. The grain is generally straight, and the texture varies from coarse to medium coarse. As with the red oaks, the quality depends greatly on the conditions of growth; slowly-grown northern white oak usually being lighter in weight and milder, than that from the southern states.
The Appalachian Mountains used to provide beautiful mild white oak greatly esteemed for furniture and cabinet-making, but much of this forest area has been destroyed in recent years due to open-cast coal mining activities. Southern white oak is typically fast grown, and with its wide growth-rings is relatively coarse and more suited to constructional use. White oak weighs about 770 kg/m³ when dried.
Drying
Like all the true oaks the timber dries slowly, with a tendency to split, check and honeycomb.
Strength
It compares fairly closely with European oak in general strength, but on the whole, its higher density provides rather higher strength.
Working qualities
Medium - Variable in working properties according to rate of growth, slow-grown material being easier to work than fast-grown, but either type can be finished smoothly if care is taken. A reduction of cutting angle to 20º is often helpful in planing. The timber can be glued, stained and polished, and takes nails and screws well.
Suppliers |
|
---|---|
A C Timber Solutions Ltd
Ely |
|
Abbey Woods
Dublin 13 |
|
Brooks Bros (UK) Limited
Maldon |
|
Capricorn Eco Timber
Stafford |
|
Chadwicks (Mowbray Drive) Limited
Blackpool |
|
Champion, A W Limited
New Malden |
|
Cranwood Industries
Warrenpoint |
|
E O Burton & Co Limited
Brentwood |
|
Enfield Speciality Doors
Enfield |
|
Finewood Marketing (UK) Ltd
Hove |
|
Gilmour & Aitken
Alexandria |
|
Harlow Bros Limited
Loughborough |
|
International Timber
Manchester |
|
iWood Timber Ltd
Stafford |
|
James Latham plc
Hemel Hempstead |
|
Mid-Sussex Timber Co Limited
Forest Row |
|
Morgan Timber
Rochester |
|
NHG Timber Limited
Croydon |
|
Ramsay Timber Limited
Wigan |
|
Timber Focus
Manchester |
|
Timbmet
Stanford in the Vale |
|
W. L. West & Sons Ltd
Petworth |
|
Watford Timber Co Limited
Watford |
|
Suppliers |
|
---|---|
Watford Timber Co Limited
Watford |
|
W. L. West & Sons Ltd
Petworth |
|
Timbmet
Stanford in the Vale |
|
Timber Focus
Manchester |
|
Ramsay Timber Limited
Wigan |
|
NHG Timber Limited
Croydon |
|
Morgan Timber
Rochester |
|
Mid-Sussex Timber Co Limited
Forest Row |
|
James Latham plc
Hemel Hempstead |
|
iWood Timber Ltd
Stafford |
|
International Timber
Manchester |
|
Harlow Bros Limited
Loughborough |
|
Gilmour & Aitken
Alexandria |
|
Finewood Marketing (UK) Ltd
Hove |
|
Enfield Speciality Doors
Enfield |
|
E O Burton & Co Limited
Brentwood |
|
Cranwood Industries
Warrenpoint |
|
Champion, A W Limited
New Malden |
|
Chadwicks (Mowbray Drive) Limited
Blackpool |
|
Capricorn Eco Timber
Stafford |
|
Brooks Bros (UK) Limited
Maldon |
|
Abbey Woods
Dublin 13 |
|
A C Timber Solutions Ltd
Ely |
|