What is another name for white oak?

Specifically, the name white oak refers to Quercus alba, also called stave oak, which is one of the more important timber trees of the eastern United States.

Are there different types of white oak?

White oak (Quercus alba) is a member of the broad white oak group (white, bur, chinkapin, swamp white, and post oaks). This group is characterized by having rounded lobes on the leaves and acorns which mature in a single growing season and sprout soon after they fall in the autumn.

What is considered white oak?

Quercus alba, A Top 100 Common Tree in North America

White oak is included in a group of oaks categorized by that same name. Other white oak family members include the bur oak, chestnut oak and Oregon white oak. This oak is immediately recognized by rounded lobes; the lobe tips never have bristles like red oak.

What kind of wood is white oak?

White oak is a hard and heavy wood with a medium-bending and crushing strength, low in stiffness, but very good in steam-bending. It has great wear-resistance. Readily available, but not as abundant as red oak.

Why are white oaks called White Oaks?

White oak trees get their name from the whitish color of the undersides of their leaves, distinguishing them from other oaks.

Tree Talk: White Oak

What is American white oak?

American White Oak Timber (Quercus Alba) is very popular for interior joinery, furniture and kitchens. 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.

Is oak the same as white oak?

The most obvious difference between the two types of oak flooring is their color. The name White Oak might make you think that this flooring is lighter in color, but in fact the opposite is true. White Oak is actually a mix of browns and tans, making it darker than Red Oak.

How can you tell if wood is white oak?

1. Look at the endgrain. The pores found in the growth rings on red oak are very open and porous, and should be easily identifiable. White oak, however, has its pores plugged with tyloses, which help make white oak suitable for water-tight vessels, and give it increased resistance to rot and decay.

Is white oak a hardwood or softwood?

White oak has lighter tones than red oak, which can show some red or pink tint. Both are considered hardwoods, although white oak is a little harder than red oak. Both types of oak have open graining, but red oak has a slightly coarser and more porous grain than white oak.

Which oaks are considered white oaks?

Specifically, the name white oak refers to Quercus alba, also called stave oak, which is one of the more important timber trees of the eastern United States. It is 18 to 45 m (60 to 150 feet) tall, with pale-gray, shallowly fissured, scaly bark.

Why is white oak so valuable?

It's a valuable species for wildlife, the quality of the lumber, and in the cooperage industry to make barrels for high-quality spirits or wine. It's just a beautiful tree.” Wildlife also benefits: Many animals prefer the tree's sweeter acorn over that of the red oak, and several bird species feed on its leaf buds.

Is Willow Oak A white oak?

Comments: Willow Oak falls into the red oak group, and shares many of the same traits as Red Oak (Quercus rubra). Red Oak, along with its brother White Oak, are commonly used domestic lumber species.

Is English oak a white oak?

Quercus robur, or English oak, is native to Europe, northern Africa, and western Asia. It is part of the white oak family and will grow to a height and width of about 30-40 feet.

How do I know if I have white oak or red oak?

Telling white oak and red oak apart: Check the endgrain

If you look at the endgrain and see that the pores are open and uncovered, it's red oak. The pores in white oak are filled with tyloses, which are outgrowths of the tree's xylem vessels. The pores of red oak lack this outgrowth, which makes them appear to be open.

Is white oak better than red oak?

Red Oak has a Janka hardness rating of 1290, while White Oak's rating is 1360, making it slightly more impervious to dents and scratches. However, these numbers are so close that both hardwoods will tend to perform equally well once they've been installed, finished and sealed.

What does white oak lumber look like?

Color/Appearance: Heartwood is a light to medium brown, commonly with an olive cast. Paler sapwood is not always sharply demarcated from the heartwood. Quartersawn sections display prominent ray fleck patterns (see images below).

Is white oak heavy?

At 12 percent moisture content, white oak will weigh about 47 pounds per cubic foot making it the heaviest lumber species next to hickory.

Is white oak a good tree?

Superior shade tree. White Oak acorns are a preferred food source for many mammals and larger birds. The tree provides good cover for birds and mammals. Leaves persist longer than many deciduous trees, providing cover.

What is quarter sawn white oak?

About Quarter Sawn White Oak

Quarter Sawn White Oak is the same species as White Oak but the wood has been cut from the log at a different angle (quartered). It is more stable than standard (flat sawn) White Oak and has a finer texture with a dramatic flaking pattern that runs perpendicular to the grain.

What is special about a white oak tree?

White oak trees are unique because they grow both male and female flowers. The male flowers range between two and four inches long and are green or yellowish in color, while the female flower appears slightly red in color. Acorns are actually fruit from the fertilized female flower.

What is the difference between American white oak and European Oak?

Differences between European Oak and White Oak include: European Oak is more uniform gray in color, whereas White Oak tends to have more yellow and pink undertones. European Oak tends to have tighter grain than White Oak. European Oak tends to be more knotty than White Oak.

Is a Shumard oak a white oak?

Quercus shumardii, the Shumard oak, spotted oak, Schneck oak, Shumard red oak, or swamp red oak, is one of the largest of the oak species in the red oak group (Quercus section Lobatae).

How common are white oak trees?

White oak grows throughout most of the Eastern United States. It is found from southwestern Maine and extreme southern Quebec, west to southern Ontario, central Michigan, to southeastern Minnesota; south to western Iowa, eastern Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas; east to northern Florida and Georgia.