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American White Oak | Quercus alba

American White Oak has light coloured sapwood and the heartwood is light to dark yellow brown. Its distinctive grain and colour makes it popular for furniture, joinery and flooring.

American White Oak is a light to dark brown coloured hardwood that can be used in structural, exterior and interior applications.

American White Oak is the trade name for a variety of hardwood species from the Quercus genus. The timber is imported from eastern USA and used for a variety of applications, including furniture, flooring and joinery.

Other Names: Northern White Oak, Southern White Oak, True White Oak, White Oak, Overcup Oak, Swamp Chestnut Oak, Chestnut Oak (Q. prinus, Q. montana), Overcup Oak (Q. lyrata), Swamp Chestnut Oak (Q. michauxii)

Overview
Properties
Description
Applications
Suppliers

Overview

American White Oak is a hardwood common throughout the eastern United States. The name 'White Oak' encompasses numerous species, eight of which are commercially available as timber. Very similar in appearance and colour to the European Oak, American White Oak has light-coloured sapwood and a light to dark brown heartwood. White Oak is mostly straight grained with a medium to coarse texture, with longer rays and more figure than American Red Oak. It has large distinctive growth rings, and some medullary rays may be present.

American White Oak is used for a wide range of applications, including shipping and boat building, flooring, architectural joinery, exterior joinery, railways sleepers and timber bridges due to its strength and resistance to decay. It is also an excellent timber for high-grade furniture, interior woodwork and paneling. Because of its impermeability, the timber is suitable for vats and casks holding liquids such as wine and spirits.

American White Oak is a hard, heavy wood, and has low stiffness and good overall strength, making it increasingly popular as a structural timber. It also has very good steam bending properties. White Oak machines well and is easy to glue, nail and screw. It readily accepts stains and polishes to a good finish. The heartwood is susceptible to lyctid borer attack and to termites.

American White Oak is imported into Australia and is readily available through specialist wood dealers.

Properties

Shrinkage

	Very Low	Low	Medium	High	Very High
Tangential:
Tangential:					10.5
Radial:					> 5
Unit Movement:					12.6 %

Strength Group

	Very High	High	Reasonably High	Medium High	Medium	Reasonably Low	Low	Very Low
Unseasoned:	S1	S2	S3	S4	S5	S6	S7
Unseasoned:
Seasoned:	SD1	SD2	SD3	SD4	SD5	SD6	SD7	SD8
Seasoned:

Stress Grade

Unseasoned:
	Structural No. 1	Structural No. 2	Structural No. 3	Structural No. 4	Structural No. 5
Seasoned:	F14	F11	F8	F7	F5

Density per Standard

Unseasoned:	1009 kg/m³
Seasoned:	755 kg/m³

Joint Group

	Very High	High	Reasonably High	Medium	Low	Very Low
Unseasoned:	J1	J2	J3	J4	J5	J6
Unseasoned:
Seasoned:	JD1	JD2	JD3	JD4	JD5	JD6
Seasoned:

Colour

White, yellow, pale straw to light brown	Pink to pink brown	Light to dark red	Brown, chocolate, mottled or streaky

Mechanical Properties

Modulus of Rupture - Unseasoned:	57
Modulus of Rupture - Seasoned:	105
Modulus of Elasticity - Unseasoned:	8.6
Modulus of Elasticity - Seasoned:	12
Maximum Crushing Strength - Unseasoned:	25
Maximum Crushing Strength - Seasoned:	51
Hardness - Unseasoned:	4.7
Hardness - Seasoned:	6

Durability

	Low	Moderate	Reasonably High	High
	(0 - 5 yrs)	(5 - 15 yrs)	(15 - 25 yrs)	(more than 25 yrs)
In-Ground:
	(0 - 7 yrs)	(7 - 15 yrs)	(15 - 40 yrs)	(More than 40 yrs)
Above ground:
	(0 - 20 yrs, usually < 5)	(21 - 40 yrs)	(41 - 64 yrs)	(More than 60 yrs)
Marine Borer Resistance:

Lyctid Borer Susceptibility:	Susceptible
Termite Resistance:	Not Resistant

Fire Properties

	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20
EFH Ignitibility:

	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
EFH Spread-of-Flame Index:
EFH Smoke-Developed Index:

	1 - non-combustible	2 - reasonably non-combustible	3 - slightly combustible	4 - combustible
Fire Properties Group Number:

Average Specific Extinction Area:	<250
Bushfire Resistance:	BAL 12.5 and 19 - All AS 3959 Required Applications

Description

Botanical Name:	Quercus alba
Preferred Common Name:	American White Oak
Other Names:	Northern White Oak, Southern White Oak, True White Oak, White Oak, Overcup Oak, Swamp Chestnut Oak, Chestnut Oak (Q. prinus, Q. montana), Overcup Oak (Q. lyrata), Swamp Chestnut Oak (Q. michauxii)
Species Type:	Hardwood

Appearance

The heartwood of American White Oak is pale yellow-brown to mid-brown, sometimes with a pink tinge. The sapwood is light coloured. It is mostly straight grained with a medium to coarse texture, and with longer rays and more figure than Red Oak. It has large distinctive growth rings and some medullary rays may be present.

Common Applications

In the United States American White Oak is used for a wide variety of purposes, including structural, exterior and interior applications, and in the making of vats for spirits and wine. Due to its interesting and prominent grain pattern and consistency of colour throughout the range of subspecies marketed as American White Oak, it is a popular species for flooring, and in Australia is mostly for this purpose and for joinery and furniture.

Common Form

Sawn

Workability

American White Oak is a hard and heavy wood, with low stiffness and medium crushing and bending strength. It also has extremely good steam bending properties. American White Oak is easy to machine, nail, glue and screw. It stains easily and can take a wide variety of colours. It is a slow-drying wood, so care needs to be taken to avoid checking. Also, given its high shrinkage rate, under variable moisture conditions it is susceptible to some movement.

Origin of Timber

North America

Origin of Timber - Other

Eastern Canada

Readily Available

NSW, VIC, SA, TAS, QLD, WA, NT

Availability - Further Information

American White Oak is readily available from specialist timber dealers throughout Australia.

Source of Timber

Native Forest

Applications

Doors

Timber is one of the most popular and superior material choices for both internal and external doors. Whether manufactured from solid or engineered timber, there are many stylish and practical options that won't compromise on strength and structural performance. A distinctive timber door can also create visual impact, adding value to any commercial or domestic building.
Flooring

Whether for structural or finished flooring applications, timber offers durability, versatility and adaptability. The warmth, strength and natural beauty of timber flooring has proved enduringly popular in a wide variety of interior settings.
Interior Rails and Balustrades

With its natural beauty and inherent strength, timber is a popular material choice in internal balustrade construction. Commonly built from treated softwoods and durable hardwoods, interior balustrades and handrails are typically finished with a clear lacquer to generate the most natural result.
Interior Stairs

Timber should be the material of choice for designers seeking internal staircases of strength, beauty and durability. The construction procedure described here applies to most general type stairs of either conventional or contemporary construction.
Internal Paneling

Timber paneling creates interiors as warm as they are stylish. Commonly utilising an MDF or plywood substrate, internal timber paneling is natural and versatile and comes as either solid natural timber panels or as sheets of engineered wood products
Timber Joinery Products

Timber joinery products offer a classic, unique and stylish touch to any interior design.
Timber Mouldings

Mouldings are extremely versatile and durable, enhancing the aesthetics of any interior and functioning as the icing on the cake for designs with a focus on beauty and splendour.