What is the Difference Between White Oak and Red Oak
White oak and red oak are two different types of oak. Although the name implies that they are different colours, you can’t tell them apart by just relying on this, especially if the timber has been stained.
Quercus rubra is another name for Red oak. Although this is the true red oak, others such as Water Oak (Quercus Nigra) and Black Oak (Quercus velutina) are broadly grouped as red oak.
Quercus alba is the Latin name for White Oak. It is the true white oak but others such as English Oak and Bur Oak are also known under the umbrella term ‘white oaks’.
This means that you are not always purchasing an exact species – more the characteristics of the white or red oak group.
The two groups are different in a few ways and if you know what you are looking for you can easily tell them apart.
If you have the luxury of seeing the leaves still on the wood, they will help you identify which wood you have. The leaves of White Oak usually have rounded lobes, but those of the Red Oak are pointed. This isn’t true in every single case though.
In many cases you won’t have the leaves to assist you so one way to tell the timbers apart is to look at the rays (the dark brown lines in the wood). White oak usually has longer rays – often longer than three quarters of an inch, but Red oak usually has short rays.
You can also look at the endgrain (if the timber has not been painted, rough-sawn or sealed). Ensure that the wood is free from dust then take a closer look. If you are looking at heartwood, the endgrain of red oak will show open pores. White oak heartwood pores are filled with what are known as tyloses – a bubble-like formation. An exception to this rule is Chestnut Oak, a white oak that has large and open pores.
The quickest and perhaps most reliable method of working out if timber is red or white oak is to use a 10% solution of sodium nitrite on the heartwood. Apply it to the wood and wait for a colour change. Red oak will only alter in colour slightly (sometimes with a greenish hue) but white oak will change considerably in only a few minute, showing a dark reddish brown and then finally an inky black.
Of course if you are looking at timber in furniture stores it is probably easier just to ask what type of oak the furniture is made from.
When you can tell the timbers apart you can make sure that you use the right wood for the right things. White oak is good for outdoor furniture and boat building because it is resistant to water (because of the tyloses). It is also more resistant to rot and therefore a little more expensive.
Red oak is ideal for indoor furniture and has the benefit of being lighter than its cousin. Oak furniture looks beautiful in the home so is a great choice.
Both are great timbers that will look stunning for years.
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