White oak vs red oak
Both are oaks, sold as two groups of species. The Wood Handbook tells their lumber apart by the pores.
- White oak is about 5% harder than northern red oak.
- White oak is about 8% heavier than northern red oak.
- White oak has about 24% more movement across a flatsawn board than northern red oak.
Each column is the species its page leads with: northern red oak for red oak.
Side by side
| Property | White oak | Red oak |
|---|---|---|
| Janka hardness, 12% MC | 1,360 lbf | 1,290 lbf |
| Weight, 12% MC | 47.5 lb/ft³ (762 kg/m³) | 44.1 lb/ft³ (706 kg/m³) |
| Specific gravity, 12% MC | 0.68 | 0.63 |
| Tangential shrinkage | 10.5% | 8.6% |
| Radial shrinkage | 5.6% | 4.0% |
| 12 in flatsawn board, 6% → 12% MC | 0.271 in | 0.219 in |
| 12 in quartersawn board, 6% → 12% MC | 0.14 in | 0.099 in |
| Bending strength (MOR), 12% MC | 15,200 psi | 14,300 psi |
| Stiffness (MOE), 12% MC | 1.78 million psi | 1.82 million psi |
| Crushing strength, 12% MC | 7,440 psi | 6,760 psi |
One source: USDA Forest Products Laboratory, the authority for species properties it measured
Wood Handbook Tables 5-3b, 4-3 and 13-5; weight and movement worked with its Eqs. 4-14 and 13-1. A dash means the Handbook prints no value.
What sets them apart
- Pores and liquids
- White oak heartwood pores are usually plugged with tyloses, which make it nearly impervious to liquids and suit it to tight barrels. Red oak generally lacks tyloses, so its open pores make it unsuitable for tight barrels unless they are lined. (Wood Handbook, p. 2-9)
- Telling the lumber apart
- Red oak and white oak lumber can be told apart by the size and arrangement of the pores in the latewood and by the tyloses. Within each group, the species can’t be told apart as lumber. (Wood Handbook, p. 2-9)
- Color
- White oak heartwood is generally grayish brown; red oak heartwood is brown with a tinge of red. Both have nearly white sapwood about 1 to 2 in. wide. (Wood Handbook, p. 2-9)
- Decay
- White oak heartwood has good decay resistance, which is why boatbuilders specify it. Red oak crossties, mine timbers and fence posts need preservative treatment to last. (Wood Handbook, p. 2-9)
- Movement
- Across a flatsawn board, white oak moves more than northern red oak: its tangential dimensional change coefficient is 0.00376 per 1% moisture content against 0.00304 (Table 13-5). (Wood Handbook, p. 13-17)
For any other pair, open each species page from the wood hub; every page uses the same layout and the same sources.