American Red Oak (Latin name Quercus species, mainly Quercus rubra) is the dominant species in the U.S. hardwood forests – with distinctive grain, and wood that is not always red in color. The name comes from the leaf color in the fall. Red oak may be sold on the basis of ‘northern’, ‘southern’ and ‘Appalachian’.

Red oak trees grow only naturally and almost exclusively in North America, although planted elsewhere. They are widely distributed throughout most of the eastern United States in mixed hardwood forests. The trees are very tall. There are many sub-species, all within the red oak classification, which grow from north to south; some high in the mountains and others on low land giving rise to different characteristics. Thus there are significant variations in red oaks depending on location, in particular between the slower grown northern and faster grown southern trees. Red oaks are regarded as highly sustainable for both domestic and export consumption and, being the largest species group, are more abundant than the white oaks.

In general the sapwood of red oaks is light brown and the heartwood is often, but not always, pinkish to reddish brown. The color difference between the sapwood and heartwood is quite distinct. The wood of red oaks is generally straight-grained and coarse textured. The wood is figured with medullary rays – a feature of all true (Quercus) oaks – smaller in red oak than white oak. The wood is porous, and easily identified from the end grain, so not suitable for wine barrels.

American red oaks have very good overall strength properties relative to weight. The wood is hard and heavy with medium bending strength, stiffness and high crushing strength. It has excellent steam bending capability. Being hard, stable when dry and easy to finish and stain, it is ideal for furniture and flooring.

With a Janka Hardness Rating of 1290, it is a strong, durable hardwood, with beautiful grain texture and qualities. It has high resistance to abrasion and wear, lasting for years. It is a great choice when choosing your wood for your flag display case or shadow box.