Red Oak Wood – Red Oak Lumber is one of the most popular hardwoods in the USA for cabinet and furniture making. Its heartwood is a light to medium brown, often with a reddish cast. Its nearly white to light brown sapwood is not always sharply demarcated from the heartwood, and quarter-sawn sections display prominent ray-fleck patterns. Red Oak is rated as non-durable to perishable, with a poor insect resistance. It stains when in contact with water, particularly along its porous growth ring areas.

Workability: Red Oak Lumber is easy to work with hand and machine tools, but has moderately high shrinkage values, resulting in mediocre dimensional stability, especially in flatsawn boards. It can react with iron, particularly when wet, and cause staining and discoloration. It responds well to steam-bending, gluing, stains and finishes.