{"id":24,"date":"2008-12-11T21:55:11","date_gmt":"2008-12-12T03:55:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/?page_id=24"},"modified":"2023-05-15T05:20:38","modified_gmt":"2023-05-15T10:20:38","slug":"distinguishing-red-oak-from-white-oak","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wood-articles\/distinguishing-red-oak-from-white-oak\/","title":{"rendered":"Distinguishing Red and White Oak"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-page\" data-elementor-id=\"24\" class=\"elementor elementor-24\" data-elementor-post-type=\"page\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-ff9ab3c elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"ff9ab3c\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-9f265ad\" data-id=\"9f265ad\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-b0dd61a elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"b0dd61a\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><strong>by Eric Meier<\/strong><\/p><p>Within the massive <a class=\"hw\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/hardwoods\/fagaceae\/quercus\/\"><em>Quercus<\/em> genus<\/a>, oak species are subdivided into a number of sections, though all commercially harvested New World oaks can be placed into one of two categories: red oak, or white oak. This division is based on the morphology of the trees themselves\u2014for instance, red oaks have pointed lobes on the leaves, while white oaks have rounded lobes.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-348d516 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"348d516\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-5fd1c66\" data-id=\"5fd1c66\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c103205 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"c103205\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure id=\"attachment_30743\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-30743\" style=\"width: 225px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/red-oak-leaf.png\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-30743\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/red-oak-leaf-225x378.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"378\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/red-oak-leaf-225x378.png 225w, https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/red-oak-leaf-357x600.png 357w, https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/red-oak-leaf-89x150.png 89w, https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/red-oak-leaf.png 450w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-30743\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Red oak leaf: pointed lobes<\/figcaption><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-ddcaea1\" data-id=\"ddcaea1\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a5035bc elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"a5035bc\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure id=\"attachment_30744\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-30744\" style=\"width: 225px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/white-oak-leaf.png\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-30744\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/white-oak-leaf-225x378.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"378\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/white-oak-leaf-225x378.png 225w, https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/white-oak-leaf-357x600.png 357w, https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/white-oak-leaf-89x150.png 89w, https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/white-oak-leaf.png 450w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-30744\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">White oak leaf: rounded lobes<\/figcaption><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-f4904cd elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"f4904cd\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-fe209d2\" data-id=\"fe209d2\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-09009e3 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"09009e3\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure id=\"attachment_30650\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-30650\" style=\"width: 225px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/quercus-alba-qs2.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-30650\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/quercus-alba-qs2-225x450.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/quercus-alba-qs2-225x450.jpg 225w, https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/quercus-alba-qs2-300x600.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/quercus-alba-qs2-75x150.jpg 75w, https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/quercus-alba-qs2.jpg 450w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-30650\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Quartersawn white oak: ray fleck pattern<\/figcaption><\/figure><p>But in addition to the leaves and outward appearance of the trees, the wood of the various oaks also have a few important distinctions. Most notably, white oak is rot resistant, while red oak is not\u2014an important detail for boatbuilding and exterior construction projects. White oak also has a unique ray fleck pattern when perfectly quartersawn that&#8217;s seen more often in antiques\u2014a figure that&#8217;s sometimes called &#8220;tiger oak&#8221; in antique furniture circles.<\/p><p>It should be noted that red oak also has conspicuous ray fleck patterns on its quartersawn surfaces, but it&#8217;s generally just not quite of the same caliber and size as white oak. (See this <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/quercus-rubra-qs2.jpg\">quartersawn picture of red oak<\/a> for reference.)<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-4c2eb2d9 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"4c2eb2d9\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-781c16fd\" data-id=\"781c16fd\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5288d650 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"5288d650\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script>\n<!-- 2019-inline-article-elementor -->\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\n     style=\"display:block\"\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3550840598661096\"\n     data-ad-slot=\"6514411072\"\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\n<script>\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\n<\/script>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-fcdd211 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"fcdd211\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-2a25b25\" data-id=\"2a25b25\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-09b9707 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"09b9707\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h1>Oak lumber: Superficial color differences<\/h1><p>While there is one specific wood species (<a class=\"hw\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/white-oak\/\">Quercus alba<\/a>) that&#8217;s commonly considered <em>the<\/em> \u201cwhite oak,\u201d and there is one specific species (<a class=\"hw\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/red-oak\/\">Quercus rubra<\/a>) that&#8217;s considered <em>the<\/em> \u201cred oak,\u201d when you buy oak lumber within North America, oftentimes you will not actually be buying these two exact species, but instead you may be buying one of the oaks contained within the two broad red and white groupings. Basically, you\u2019re buying characteristics found in an oak group, and not necessarily an exact species. For the rest of this article, I&#8217;ll be referring to red oaks and white oaks (plural) as two different groups of trees, and not simply as individual species.<\/p><p>At a casual glance, unfinished oak lumber will generally be light brown, either with a slight reddish cast (usually red oak), or a subtle olive-colored cast (white oak). However, there are abnormally light or dark outliers and pieces that are ambiguously colored, making separation based on color alone unreliable\u00ad\u2014this is especially true if the wood is finished and\/or stained.<\/p><p>Nonetheless, it can be helpful to get a baseline view of the typical color that&#8217;s seen in red and white oaks. Listed below are small thumbnails of various oak species in their raw unfinished form, arranged in either the red or white oak grouping. Comparing the two groups is simultaneously helpful and also confusing. You&#8217;ll notice that there&#8217;s a general categorization of color that most samples fall into (helpful), but you&#8217;ll see that there&#8217;s also no hard and fast rule to easily tell the two groups apart by color (that&#8217;s the confusing part).<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-5734027 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"5734027\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-2e47726\" data-id=\"2e47726\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-dd78294 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"dd78294\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\">Red oak group<\/h2><figure id=\"attachment_23259\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-23259\" style=\"width: 250px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/quercus-rubra.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-23259 size-banner\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/quercus-rubra-250x167.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"250\" height=\"167\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-23259\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/red-oak\/\"><b>Red oak <i>(Quercus rubra)<\/i><\/b><\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure><figure id=\"attachment_30896\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-30896\" style=\"width: 250px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/quercus-velutina.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-banner wp-image-30896\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/quercus-velutina-250x167.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"250\" height=\"167\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-30896\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/black-oak\/\">Black oak <i>(Quercus velutina)<\/i><\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure><figure id=\"attachment_30794\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-30794\" style=\"width: 250px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/quercus-kelloggii.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-banner wp-image-30794\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/quercus-kelloggii-250x167.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"250\" height=\"167\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-30794\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/california-black-oak\/\">California black oak <i>(Quercus kelloggii)<\/i><\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure><figure id=\"attachment_30834\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-30834\" style=\"width: 250px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/quercus-pagoda.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-banner wp-image-30834\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/quercus-pagoda-250x167.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"250\" height=\"167\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-30834\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/cherrybark-oak\/\">Cherrybark oak <i>(Quercus pagoda)<\/i><\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure><figure id=\"attachment_30802\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-30802\" style=\"width: 250px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/quercus-laurifolia.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-banner wp-image-30802\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/quercus-laurifolia-250x167.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"250\" height=\"167\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-30802\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/laurel-oak\/\">Laurel oak <i>(Quercus laurifolia)<\/i><\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure><figure id=\"attachment_30838\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-30838\" style=\"width: 250px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/quercus-palustris.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-banner wp-image-30838\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/quercus-palustris-250x167.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"250\" height=\"167\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-30838\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/pin-oak\/\">Pin oak <i>(Quercus palustris)<\/i><\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure><figure id=\"attachment_30760\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-30760\" style=\"width: 250px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/quercus-coccinea.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-banner wp-image-30760\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/quercus-coccinea-250x167.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"250\" height=\"167\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-30760\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/scarlet-oak\/\">Scarlet oak <i>(Quercus coccinea)<\/i><\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure><figure id=\"attachment_30904\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-30904\" style=\"width: 250px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/quercus-shumardii.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-banner wp-image-30904\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/quercus-shumardii-250x167.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"250\" height=\"167\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-30904\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/shumard-oak\/\">Shumard oak <i>(Quercus shumardii)<\/i><\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure><figure id=\"attachment_30764\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-30764\" style=\"width: 250px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/quercus-falcata.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-banner wp-image-30764\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/quercus-falcata-250x167.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"250\" height=\"167\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-30764\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/southern-red-oak\/\">Southern red oak <i>(Quercus falcata)<\/i><\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure><figure id=\"attachment_30830\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-30830\" style=\"width: 250px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/quercus-nigra.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-banner wp-image-30830\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/quercus-nigra-250x167.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"250\" height=\"167\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-30830\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/water-oak\/\">Water oak <i>(Quercus nigra)<\/i><\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure><figure id=\"attachment_30846\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-30846\" style=\"width: 250px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/quercus-phellos.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-banner wp-image-30846\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/quercus-phellos-250x167.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"250\" height=\"167\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-30846\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/willow-oak\/\">Willow oak <i>(Quercus phellos)<\/i><\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-476cef0\" data-id=\"476cef0\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e06831e elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"e06831e\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\">White oak group<\/h2><figure id=\"attachment_30641\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-30641\" style=\"width: 250px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/quercus-alba-fs-1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-banner wp-image-30641\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/quercus-alba-fs-1-250x167.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"250\" height=\"167\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-30641\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/white-oak\/\"><b>White oak <i>(Quercus alba)<\/i><\/b><\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure><figure id=\"attachment_30810\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-30810\" style=\"width: 250px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/quercus-macrocarpa.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-banner wp-image-30810\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/quercus-macrocarpa-250x167.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"250\" height=\"167\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-30810\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/bur-oak\/\">Bur oak <i>(Quercus macrocarpa)<\/i><\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure><figure id=\"attachment_30850\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-30850\" style=\"width: 250px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/quercus-prinus.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-banner wp-image-30850\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/quercus-prinus-250x167.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"250\" height=\"167\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-30850\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/chestnut-oak\/\">Chestnut oak <i>(Quercus montana)<\/i><\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure><figure id=\"attachment_30854\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-30854\" style=\"width: 250px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/quercus-robur.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-banner wp-image-30854\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/quercus-robur-250x167.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"250\" height=\"167\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-30854\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/english-oak\/\">English oak <i>(Quercus robur)<\/i><\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure><figure id=\"attachment_30778\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-30778\" style=\"width: 250px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/quercus-garryana.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-banner wp-image-30778\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/quercus-garryana-250x167.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"250\" height=\"167\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-30778\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/oregon-white-oak\/\">Oregon white oak <i>(Quercus garryana)<\/i><\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure><figure id=\"attachment_30806\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-30806\" style=\"width: 250px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/quercus-lyrata.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-banner wp-image-30806\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/quercus-lyrata-250x167.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"250\" height=\"167\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-30806\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/overcup-oak\/\">Overcup oak <i>(Quercus lyrata)<\/i><\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure><figure id=\"attachment_30888\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-30888\" style=\"width: 250px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/quercus-stellata.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-banner wp-image-30888\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/quercus-stellata-250x167.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"250\" height=\"167\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-30888\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/post-oak\/\">Post oak <i>(Quercus stellata)<\/i><\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure><figure id=\"attachment_30818\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-30818\" style=\"width: 250px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/quercus-michauxii.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-banner wp-image-30818\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/quercus-michauxii-250x167.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"250\" height=\"167\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-30818\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/swamp-chestnu-oak\/\">Swamp chestnut oak <i>(Quercus michauxii)<\/i><\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure><figure id=\"attachment_30751\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-30751\" style=\"width: 250px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/quercus-bicolor.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-banner wp-image-30751\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/quercus-bicolor-250x167.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"250\" height=\"167\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-30751\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/swamp-white-oak\/\">Swamp white oak <i>(Quercus bicolor)<\/i><\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-5cceca7 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"5cceca7\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-1daef70\" data-id=\"1daef70\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-74bf766 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"74bf766\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Looking at the examples above, you may notice a loose pattern where red oak species tend to have a slightly paler and redder hue on average, while white oak species have a slightly more olive hue. There are of course outliers and individual variation from tree to tree, so the above grain samples should by no means be meant as an accurate representation of any of the species as a whole.<\/p><p>But realistically, even if you can discern a pattern in the red\/olive dichotomy of oak coloration, you can hopefully also see how much overlap and unpredictability there are between pieces.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-fdbe135 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"fdbe135\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-df85b7d\" data-id=\"df85b7d\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-beab1f3 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"beab1f3\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script>\n<!-- 2019-inline-article-elementor -->\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\n     style=\"display:block\"\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3550840598661096\"\n     data-ad-slot=\"6514411072\"\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\n<script>\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\n<\/script>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-96dd603 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"96dd603\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-114b13c\" data-id=\"114b13c\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3beef57 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"3beef57\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h1>Tips for actually telling red and white oak apart<\/h1><p>In most cases, we won&#8217;t have access to the tree or its leaves, so all we have to go on is the wood itself. Here are some ways of telling types of oak apart that tend to be a little more reliable than using color alone.\u00a0<\/p><h2><a name=\"distinguishing\"><\/a>1. Look at the endgrain<\/h2><p>A quick and fairly reliable way to tell the two oaks apart is simply by looking at the endgrain. In order for this to work, the ends of the board can\u2019t be painted, sealed, or rough-sawn. A freshly cut oak board should be easy to distinguish:<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-d42fbbd elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"d42fbbd\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-8988a6a\" data-id=\"8988a6a\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-379302a elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"379302a\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure id=\"attachment_4495\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4495\" style=\"width: 200px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/red-oak-endgrain1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-4495 size-thumbnail\" title=\"Red Oak (endgrain)\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/red-oak-endgrain1-200x200.jpg\" sizes=\"(max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/red-oak-endgrain1-60x60.jpg 60w, https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/red-oak-endgrain1-200x200.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/red-oak-endgrain1-400x400.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/red-oak-endgrain1.jpg 600w\" alt=\"Red Oak (endgrain)\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4495\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-4495\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Red oak (endgrain 1x)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-b664a67\" data-id=\"b664a67\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e642b15 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"e642b15\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure id=\"attachment_4504\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4504\" style=\"width: 200px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/white-oak-endgrain1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-4504 size-thumbnail\" title=\"White Oak (endgrain)\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/white-oak-endgrain1-200x200.jpg\" sizes=\"(max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/white-oak-endgrain1-60x60.jpg 60w, https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/white-oak-endgrain1-200x200.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/white-oak-endgrain1-400x400.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/white-oak-endgrain1.jpg 600w\" alt=\"White Oak (endgrain)\" width=\"200\" height=\"100\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4504\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-4504\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">White oak (endgrain 1x)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-a4448bc elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"a4448bc\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-4d39c17\" data-id=\"4d39c17\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-fbbd6c2 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"fbbd6c2\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure id=\"attachment_5411\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-5411\" style=\"width: 200px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/red-oak-endgrain-zoom.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-thumbnail wp-image-5411\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/red-oak-endgrain-zoom-200x200.jpg\" alt=\"Red Oak (endgrain 10x)\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/red-oak-endgrain-zoom-200x200.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/red-oak-endgrain-zoom-60x60.jpg 60w, https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/red-oak-endgrain-zoom-400x400.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/red-oak-endgrain-zoom.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-5411\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Red oak (endgrain 10x)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-546953c\" data-id=\"546953c\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-99b9b26 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"99b9b26\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure id=\"attachment_5409\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-5409\" style=\"width: 200px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/white-oak-endgrain-zoom.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-thumbnail wp-image-5409\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/white-oak-endgrain-zoom-200x200.jpg\" alt=\"White Oak (endgrain 10x)\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/white-oak-endgrain-zoom-200x200.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/white-oak-endgrain-zoom-60x60.jpg 60w, https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/white-oak-endgrain-zoom-400x400.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/white-oak-endgrain-zoom.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-5409\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">White oak (endgrain 10x)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-3eff7cf elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"3eff7cf\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-caea344\" data-id=\"caea344\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e2f3b82 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"e2f3b82\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The pores found in the growth rings on red oak are very open and porous, and should be easily identifiable. White oak, however, has its pores plugged with tyloses, which help make white oak suitable for water-tight vessels, and give it increased resistance to rot and decay. The presence of tyloses is perhaps the best and most reliable way to distinguish the two oaks, but it comes with a few caveats:<\/p><p>1.) Make sure that you\u2019ve cleaned up the endgrain enough to see the pores clearly, and blown out any dust from the pores. You don\u2019t want a \u201cfalse-positive\u201d and mistake sawdust clogged in the pores for tyloses.<\/p><p>2.) Make sure that you\u2019ve viewing a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wood-articles\/what-is-wood\/#sap-heart\">heartwood section<\/a>\u00a0of the board in question. While white oak has abundant tyloses in the heartwood, it is frequently lacking in the sapwood section.<\/p><figure id=\"attachment_5416\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-5416\" style=\"width: 400px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/white-oak-sapwood-tyloses.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-5416\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/white-oak-sapwood-tyloses-400x400.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/white-oak-sapwood-tyloses-400x400.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/white-oak-sapwood-tyloses-200x200.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/white-oak-sapwood-tyloses-60x60.jpg 60w, https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/white-oak-sapwood-tyloses.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-5416\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Notice the absence of tyloses in the sapwood (top)<\/figcaption><\/figure><p>One related test regarding porosity is to take a short section of oak and try to blow air through the pores. If you are able to blow anything through it at all, it\u2019s probably red oak. Take a look at this video, where a red oak dowel was used to blow bubbles in water:<\/p><div class=\"ast-oembed-container \" style=\"height: 100%;\"><iframe title=\"Red Oak Dowel Used as a Straw!\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/CeDWxd0t9rw?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div><p>One exception to this rule is chestnut oak, which is still considered to be in the white oak group, even though its pores are open like red oaks.<\/p><h2>2. Look at the rays<\/h2><p>When looking at the face of the board, especially in the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wood-articles\/what-is-wood\/#surfaces\">flat-sawn areas,<\/a>\u00a0you may notice little dark brown streaks running with the grain, sometimes referred to as\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wood-articles\/what-is-wood\/#rays\">rays<\/a>.<\/p><figure id=\"attachment_707\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-707\" style=\"width: 400px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/red-and-white-oak.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-707\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/red-and-white-oak-400x290.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"290\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/red-and-white-oak-400x290.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/red-and-white-oak-200x145.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/red-and-white-oak-100x72.jpg 100w, https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/red-and-white-oak.jpg 599w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-707\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">White oak (left), red oak (right)<\/figcaption><\/figure><p>Look closely at the picture above, (click on it to enlarge it if you have to), and note the length of the rays in both types of wood. Red oak will almost always have very short rays, usually between 1\/8\u2033 to 1\/2\u2033 long, rarely ever more than 3\/4\u2033 to 1\u2033 in length. (Pictured above on the right.)<\/p><p>White oak, on the other hand, will have much longer rays, frequently exceeding 3\/4\u2033 on most boards. (Pictured above on the left.)<\/p><p>This method is probably the most reliable under normal circumstances, and is useful in situations where the wood is in a finished product where the endgrain is not exposed.<\/p><h2>3. Use sodium nitrite<\/h2><p>This technique is sometimes used at sawmills if various logs need to be sorted out quickly. Instead of taking the time to analyze each log closely by hand, a 10% solution of\u00a0sodium nitrite (NaNO<sub>2<\/sub>) is sprayed or brushed onto the wood and observed.\u00a0If it\u2019s red oak, there will only be a small color change, making the wood only slightly darker. But if it\u2019s white oak, there will be a noticeable color change in as little as five minutes, (though it can take longer if the wood is dry, or if the temperature is low). The heartwood of white oak will eventually change to a dark indigo to almost black.<\/p><figure id=\"attachment_1035\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1035\" style=\"width: 400px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sodium-nitrite-testing.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-1035\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sodium-nitrite-testing-400x366.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"366\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sodium-nitrite-testing-400x366.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sodium-nitrite-testing-200x183.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sodium-nitrite-testing-60x55.jpg 60w, https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sodium-nitrite-testing.jpg 445w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-1035\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">White oak (left), red oak (right); courtesy of USDA<\/figcaption><\/figure><p>This method is extremely accurate and reliable, though in most instances, it\u2019s probably overkill. However, if you\u2019re ever in a situation where you can\u2019t separate between red and white oak based on anatomy, this method is nearly foolproof.\u00a0(Though, only the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wood-articles\/what-is-wood\/#sap-heart\">heartwood<\/a>\u00a0will bring about the color change, not the sapwood.)<\/p><p>First, you have to obtain some\u00a0sodium nitrite (NaNO<sub>2<\/sub>). You may be able to find some locally through chemical supply stores, but they typically only sell in bulk quantities, making such a small project\u00a0prohibitively\u00a0expensive. However, some online retailers have the chemical for sale in much smaller quantities, bringing it into reach of most that are curious about oak identification.<\/p><p>Next, you need to mix up a roughly 10% solution of sodium nitrite by weight. This ratio actually isn\u2019t as\u00a0critical\u00a0as it seems: solutions as small as 1% and as high as 20% have all been used with success, but to err on the side of caution, we\u2019ll use the most appropriate quantity recommended.<\/p><blockquote><h3>Recipe for 10% Sodium Nitrite Solution for Testing Oaks:<\/h3><ul><li>1 cup water<\/li><li>4 teaspoons sodium nitrite<\/li><\/ul><p><b>Directions:<\/b> Stir in sodium nitrite until clear.\u00a0<em>Clearly label solution to avoid confusion; sodium nitrite is very dangerous if ingested.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote><p>All that\u2019s left is to simply brush this solution onto a raw wood surface and wait for a reaction. With dried wood stored at room temperature, this reaction should take about 10 minutes. Red oak will be only slightly discolored by the solution, sometimes developing a slightly greenish hue, while white oak will gradually turn a dark reddish brown, eventually turning a deep indigo to nearly black.<\/p><p>See the progression photos below for a better look. (Also note that around the 8 and 15 minute marks the water begins to evaporate from the surface of the wood, but the color is still present after the wood has dried, as indicative of the 25 minute photos.)<\/p><table><tbody><tr><td><h3 style=\"text-align: center;\">TIME<br \/>ELAPSED<\/h3><\/td><td style=\"text-align: center;\"><h3>RED OAK<\/h3><\/td><td><h3 style=\"text-align: center;\">WHITE OAK<\/h3><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>raw<\/strong><\/td><td><a class=\"fancybox image\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/ro-0-minutes.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-thumbnail wp-image-6656 aligncenter\" title=\"Red Oak (raw)\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/ro-0-minutes-200x101.jpg\" sizes=\"(max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/ro-0-minutes-60x30.jpg 60w, https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/ro-0-minutes-200x101.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/ro-0-minutes-400x202.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/ro-0-minutes.jpg 600w\" alt=\"Red Oak (raw)\" width=\"200\" height=\"101\" \/><\/a><\/td><td><a class=\"fancybox image\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/wo-0-minutes.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-thumbnail wp-image-6657 aligncenter\" title=\"White Oak (raw)\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/wo-0-minutes-200x101.jpg\" sizes=\"(max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/wo-0-minutes-60x30.jpg 60w, https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/wo-0-minutes-200x101.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/wo-0-minutes-400x202.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/wo-0-minutes.jpg 600w\" alt=\"White Oak (raw)\" width=\"200\" height=\"101\" \/><\/a><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>1 minute<\/strong><\/td><td><a class=\"fancybox image\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/ro-1-minute.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-thumbnail wp-image-6658 aligncenter\" title=\"Red Oak (1 minute)\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/ro-1-minute-200x101.jpg\" sizes=\"(max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/ro-1-minute-60x30.jpg 60w, https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/ro-1-minute-200x101.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/ro-1-minute-400x202.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/ro-1-minute.jpg 600w\" alt=\"Red Oak (1 minute)\" width=\"200\" height=\"101\" \/><\/a><\/td><td><a class=\"fancybox image\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/wo-1-minute.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-thumbnail wp-image-6659 aligncenter\" title=\"White Oak (1 minute)\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/wo-1-minute-200x101.jpg\" sizes=\"(max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/wo-1-minute-60x30.jpg 60w, https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/wo-1-minute-200x101.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/wo-1-minute-400x202.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/wo-1-minute.jpg 600w\" alt=\"White Oak (1 minute)\" width=\"200\" height=\"101\" \/><\/a><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>5 minutes<\/strong><\/td><td><a class=\"fancybox image\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/ro-5-minutes.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-thumbnail wp-image-6660 aligncenter\" title=\"Red Oak (5 minutes)\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/ro-5-minutes-200x101.jpg\" sizes=\"(max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/ro-5-minutes-60x30.jpg 60w, https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/ro-5-minutes-200x101.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/ro-5-minutes-400x202.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/ro-5-minutes.jpg 600w\" alt=\"Red Oak (5 minutes)\" width=\"200\" height=\"101\" \/><\/a><\/td><td><a class=\"fancybox image\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/wo-5-minutes.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-thumbnail wp-image-6661 aligncenter\" title=\"White Oak (5 minutes)\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/wo-5-minutes-200x101.jpg\" sizes=\"(max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/wo-5-minutes-60x30.jpg 60w, https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/wo-5-minutes-200x101.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/wo-5-minutes-400x202.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/wo-5-minutes.jpg 600w\" alt=\"White Oak (5 minutes)\" width=\"200\" height=\"101\" \/><\/a><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>8 minutes<\/strong><\/td><td><a class=\"fancybox image\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/ro-8-minutes.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-thumbnail wp-image-6662 aligncenter\" title=\"Red Oak (8 minutes)\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/ro-8-minutes-200x101.jpg\" sizes=\"(max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/ro-8-minutes-60x30.jpg 60w, https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/ro-8-minutes-200x101.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/ro-8-minutes-400x202.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/ro-8-minutes.jpg 600w\" alt=\"Red Oak (8 minutes)\" width=\"200\" height=\"101\" \/><\/a><\/td><td><a class=\"fancybox image\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/wo-8-minutes.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-thumbnail wp-image-6663\" title=\"White Oak (8 minutes)\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/wo-8-minutes-200x101.jpg\" sizes=\"(max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/wo-8-minutes-60x30.jpg 60w, https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/wo-8-minutes-200x101.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/wo-8-minutes-400x202.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/wo-8-minutes.jpg 600w\" alt=\"White Oak (8 minutes)\" width=\"200\" height=\"101\" \/><\/a><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>15 minutes<\/strong><\/td><td><a class=\"fancybox image\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/ro-15-minutes.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-thumbnail wp-image-6664 aligncenter\" title=\"Red Oak (15 minutes)\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/ro-15-minutes-200x101.jpg\" sizes=\"(max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/ro-15-minutes-60x30.jpg 60w, https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/ro-15-minutes-200x101.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/ro-15-minutes-400x202.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/ro-15-minutes.jpg 600w\" alt=\"Red Oak (15 minutes)\" width=\"200\" height=\"101\" \/><\/a><\/td><td><a class=\"fancybox image\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/wo-15-minutes.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-thumbnail wp-image-6665\" title=\"White Oak (15 minutes)\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/wo-15-minutes-200x101.jpg\" sizes=\"(max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/wo-15-minutes-60x30.jpg 60w, https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/wo-15-minutes-200x101.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/wo-15-minutes-400x202.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/wo-15-minutes.jpg 600w\" alt=\"White Oak (15 minutes)\" width=\"200\" height=\"101\" \/><\/a><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>25 minutes<\/strong><\/td><td><a class=\"fancybox image\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/ro-25-minutes.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-thumbnail wp-image-6666\" title=\"Red Oak (25 minutes)\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/ro-25-minutes-200x101.jpg\" sizes=\"(max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/ro-25-minutes-60x30.jpg 60w, https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/ro-25-minutes-200x101.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/ro-25-minutes-400x202.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/ro-25-minutes.jpg 600w\" alt=\"Red Oak (25 minutes)\" width=\"200\" height=\"101\" \/><\/a><\/td><td><a class=\"fancybox image\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/wo-25-minutes.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-thumbnail wp-image-6667\" title=\"White Oak (25 minutes)\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/wo-25-minutes-200x101.jpg\" sizes=\"(max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/wo-25-minutes-60x30.jpg 60w, https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/wo-25-minutes-200x101.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/wo-25-minutes-400x202.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/wo-25-minutes.jpg 600w\" alt=\"White Oak (25 minutes)\" width=\"200\" height=\"101\" \/><\/a><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-1c44377 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"1c44377\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-a7dcf98\" data-id=\"a7dcf98\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c2a04cf elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"c2a04cf\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script>\n<!-- 2019-inline-article-elementor -->\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\n     style=\"display:block\"\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3550840598661096\"\n     data-ad-slot=\"6514411072\"\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\n<script>\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\n<\/script>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-3f33c9e elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"3f33c9e\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-c917481\" data-id=\"c917481\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-da402c5 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"da402c5\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h1><a name=\"properties\"><\/a>Why you&#8217;d want to tell red oak from white oak<\/h1><p>As to the reasons\u00a0<em>why\u00a0<\/em>you\u2019d want to be able to distinguish between the two, most of the answers have been explained above, but I\u2019ll recap:<\/p><ul><li>White oak is much more resistant to rot, and is suitable for water-holding applications, boatbuilding, outdoor furniture, etc.<\/li><\/ul><ul><li>Red oak should only be used for interior pieces such as cabinets, indoor furniture, flooring, etc.<\/li><\/ul><ul><li>White oak tends to be more dense, while red oak is a bit lighter and has a more porous and open grain.<\/li><\/ul><ul><li>White oak is usually slightly more expensive than red oak.<\/li><\/ul><ul><li>White oak has larger and more pronounced ray flecks when perfectly quartersawn and historically has been used more often in antiques than red oak.<\/li><\/ul><h1>Get the hard copy<\/h1><p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/book\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-20824 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/wood-book-standup.jpg\" alt=\"wood-book-standup\" width=\"300\" height=\"398\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/wood-book-standup.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/wood-book-standup-225x299.jpg 225w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>If you\u2019re interested in getting all that makes\u00a0<em>The Wood Database<\/em>\u00a0unique distilled into a single, real-world resource, there\u2019s the book that\u2019s based on the website\u2014the Amazon.com best-seller,\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/book\/\">WOOD! Identifying and Using Hundreds of Woods Worldwide<\/a><\/strong>. It contains many of the most popular articles found on this website, as well as hundreds of wood profiles\u2014laid out with the same clarity and convenience of the website\u2014packaged in a shop-friendly hardcover book.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0b0a313 elementor-widget elementor-widget-spacer\" data-id=\"0b0a313\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"spacer.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer-inner\"><\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>by Eric Meier Within the massive Quercus genus, oak species are subdivided into a number of sections, though all commercially harvested New World oaks can be placed into one of two categories: red oak, or white oak. This division is based on the morphology of the trees themselves\u2014for instance, red oaks have pointed lobes on [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":30665,"parent":9,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"disabled","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-24","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/24","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24"}],"version-history":[{"count":18,"href":"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/24\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":37779,"href":"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/24\/revisions\/37779"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/9"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/30665"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}