Appearance
Color: Heartwood and sapwood are similar, with sapwood lighter in color; most pieces have a reddish tone. Slightly redder than white oak.
Grain: Open, slightly coarser (more porous) than white oak. Plainsawn boards have a plumed or flared grain appearance; riftsawn has a tighter grain pattern, low figuring; quartersawn has a flake pattern, sometimes called tiger rays or butterflies.
Variations within species and grades: More than 200 subspecies in North America; great variation in color and grain, depending on the origin of the wood and corresponding differences in growing seasons. Northern, Southern and Appalachian red oak can all be divided into upland and lowland species. Because they grow more slowly, upland species generally have a more uniform grain pattern than lowland species, with more growth rings per inch.

Properties
Hardness (Janka): Northern 1290 (benchmark).
Dimensional Stability: Average (change coefficient .00369).
Durability: Stiff and dense; resists wear, with high shock resistance, though less durable than white oak.

Workability
Sawing/Machining: Above average in all machining operations except shaping.
Sanding: Sands satisfactorily, better than white oak.
Nailing: Good resistance to splitting; excellent holding ability.
Finishing: Strong stain contrast because of large pores.
Comments: Red oak generally works better than white for bleached floors, because it is more porous and accepts bleach better, and because tannins in white oak can discolor floor.

Appearance
Color: Heartwood is light brown; some boards may have a pinkish tint or a slight grayish cast. Sapwood is white to cream.
Grain: Open, with longer rays than red oak. Occasional crotches, swirls and burls. Plainsawn boards have a plumed or flared grain appearance; riftsawn has a tighter grain pattern, low figuring; quartersawn has a flake pattern, sometimes called tiger rays or butterflies.
Variations within species and grades: Considerable variation among boards in color and grain texture, but variations not as pronounced as in red oak.

Properties
Hardness (Janka): 1360; 5% harder than Northern red oak.
Dimensional Stability: Average (change coefficient .00365; 1% more stable than red oak).
Durability: More durable than red oak. Tannic acid in the wood protects it from fungi and insects.

Workability
Sawing/Machining: Excellent machining qualities.
Sanding: Sands satisfactorily.
Nailing: Good resistance to splitting; excellent holding ability.
Finishing: Absorbs finishes more evenly than red oak. Does not bleach well.
Comments: During the finishing process, tannins at the surface can react with some liquids to turn the wood green or brown. This effect tends to be more pronounced with products that have a high water content, such as bleach and water-based finishes.

Appearance
Color: Heartwood ranges from a deep, rich dark brown to a purplish black. Sapwood is nearly white to tan. Difference between heartwood and sapwood color is great; some flooring manufacturers steam lumber to bleed the darker heartwood color into the sapwood, resulting in a more uniform color.
Grain: Mostly straight and open, but some boards have burled or curly grain. Arrangement of pores is similar to hickories and persimmon, but pores are smaller in size.
Variations within species and grades: Great variety of color and figure within species, as well as variation in color among boards, especially in lower grades and from material that isn't steamed prior to kiln-drying.

Properties
Hardness (Janka): 1010; 22% softer than Northern red oak.
Dimensional Stability: Excellent (change coefficient .00274; 26% more stable than red oak).
Durability: Moderately dense, very strong, good shock resistance. Not as dent-resistant as oak.

Workability
Sawing/Machining: Easily worked with hand tools, and has excellent machining qualities.
Sanding: Sands satisfactorily.
Nailing: Fair resistance to splitting; good holding ability.
Finishing: Finishes nicely, with a handsome grain pattern.
Comments: Distinctive sweet aroma when worked. Frequently used as a highlight material for borders or other inlay techniques.

Appearance
Color: Sapwood is gray-white; heartwood is salmon red to orange-brown when fresh, and becomes russet or reddish brown when seasoned; often marked with dark streaks.
Grain: Mostly interlocked; texture is medium to rather coarse.
Variations within species and grades: Moderate to high color variation.

Properties
Hardness (Janka): 2350; 82% harder than Northern red oak.
Dimensional Stability: Average (change coefficient .00300; 19% more stable than red oak). However, actual installations have demonstrated significant movement in use.
Durability: Dense and very strong.

Workability
Sawing/Machining: Sawing is difficult due to high density; requires frequent resharpening of tools. Planing is difficult due to interlocked grain. Can be machined to a smooth surface. Carbide tooling recommended.
Sanding: Sands well.
Nailing: Good holding ability, but due to hardness may require adjustment of angle of penetration and/or height.
Finishing: No known problems.
Comments: Light-sensitive; darkens rapidly upon exposure to sunlight.

Appearance
Color: Heartwood is light to dark reddish brown, lustrous; sapwood is light brown to pale with a light pinkish tone. Some flooring manufacturers steam lumber to bleed the darker heartwood color into the sapwood, resulting in a more uniform color.
Grain: Fine, frequently wavy, uniform texture. Distinctive flake pattern on true quartersawn surfaces. Texture is satiny, with some gum pockets.
Variations within species and grades: Significant color variation between boards.

Properties
Hardness (Janka): 950; 26% softer than Northern red oak.
Dimensional Stability: Above average (change coefficient .00248; 33% more stable than red oak).
Durability: Strong, moderately hard; excellent shock resistance. Usually considered too soft for an entire floor — mostly used for borders and accents.

Workability
Sawing/Machining: Good machining qualities.
Sanding: Sands satisfactorily.
Nailing: Good holding ability.
Finishing: No known problems.
Comments: High in bending strength. Light-sensitive; strong color change upon exposure to light.

Appearance
Color: Dark reddish brown.
Grain: Striped figuring in quartersawn selections; texture is even and very fine.
Variations within species and grades: Moderate color variation.

Properties
Hardness (Janka): 2200; 71% harder than Northern red oak.
Dimensional Stability: Above average (change coefficient .00238; 36% more stable than red oak).
Durability: Excellent.

Workability
Sawing/Machining: Moderately difficult due to hardness; carbide tooling recommended.
Sanding: Sands satisfactorily.
Nailing: Good holding ability.
Finishing: No known finishing problems.
Comments: Some respiratory allergic potential.

Appearance
Color: Heartwood varies from yellow-brown to dark golden brown; turns rich brown under exposure to sunlight. Sapwood is a lighter cream color.
Grain: Straight; coarse, uneven texture.
Variations within species and grades: Moderate to high color variation.

Properties
Hardness(Janka): 1000; 22% softer than Northern red oak.
Dimensional Stability: Excellent (change coefficient .00186; 50% more stable than red oak).
Durability: Strength values are similar to those of American oak.

Workability
Sawing/Machining: Moderate ease in working with hand and machine tools; silica in wood dulls tools quickly: carbide tooling is recommended.
Sanding: Clogs abrasives; frequent sandpaper changes are required.
Nailing: Good holding ability.
Finishing: Natural oils may interfere with adhesion and drying of some finishes. To reduce the wood’s tendency to repel finish coats, surface resins may be removed with a solvent that is compatible with the finish to be used.
Comments: Has an oily feel. Unique in that it does not cause rust or corrosion when in contact with metal. Respiratory and dermatological allergic potential.

Appearance
Color: Light brown to dark reddish brown.
Grain: High in character, with ingrown bark and mineral streaks. Most commonly used in flooring as end-grain block, which has small irregular cracks radiating across the grain.
Variations within species and grades: One grade; moderate color variations.

Properties
Hardness (Janka): 2345; 82% harder than Northern red oak.
Dimensional Stability: Excellent (change coefficient .00129; 65% more stable than red oak).
Durability: Dense and very strong. End-grain cut has excellent resistance to abrasion and shock.

Workability
Sawing/Machining: Very good machining qualities.
Sanding: Plainsawn can be sanded to a smooth surface; end-grain requires #16 grit sandpaper to flatten.
Nailing: Good holding ability, but splits easily.
Finishing: No known problems.
Comments: End-grain block usage results in a hard, high-wear surface. Produces only small size boards.

Appearance
Color: Heartwood is mostly reddish brown; sapwood is generally pale white.
Grain: Mostly closed, straight grain; fine, uniform texture. Coarser than European beech.
Variations within species and grades: Only one species is native to the United States. Moderate to high color variation between boards.

Properties
Hardness (Janka): 1300; 1% harder than Northern red oak.
Dimensional Stability: Below average (change coefficient .00431; 17% less stable than red oak).
Durability: Elastic, hard; excellent shock resistance. Wears well and stays smooth when subjected to friction — popular for factory floors.

Workability
Sawing/Machining: Difficult to work with hand tools, but good machining qualities. Sanding: Sands satisfactorily.
Nailing: Good holding ability, but has a tendency to split.
Finishing: No known problems.

Appearance
Color: Pecan heartwood is reddish brown with dark brown stripes; sapwood is white or creamy white with pinkish tones. Hickory heartwood is tan or reddish; sapwood is white to cream, with fine brown lines.
Grain: Pecan is open, occasionally wavy or irregular. Hickory is closed, with moderate definition; somewhat rough-textured.
Variations within species and grades: In both hickory and pecan, there are often pronounced differentiation's in color between spring wood and summer wood. In pecan, sapwood is usually graded higher than darker heartwood. Pecan and hickory are traditionally mixed by flooring mills.

Properties
Hardness (Janka): 1820; 41% harder than Northern red oak. Pecan is slightly softer than true hickories.
Dimensional Stability: Pecan, average (change coefficient .00315; 15% more stable than red oak). Hickory, below average (change coefficient .00411; 11% less stable than red oak).
Durability: Combination of strength, hardness, toughness and stiffness found in no other commercial wood; exceedingly high in shock resistance.

Workability
Sawing/Machining: Hickory species’ density makes it difficult to season, machine and work with hand tools.
Sanding: Difficult to sand because of density, and because light color makes sander marks show more than on darker woods.
Nailing: Good holding ability; prone to splitting.
Finishing: No known problems.

Appearance
Color: Heartwood is creamy white to light reddish brown; sapwood is pale to creamy white.
Grain: Closed, subdued grain, with medium figuring and uniform texture. Occasionally shows quilted, fiddleback, curly or bird’s-eye figuring. Figured boards often culled during grading and sold at a premium.
Variations within species and grades: Black maple (B. nigrum) is also hard; other species are classified as soft.

Properties
Hardness (Janka): 1450; 12% harder than Northern red oak.
Dimensional Stability: Average (change coefficient .00353; 4% more stable than red oak).
Durability: Dense, strong, tough, stiff; excellent shock resistance — often used in bowling alleys and athletic facilities. Markedly resistant to abrasive wear.

Workability
Sawing/Machining: Density makes machining difficult.
Sanding: Sands satisfactorily.
Nailing: Fair resistance to splitting; good holding ability.
Finishing: Takes neutral finish well; does not stain uniformly.
Comments: Light color lends itself to contemporary light floors. Extra care must be taken during sanding and finishing, as sanding marks and finish lines are more obvious due to maple’s density and light color.

Appearance
Color: Cream-colored sapwood; heartwood is honey-gold to brown with darker knots throughout.
Grain: Closed.
Variations within species and grades: High degree of color variability.

Properties
Hardness (Janka): 1375; 6% harder than Northern red oak.
Dimensional Stability: Excellent (change coefficient .00162; 56% more stable than red oak). However, actual installations have demonstrated significant movement in use.
Durability: Excellent.

Workability
Sawing/Machining: Good machining qualities.
Sanding: Sands satisfactorily.
Nailing: Can be brittle (like Brazilian cherry); splits easily.
Finishing: No known problems.
Comments: Respiratory allergic potential.

Appearance
Color: Heartwood is yellow after cutting and turns deep pinkish tan to warm reddish brown within weeks due to high resin content. Sapwood remains yellow, with occasional blue-black sap stain.
Grain: Dense, with high figuring. Plainsawn is swirled; rift or quartersawn is primarily pinstriped. Curly or burl grain is rare.
Variations within species and grades: Moderate color variation.

Properties
Hardness (Janka): 1225; 5% softer than Northern red oak.
Dimensional Stability: Above average (change coefficient .00263; 29% more stable than red oak).
Durability: Natural resistance to insect infestation in heartwood; dense.

Workability
Sawing/Machining: Good machining and hand-tooling qualities.
Sanding: Tendency to clog paper due to high resin content; begin with coarse grade.
Nailing: Good holding ability.
Finishing: Accepts both surface and penetrating finishes. Some stains may blotch; raising grain first may help. To reduce the wood’s tendency to repel finish coats, surface resins may be removed with a solvent that is compatible with the finish to be used.

Appearance
Color: Heartwood varies from light yellow/orange to reddish brown or yellowish brown; sapwood is light tan to yellowish white.
Grain: Closed, with high figuring; patterns range from clear to knotty.
Variations within species and grades: Longleaf pine (P. palustris), shortleaf pine (P. echinata), loblolly pine (P. taeda), slash pine (P. elliottii). All have many of the same characteristics as Douglas fir. Old-growth lumber in these varieties has substantially higher density and is more stable than second-growth material.

Properties
Hardness (Janka): Loblolly and shortleaf 690, 47% softer than Northern red oak; longleaf 870, 33% softer than N. red oak.
Dimensional Stability: Above average (change coefficient .00265; 28% more stable than red oak).
Durability: Soft, fairly durable, although not as resistant to scuffs, dents and abrasions as the hardwoods. Often used for flooring, but may not be suitable for all applications due to its softness.

Workability
Sawing/Machining: Good machining qualities.
Sanding: Resin in wood tends to clogs abrasives; frequent sandpaper changes are required.
Nailing: Good holding ability and resistance to splitting.
Finishing: A durable finish can help minimize wear.
Comments: Generally manufactured for flooring with no end-match; sometimes flooring is “distressed” to create an antique look.

Appearance
Color: Heartwood is light tan to dark brown; sapwood is creamy white. Similar in appearance to white oak, but frequently more yellow.
Grain: Bold, straight, moderately open grain with occasional wavy figuring. Can have strong contrast in grain in plainsawn boards.
Variations within species and grades: Sometimes confused with hickory; the zone of large pores is more distinctive in ash, similar to that of red oak.

Properties
Hardness (Janka): 1320; 2% harder than Northern red oak.
Dimensional Stability: Above average (change coefficient .00274; 26% more stable than red oak).
Durability: Elastic, hard; excellent shock resistance. Remains smooth under friction.

Workability
Sawing/Machining: Good machining qualities.
Sanding: Sands satisfactorily.
Nailing: Good holding ability; good resistance to splitting.
Finishing: No known problems. Stains well.

Appearance
Color: Heartwood is yellowish tan to light brown. Sapwood is tan to white. Heartwood may be confused with that of Southern yellow pine. Radical color change upon exposure to sunlight.
Grain: Normally straight, with occasional wavy or spiral texture. Nearly all fir flooring is vertical-grain or riftsawn clear-grade material.
Variations within species and woods: Wood varies greatly in weight and strength. Young trees of moderate to rapid growth have reddish heartwood and are called red fir. The narrow-ringed wood of old trees may be yellowish-brown and is known as yellow fir.

Properties
Hardness (Janka): 660; 49% softer than Northern red oak.
Dimensional Stability: Above average (change coefficient .00267; 28% more stable than red oak).
Durability: Durable but easily dented. Somewhat brittle and splinters easily, especially with age. Used for flooring, but may not be suitable for all applications due to its softness.

Workability
Sawing/Machining: Harder to work with hand tools than the soft pines.
Sanding: Sands satisfactorily.
Nailing: Good holding ability.
Finishing: Some boards develop a slight pinkish to bright salmon color when finished with some products. Because of tendency toward color change, care must be taken to avoid oversanding when refinishing an existing floor.
Comments: Sometimes milled for flooring as end-grain block, which is significantly harder than Plainsawn.