What is the Difference Between White Oak and Red Oak

White oak and red oak are two different types of oak. Although the name implies that they are different colours, you cannot tell them apart by using this method, particularly if the timber has been stained.

Quercus rubra is another name for Red oak. Although rubra is the true red oak, others such as Black Oak (Quercus velutina) and Water Oak (Quercus Nigra) are broadly grouped as red oak.

Quercus alba is the Latin name for White Oak. It is the true white oak but others such as Bur Oak and English Oak are also considered white oaks.

This means that you are not always purchasing an exact species - more the characteristics of the white or red oak group.

The two groups are different in a few ways and if you competent with your timber identification you can easily tell them apart.

If you have the luxury of seeing the leaves still on the wood, they will help you identify which wood you have. The leaves of the Red Oak are pointed whereas those of the White Oak usually have rounded lobes. This isn’t the case 100% of the time though.

In a lot of cases you won’t have the leaves to help you so one way to tell the timbers apart is to look at the rays (the dark brown lines in the wood). Red oak usually has short rays. White oak usually has longer rays - often longer than three quarters of an inch.

You can also look at the endgrain (if the timber has not been painted, rough-sawn or sealed). Ensure that the wood is free from dirt then take a closer look. If you are looking at heartwood, the endgrain of red oak will show open pores. White oak heartwood pores are filled with what are known as tyloses - a bubble-like formation. An exception to this is Chestnut Oak, a white oak with large and open pores.

The quickest and perhaps best method of working out if timber is red or white oak is to use a 10% solution of sodium nitrite on the heartwood. Brush it onto the wood and wait for a colour change. Red oak will only alter in colour slightly (sometimes with a greenish hue) but white oak will change colour very noticeably in only a few minute, showing a dark reddish brown and then finally almost a black.

Of course if you are looking at timber in furniture stores it is probably easier just to ask what type of oak the furniture is made from.

Once you can tell the timbers apart you can make sure that you use them for the right things. White oak is good for outdoor furniture and boat building because it is resistant to water (because of the tyloses). It is also less likely to rot and therefore costs a bit more.

Red oak is ideal for indoor furniture and has the benefit of being a bit lighter than its white cousin. Oak furniture looks beautiful in the home so is a great choice.

Both are wonderful timbers that will look beautiful for years.