European Oak | Wood Technical Fact Sheet
 

European Oak - Quercus Robur

Other Common Names: European Oak, English Brown Oak, Rovere, Quercia, Chene, Eicke, Eik;

Distribution: Europe, Parts of West Asia, and Northern Africa.
European Oak has also been imported to parts of the US and Canada.

The Tree: Trees tend to grow in large stands with trunk diameters up to 6ft and heights of 50ft. Wide, long boards are commonly available. 

The Wood

General Characteristics: Straight, long grain in trees cut from large stands. Quarter sawn European Oak tends to have a silvery grain structure. The wood's texture is coarse and characterized by open pores.Wood harvested from the northern area's of the species distribution zone tends to be denser and tougher while wood from the central regions tend to be straighter and more uniform.. 

Colour: Light brown to a dark tan. Sapwood and heartwood have similar
colors and grain patterns. Sapwood tends to be lighter in color.

Workability: Workability is good. Denser woods may require sharper cutters. Reduced planing angles are required for highly figured grain sections. Turning properties are satisfactory. Steaming should be done at around 25% moisture content. Green woods tends to rupture when bent. The wood should be kept from metal fasteners while bending.

Finishing: Finishing and gluing qualities are good. English Oak accepts a broad range of finishes.

Durability: The heartwood is naturally resistant to decay however logs and green wood may be susceptible to several boring beetle species.

Drying: English Oak tends to dry slowly and may degrade in the initial
stages. Shrinkage is high and cracks and warps may occur. A yellow stain that eventually disappears is also common during drying.

Stability: Seasoned wood tends to have moderate movement during usage.