What is it?
The volume hardwood of North America: strong, open-pored, pinkish, and sawn in greater quantity than any other US hardwood species.
Why does it matter?
Red oak is the benchmark against which other North American hardwood prices are quoted, simply because there is so much of it and it is sold in every grade. Its fortunes track furniture and flooring fashion more than construction.
Where it grows
The eastern United States and southeastern Canada - the most abundant commercial hardwood in North America.What it is used for
Flooring, furniture, cabinets, millwork, pallets in the low grades.What to watch
Its open pores wick liquid along the grain, so it is unsuitable for barrels or anything that must stay watertight, and it needs grain filling for a smooth finish.Price
Oak and maple hardwood flooring, US producer price index
Annual averageIndex Jun 1984=100
Basis: US producer price index for oak and maple hardwood flooring. This prices a finished product made from the wood, not the lumber itself, and it is the only published series that tracks a single hardwood species group.. Annual averages as published in FRED (US Bureau of Labor Statistics producer price indexes) · source ↗. These are reference annual averages, not a live market quote.
What it is used for
All end markets →| End market | What it does there | Importance |
|---|---|---|
| Furniture & Joinery | Flooring, furniture and cabinets | Defining |