Fine Red Oak Lumber for Woodworking
Our premium red oak lumber has a lighter and brighter color than red oak you can get anywhere else. The founder of North Castle Hardwoods was one of the original pioneers of rift and quarter-sawn red oak, and we consider this one of our most premium products. We originally curated our red oak for Japanese luxury furniture makers, and now we’re delighted to offer it to US woodworkers as well.
What You Should Know About Our Red Oak Lumber
Dimensional rift-sawn and quarter-sawn red oak wood have straight grain with distinct ray flecks. (This is in contrast to plain sawn oak boards, which display the cathedral arch pattern produced by flat sawing.)
Rift and quarter-sawn red oak wood have incredible dimensional stability, so it won’t shift or cup in the manufacturing process or in finished products. Our red oak is sorted according to meticulous grading standards and kiln-dried to a moisture content of 6.0% to 8.0%. Once it reaches our Chicago-area woodshop, it’s surfaced on 2 sides and dimensioned to exact tolerances before being packaged with great care and shipped to your door.
Our rift-sawn and quarter-sawn red oak are sold together, but if you prefer one over the other, please call us, and we’ll see if we can accommodate you.
Other Names for Red Oak Wood
All of the lumber we sell as “red oak” is genuine Northern red oak from the tree species Quercus Rubra. We don’t include any Southern red oak or other tree species in our red oak collection. Our brand name for this signature product is TRQ oak.
Ordering lumber online with us is an experience worlds away from buying red oak lumber at big box stores. You’ll know exactly the quality you’re going to get when you order from North Castle Hardwoods.
Characteristics and Uses of Fine Red Oak Lumber
Dimensioned Northern red oak lumber has a Janka hardness of 1220-1290 and weighs 3.6 to 3.8 pounds per board foot. This means it’s moderately hard and heavy. Red oak has open pores and a coarse texture.
Red oak typically has a medium reddish-brown color, but North Castle Hardwoods’ TRQ oak is typically a lighter tan color that’s comparable to white oak. Furniture and cabinet makers love it because it brings a modern aesthetic to their products while still exhibiting the standby strength and machinability of classic red oak.
We offer rift and quartered red oak wood in thicknesses of 6/4” boards down to almost impossibly thin 1/8" slices. You can order boards on our website up to 4 feet in length, and we can ship longer pieces upon request. We also offer 4/4, 5/4, and 6/4 red oak lumber squares as turning blanks and craft pieces.
Our red oak is a versatile choice for shelving, cabinetry, mantelpieces, millwork, paneling, and more. Whether you're crafting with it au naturel or applying stains, we’re proud to supply the best red oak wood available for your next product.
