Red oak not moving like it used to

Red oak (Quercus rubra) has great working properties and is widely available at a competitive price point, but it is just not selling like it used to. This durable species has its fair share of supporters but is rated too low for all that it has to offer, according to suppliers interviewed by Woodshop News. The consensus is that its aesthetic has fallen out of flavor with modern design trends.

“Red oak, especially, has been a really slow mover for us. When we talk to the woodworkers that we sell to, most of them are very averse to using it. I talked to one customer a couple of weeks ago who said he can’t give red oak away,” says Matt Ronsani, production manager at Berkshire Products in Sheffield, Mass., a company that sells a variety of species in rough-cut lumber and specializes in live-edge slabs.

“It used to be much more popular. It is easy for us to get, especially in the large sizes that we’re looking for. But I don’t think people really like the finished look of red oak. I don’t know if that golden oak finish doesn’t appeal to a lot of people. People are a lot more interested in white oak, probably five-to-one. I think the style is just not there. People look at red oak as a kitchen cabinet from a 90s modular house. But it finishes and stains as well. I think it’s very undervalued at this point.”

Paul Koffron of Koffron Hardwoods and Cabinets in Tiffin, Iowa, had similar thoughts.

“Twenty, thirty years ago, we used to order semi loads of red oak, plane it and sell it just all day long. And then the last 10 years or so you could hardly sell any. And in the last six months it’s picked up a little bit. It’s still not a major item for us like it used to be, but it’s picked up a little bit,” says Koffron.

“We made lots and lots of kitchens, raised panel doors, that was all we did. But then people started painting everything and I call it antiseptic white. The demand has gone down, and price has gone down, so there’s more of it around. Red oak grows twice as fast too, so there’s more of it out there.”

“Red oak trees, those are some of the whoppers. There’s still a lot to cut,” says Charles Prymula, who runs a sawmill, The Russel Mill, in Zion, Ill.

Doug White of Doug White Hardwoods in Marissa, Ill., counters that sales have picked up lately.

“The price has dropped quite a bit and I’m sure that’s definitely played a part in it [selling]. Everybody follows price,” he says. “But it’s always been a number one wood. We sell mostly cypress poplar, but next to that red oak is still a top seller. We sell it to a few manufacturers that have been using oak for 20-plus years and they’re not going to change one way or another.”  

This article was originally published in the October 2023 issue.