Botanical Name Quercus rubra Other Names Northern red oak, Southern red oak Origin North America Sapwood Colour Whitish to grayish or pale reddish brown Heartwood Colour Pinkish to light reddish brown or light brown Grain Straight and open grain, small flake pattern when quarter sawn (tiger rays or butterflies) but not as visible as white oak Texture From the northern region are less coarse than the faster growing southern red oak, rays are mostly shorter, narrower and darker than white oak rays Common Uses Furniture, flooring, architectural interiors, internal joinery, mouldings, doors, kitchen cabinets, veneer, construction, panelling, coffins, caskets Density kg/m3 689 Specific gravity - 0.64 Hardness N 5450 Bending Strength N/mm2 98.8 Stiffness N/mm2 12300 Radial shrinkage % 3 Tangential shrinkage % 8 Working Properties Stability xxx Bending xxxx Machining xxx Screwing xxxx Gluing xxx Painting xxx Sanding xxx Staining xxx xxxx = excellent xxx = good xx = fair x = not good