Wood Species Guide for Furniture Buyers

The wood you choose sets a piece's colour, how it wears and how it changes over the years. This guide compares the species you're most likely to meet when buying furniture, from the North American hardwoods we build with to the imported woods common in mass-market pieces.

At a glance

Hardness from the USDA Wood Handbook (North American woods) and The Wood Database (imports). Stability is rated by total shrinkage from green to dry (The Wood Database): under 9% very stable, 9–13.5% stable, 13.5–15.5% moderate, over 15.5% moves more. Sustainability status from the CITES appendices and the IUCN Red List, as of September 2026.

Species in detail

Black walnut We build with this

Juglans nigra

• Look: Chocolate to purplish brown; straight, flowing grain with a medium texture.
• Styles: Mid-century modern, contemporary, live-edge.
• Hardness: medium, 1,010 lbf.
• Stability: Stable (12.8% total shrinkage; 7.8% tangential, 5.5% radial).
• How it ages: Slowly lightens toward a warm, honey brown, faster in direct sun.
• Availability and price: Widely available; premium price for a domestic wood.
• Sustainability: Not CITES-listed; IUCN Least Concern.

White oak We build with this

Quercus alba

• Look: Light to medium brown with an olive or golden cast; open grain, with ray fleck when quartersawn.
• Styles: Scandinavian, Craftsman and Mission (quartersawn), contemporary.
• Hardness: hard, 1,360 lbf.
• Stability: Moves more (16.3% total shrinkage; 10.5% tangential, 5.6% radial).
• How it ages: Changes little; golden tones deepen slightly.
• Availability and price: Abundant; moderate price, a little above red oak.
• Sustainability: Not CITES-listed; IUCN Least Concern.

Red oak We build with this

Quercus rubra

• Look: Light to medium brown with a reddish cast; bold, open grain.
• Styles: Traditional North American furniture, cabinets and floors.
• Hardness: hard, 1,290 lbf.
• Stability: Moderate (13.7% total shrinkage; 8.6% tangential, 4.0% radial).
• How it ages: Changes little; can lighten in direct sun.
• Availability and price: Abundant; moderate to low price.
• Sustainability: Not CITES-listed; IUCN Least Concern.

Hard maple

Acer saccharum

• Look: Creamy white; fine, even, closed grain.
• Styles: Shaker, Scandinavian, contemporary, butcher block.
• Hardness: very hard, 1,450 lbf.
• Stability: Moderate (14.7% total shrinkage; 9.9% tangential, 4.8% radial).
• How it ages: Ambers to a golden honey tone.
• Availability and price: Readily available; moderate price (figured maple much more).
• Sustainability: Not CITES-listed; IUCN Least Concern.

Black cherry

Prunus serotina

• Look: Light pinkish brown when new; fine, satiny, closed grain.
• Styles: Shaker, traditional, Arts and Crafts.
• Hardness: medium, 950 lbf.
• Stability: Stable (11.5% total shrinkage; 7.1% tangential, 3.7% radial).
• How it ages: Darkens markedly to a deep reddish brown, quickly in sunlight.
• Availability and price: Adequate supply; mid to upper price.
• Sustainability: Not CITES-listed; IUCN Least Concern.

White ash

Fraxinus americana

• Look: Pale blond to light brown; bold, open grain much like oak.
• Styles: Scandinavian, contemporary, steam-bent chairs.
• Hardness: hard, 1,320 lbf.
• Stability: Stable (13.3% total shrinkage; 7.8% tangential, 4.9% radial).
• How it ages: Mellows slightly toward a warmer straw tone; oil-based finishes add amber.
• Availability and price: Historically low price; supply shrinking as emerald ash borer kills trees.
• Sustainability: Not CITES-listed; IUCN Critically Endangered because of emerald ash borer.

Hickory

Carya spp.

• Look: Light to reddish brown with strong light-and-dark contrast; open grain.
• Styles: Rustic, lodge, farmhouse.
• Hardness: very hard, 1,880 lbf.
• Stability: Moves more (16.7% total shrinkage; 10.5% tangential, 7.0% radial).
• How it ages: Can lighten in direct sun.
• Availability and price: Readily available; low to mid price.
• Sustainability: Not CITES-listed; IUCN Least Concern.

American beech

Fagus grandifolia

• Look: Pale cream, sometimes pinkish; fine, even, closed grain.
• Styles: Scandinavian chairs (classic Danish designs usually use European beech), steam-bent parts.
• Hardness: hard, 1,300 lbf.
• Stability: Moves more (17.2% total shrinkage; 11.9% tangential, 5.5% radial).
• How it ages: Mellows to a warmer, slightly yellow tone with light and age.
• Availability and price: Readily available in its range; affordable.
• Sustainability: Not CITES-listed; IUCN Least Concern.

Yellow birch

Betula alleghaniensis

• Look: Light reddish-brown heartwood, near-white sapwood; fine, even grain.
• Styles: Scandinavian, contemporary.
• Hardness: hard, 1,260 lbf.
• Stability: Moves more (16.8% total shrinkage; 9.5% tangential, 7.3% radial).
• How it ages: Mellows to a warmer, slightly yellow tone with light and age.
• Availability and price: Readily available; economical.
• Sustainability: Not CITES-listed; IUCN Least Concern.

Red alder

Alnus rubra

• Look: Light tan to reddish brown; fine, even grain. Native to the Pacific Northwest.
• Styles: Rustic knotty-alder cabinetry; stained as a cherry look-alike.
• Hardness: soft, 590 lbf.
• Stability: Stable (12.6% total shrinkage; 7.3% tangential, 4.4% radial).
• How it ages: Darkens and reddens.
• Availability and price: Knotty grades low; clear grades moderate.
• Sustainability: Not CITES-listed; IUCN Least Concern.

Eastern white pine

Pinus strobus

• Look: Pale yellow to light brown, often with knots.
• Styles: Farmhouse, rustic, Shaker, painted furniture.
• Hardness: very soft, 380 lbf.
• Stability: Very stable (8.2% total shrinkage; 6.1% tangential, 2.1% radial).
• How it ages: Darkens toward amber.
• Availability and price: Widely available; low to moderate price.
• Sustainability: Not CITES-listed; IUCN Least Concern.

Teak

Tectona grandis

• Look: Golden to medium brown; oily feel, coarse texture.
• Styles: Danish mid-century modern, outdoor furniture.
• Hardness: medium, 1,070 lbf.
• Stability: Very stable (7.2% total shrinkage; 5.3% tangential, 2.6% radial).
• How it ages: Darkens indoors; weathers to silver grey outdoors.
• Availability and price: Very expensive.
• Sustainability: Wild teak is IUCN Endangered (2022); ask for certified plantation teak.

Genuine mahogany

Swietenia macrophylla

• Look: Pinkish to deep reddish brown with a shimmering lustre; interlocked grain.
• Styles: Georgian and other formal traditional styles.
• Hardness: medium, 900 lbf.
• Stability: Very stable (7.5% total shrinkage; 4.3% tangential, 2.9% radial).
• How it ages: Darkens and richens.
• Availability and price: Mid price for an imported wood; trade is regulated.
• Sustainability: CITES Appendix II; IUCN Endangered.

Sapele

Entandrophragma cylindricum

• Look: Golden to reddish brown with a ribbon stripe; interlocked grain.
• Styles: Mahogany alternative; mid-century and traditional.
• Hardness: hard, 1,360 lbf.
• Stability: Stable (12.9% total shrinkage; 7.2% tangential, 5.2% radial).
• How it ages: Darkens.
• Availability and price: Moderate (figured boards much more).
• Sustainability: Not CITES-listed; IUCN Vulnerable.

European oak

Quercus robur

• Look: Light to medium brown with an olive cast; open grain, ray fleck when quartersawn.
• Styles: Scandinavian, European contemporary.
• Hardness: medium, 1,120 lbf.
• Stability: Stable (13.0% total shrinkage; 8.4% tangential, 4.7% radial).
• How it ages: Mellows to a warmer honey tone over time.
• Availability and price: Imported in North America; moderate.
• Sustainability: Not CITES-listed; IUCN Least Concern.

Rubberwood

Hevea brasiliensis

• Look: Light blond to tan; usually stained.
• Styles: Mass-market and flat-pack furniture.
• Hardness: medium, 960 lbf.
• Stability: Very stable (7.5% total shrinkage; 5.1% tangential, 2.3% radial).
• How it ages: Darkens slightly.
• Availability and price: Sold as low-cost imported furniture rather than lumber.
• Sustainability: Not CITES-listed; IUCN Least Concern. Cut from latex plantations when trees reach the end of their productive life, typically at about 30 years old.

Acacia

Acacia spp. (mainly A. mangium and A. auriculiformis)

• Look: Golden to dark brown, often with strong light-and-dark banding.
• Styles: Casual modern, rustic, outdoor.
• Hardness: varies by species; not well documented for plantation acacia.
• Stability: Varies.
• How it ages: Varies by species.
• Availability and price: Low to moderate; mostly plantation-grown imports.
• Sustainability: Plantation species; IUCN Least Concern.

Mango

Mangifera indica

• Look: Golden brown, often with pink, yellow or black streaks.
• Styles: Bohemian, global, casual modern.
• Hardness: medium, 1,070 lbf.
• Stability: Very stable (8.9% total shrinkage; 5.5% tangential, 3.6% radial).
• How it ages: Varies.
• Availability and price: Low to moderate; mostly imported as finished furniture.
• Sustainability: Not CITES-listed; IUCN Data Deficient. Sometimes cut from orchards once fruit production declines.

How to read these ratings

• Hardness is dent resistance, from the Janka test. See our Janka hardness scale for what the numbers mean in daily use.
• Stability is how much a wood swells and shrinks as humidity changes. It matters most on wide surfaces like tabletops and cabinet doors. Quartersawn boards move only about half to two-thirds as much across their width as plain-sawn boards of the same wood. See our guide to why solid wood moves.
• How it ages: every wood changes colour with light and time. Cherry changes the most. Walnut slowly lightens, while maple, pine and white oak turn warmer. Rotate décor now and then so the colour changes evenly.
• Sustainability: CITES Appendix II means international trade is permitted but regulated. IUCN categories describe how threatened a species is in the wild. They don't cover plantation-grown or certified wood, so ask where the wood came from. FSC certification is one assurance to look for.

Which wood suits which look?

• Mid-century modern: walnut and teak.
• Scandinavian and Japandi-inspired: white oak, ash, beech and birch, usually in light, natural finishes.
• Craftsman and Mission: quartersawn white oak, prized for its ray fleck.
• Shaker and traditional: cherry, maple and pine, with mahogany or sapele for formal traditional pieces.
• Rustic and farmhouse: pine, hickory, knotty alder and reclaimed wood.
• Contemporary and minimal: walnut, white oak or maple in clean, simple forms.