Where to buy reputable oak wood? How many types of oak wood are there on the market today?

Sunday, 10/29/2023, 20:40, (GMT+7)

Natural wood is always popular for use in making interior products because of its durability and luxurious color. One of the types of wood that is widely used in the Vietnamese market and also in export production is oak. So where can we buy reputable oak wood? What should we pay attention to when buying oak wood? Please read the article below to get your answer!

Where to buy reputable oak wood and what to note when buying this type of wood

First of all, we need to know that oak is a natural wood imported from Europe and America. Oak wood is also known in English as Oak. In terms of types, there are two main types of oak: white oak and red oak. Speaking of form, we have round wood and sawn wood. There are two types of sawn wood: sawn wood that has been peeled and sawn wood that has not been peeled. Each type will have different specifications and qualities, so you need to have a basic understanding of these characteristics before determining where to buy oak wood.

White oak and red oak

White oak wood belongs to the species Quercus Alba (originating from America) and Quercus Robur or Quercus Petraea (originating from Europe). Wood has an average weight of 769kg/m3, hardness of 6049N. The sapwood is light in color, the heartwood ranges from light brown to dark brown. White oak wood is hard and heavy, with moderate bending and compressive strength. The wood has low strength but is easy to bend with steam. White oak mostly has straight grain with longer rays than red oak. White oak heartwood is resistant to insect attack due to its high tannin content.

Red oak wood belongs to the Quercus Rubra species. Wood has an average weight of 705 kg/m3, hardness of 5738N. The sapwood is white to light brown, the heartwood is pinkish red brown. Red oak is hard and heavy, flexible, resistant to bending and of average strength. Wood has high compressive strength and is easy to bend with steam. Red oak heartwood has poor resistance to rot but is relatively easy to treat with preservatives. At this point you have a little understanding of what oak wood is, but there is still a lot of information below that you need to discover.

As stated above, white oak and red oak have different characteristics and different prices. Therefore, you need to clearly understand the characteristics of these two types of wood to know your exact needs before finding out where to buy oak wood.

European oak and American oak

Countries in Europe that regularly export oak are Croatia, France, Germany, Austria, Ukraine, etc. American oak is distributed mainly on the east coast of the United States. In addition to the differences in types mentioned above, European oak and American oak also differ in quality classification. American oak is graded according to NHLA standards. Common quality grades are FAS, 1 COM, 2COM, 3 COM, OUTS, etc. Oak wood in Europe will be classified based on past practice without any specific standards. . This causes the quality of European oak to be uneven and the price to vary widely. Common quality levels are AA, AB, ABC, BC, C,…

In addition, the measurement coefficients of oak wood from these two origins are also different. If in the US, we use the inch system for thickness and width, and feet for length. In Europe, mm is used to measure thickness and width, and meters are used to measure the length of wood. American oak will be measured by using a scanner, scanning the measurements at the top of the bale (because the wood is 100% squared), while European wood will be measured by manually measuring each panel. This is one of the very basic but also very important notes. No matter where you buy oak wood, these regulations will be followed.

Corrugated oak wood and uncorked oak wood

All American oak is squared because they have modern machinery. Workshops in Europe do not invest in these types of machinery, while labor costs here are very high, so the wood is almost never processed. Part of the reason also lies in the production and trade practices in these two areas. For European unsealed wood, each country will have different characteristics. Most unbarked oak from Austria and France will lose its bark. Oak wood from Germany will have rotten sapwood. Oak wood from Croatia and Ukraine will not lose its bark or rot. But oak from Ukraine is susceptible to yellow mold on the wood surface.

Sawn oak and round oak

In the Vietnamese market, trading companies and manufacturing companies often import sawn oak wood according to standard thickness specifications. If factories need special thickness specifications that do not follow common specifications, you can buy round oak wood to cut it yourself according to your needs. However, you must pay special attention to preserving and drying wood. Especially the issue of wood drying is because in Vietnam there are no modern kilns like European and American countries. Besides, the technique and experience of drying wood is not equal.

Supplier

In addition to the characteristics of oak wood mentioned above, a particularly important note when deciding where to buy oak wood is to find a reputable supplier. Imported oak wood is currently provided by many large and small commercial units. Price quotes for oak wood from different units also vary because of the import source, import price and actual quality of the wood. Therefore, if you want to buy quality oak wood, customers need to consider carefully and remember the following notes:

- You should choose a long-standing, reputable business unit. In fact, these units often receive more incentives when importing goods from abroad, they have many sources of supply, and can import wood at better prices than other units.
- Diverse sources of imported wood, standard colors, meeting the factory’s regular orders.
  Maximum support policy, door-to-door delivery.
- Professional, enthusiastic consulting, always helping customers clearly understand material information and actual quality of each batch of wood.