Battle of the oaks

Customers choosing oak handrails for their home are often intrigued as to the difference between European Oak and American Oak. So here is a little blog which will hopefully point out some of the key differences.

1. Species and origin – European Oak (Quercus Robur) is a temperate hardwood native to most of Europe and is, in fact, the same species as English Oak. American Oak (Quercus Alba) is also a temperate hardwood predominantly found in Eastern North America. Both species are classed as “white” oaks and have been known to live for several hundred years. We source our super prime European Oak from sustainably managed forests in Croatia and our American Oak from sustainably managed forests in the USA.
2. Colour tone – Although both oaks are similar in tone, European Oak generally tends to be a little darker than American Oak. European Oak is a warm golden, honey colour whereas American Oak is subtly lighter with pinkish tones.
3. Variation in tone – As timber is a natural product the tone varies from board to board (this is the beauty of a natural solid oak handrail). On the whole European Oak has a more even colour tone from board to board than American Oak which can show greater differences between light and dark shades.
4. Grain pattern – European Oak tends to have a distinctive, wavy grain pattern with scatterings of pip and burr. American Oak tends to have a straighter, subtle grain pattern.