COLOR: Heartwood is light tan to dark brown; sapwood is creamy white. Similar in appearance to white oak, but frequently more yellow.
GRAIN: Bold, straight, moderately open grain with occasional wavy figuring. Can have strong contrast in grain in plainsawn boards.

HARDNESS/JANKA: 1320; 2% harder than Northern red oak.

DIMENSIONAL STABILITY: Above average (change coefficient .00274; 26% more stable than red oak).

DURABILITY: Elastic, hard; excellent shock resistance. Remains smooth under friction.

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COLOR: Heartwood is mostly reddish brown; sapwood is generally pale white.

GRAIN: Mostly closed, straight grain; fine, uniform texture. Coarser than European beech.

HARDNESS (JANKA): 1300; 1% harder than Northern red oak.

DIMENSIONAL STABILITY: Below average (change coefficient. 00431; 17% less stable than red oak).

DURABILITY: Elastic, hard; excellent shock resistance. Wears well and stays smooth when subjected to friction - popular for commercial floors.

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COLOR: In yellow birch, sapwood is creamy yellow or pale white; heartwood is light reddish brown tinged with red. In sweet birch, sapwood is light colored and heartwood is dark brown tinged with red.

GRAIN: Medium figuring, straight, closed grain, even texture. Occasional curly grain or wavy figure in some boards.

SIDE HARDNESS/JANKA: 1260 (yellow); 2% softer than Northem red oak.

DIMENSIONAL STABILITY: Average (change coefficient .00338; 8% more stable than red oak).

DURABILITY: Hard and stiff; very strong, with excellent shock resistance.

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COLOR: Heartwood is light to dark reddish brown, lustrous; sapwood is light brown to pale with a light pinkish tone. Some flooring manufacturers steam lumber to bleed the darker heartwood color into the sapwood resulting in a more uniform color.

GRAIN: Fine. Frequently wavy. Uniform texture. Distinctive flake pattern on true quartersawn surfaces. Texture is satiny with some gum pockets.

HARDNESS (JANKA): 950; 26% softer than Northern red oak.

DIMENSIONAL STABILITY: Above average (change coefficient .00248; 33% more stable than red oak).

DURABILITY: Strong, moderately hard; excellent shock resistance. Usually considered too soft for an entire floor - mostly used for borders and accents.

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COLOR: Heartwood is yellowish tan to light brown. Sapwood is tan to white. Heartwood may be confused with that of Southern yellow pine. Radical color change upon exposure to sunlight.

GRAIN: Normally straight, with occasional wavy or spiral texture. Nearly all fir flooring is vertical-grain or riftsawn clear-grade material.

HARDNESS (JANKA): 660; 49% softer than Northern red oak.

DIMENSIONAL STABILITY: Above average (change coefficient .00267; 28% more stable than red oak).

DURABILITY: Durable but easily dented. Somewhat brittle and splinters easily, especially with age. Used for flooring, but may not be suitable for all applications due to its softness.

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COLOR: Heartwood is yellow after cutting and turns deep pinkish tan to warm reddish brown within weeks due to high resin content. Sapwood remains yellow, with occasional blue-black sap stain.

GRAIN: Dense, with high figuring. Plainsawn is swirled; rift- or quartersawn is primarily pinstliped. Curly or burl grain is rare.

HARDNESS (JANKA): 1225; 5% softer than Northern red oak.

DIMENSIONAL STABILITY: Above average (change coefficient .00263; 29% more stable than red oak).

DURABILITY: Natural resistance to insect infestation in heartwood; dense.

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COLOR: Pecan heartwood is reddish brown with dark brown stripes; sapwood is white or creamy white with pinkish tones. Hickory heartwood is tan or reddish; sapwood is white to cream, with fine brown lines.

GRAIN: Pecan is open, occasionally wavy or irregular. Hickory is closed, with moderate definition; somewhat rough-textured.

HARDNESS (JANKA): 1820; 41% harder than Northern red oak. Pecan is slightly softer than true hickories.

DIMENSIONAL STABIUTY: Pecan, average (change coefficient .00315; 15% more stable than red oak). Hickory, below average (change coefficient .00411;
11 % less stable than red oak).

DURABILITY: Combination of strength, hardness, toughness and stiffness found in no other commercial wood; exceedingly high in shock resistance.

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COLOR: Heartwood is creamy white to light reddish brown; sapwood is pale to creamy white.

GRAIN: Closed, subdued grain, with medium figuring and uniform texture. Occasionally shows quilted, fid­dleback, curly or bird's-eye figuring. Figured boards often culled during grading and sold at a premium.

HARDNESS (JANKA): 1450; 12% harder than Northern red oak.

DIMENSIONAL STABILITY: Average (change coefficient .00353; 4% more stable than red oak).

DURABILITY: Dense, strong, tough, stiff; excellent shock resistance - often used in bowling alleys and athletic facilities. Markedly resistant to abrasive wear.

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COLOR: Light brown to dark reddish brown.

GRAIN: High in character, with ingrown bark and mineral streaks. Most commonly used in flooring as end-grain block, which has small irregular cracks radiating across the grain.

HARDNESS (JANKA): 2345; 82% harder than Northem red oak.

DIMENSIONAL STABILITY: Excellent (change coeffi­cient .00129; 65% more stable than red oak).

DURABILITY: Dense and very strong. End-grain cut has excellent resistance to abrasion and shock.

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COLOR: Heartwood and sapwood are similar, with sapwood lighter in color; most pieces have a reddish tone. Slightly redder than white oak.

GRAIN: Open, slightly coarser (more porous) than white oak. Plainsawn boards have a plumed or flared grain appearance; riftsawn has a tighter grain pattem, low figuring; quartersawn has a flake pattern, some­times called tiger rays or butterflies.

HARDNESS (JANKA): Northern 1290 (benchmark).

DIMENSIONAL STABILITY: Average (change coefficient .00369).

DURABILITY: Stiff and dense; resists wear, with high shock resistance, though less durable than white oak.

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COLOR: Heartwood is light brown; some boards may have a pinkish tint or a slight grayish cast. Sapwood is white to cream.

GRAIN: Open, with longer rays than red oak. Occa­sional crotches, swirls and burls. Plainsawn boards have a plumed or flared grain appearance; riftsawn has a tighter grain pattern, low figuring; quartersawn has a flake pattern, sometimes called tiger rays or but­terflies.

HARDNESS (JANKA): 1360; 5% harder than Northern red oak.

DIMENSIONAL STABILITY: Average (change coefficient .00365; 1% more stable than red oak).

DURABILITY: More durable than red oak. Tannic acid in the wood protects it from fungi and insects.

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COLOR: Heartwood varies from light yellow/orange to reddish brown or yellowish brown; sapwood is light tan to yellowish white.

GRAIN: Closed, with high figuring; patterns range from clear to knotty.

HARDNESS (JANKA): Loblolly and shortleaf 690, 47% softer than Northern red oak; longleaf 870, 33% softer than N. red oak.

DIMENSIONAL STABILITY: Above average (change coefficient .00265; 28% more stable than red oak).

DURABILITY: Soft, fairly durable, although not as resis­tant to scuffs, dents and abrasions as the hardwoods. Often used for flooring, but may not be suitable for all applications due to its softness.

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COLOR: Heartwood ranges from a deep, rich dark brown to a purplish black. Sapwood is nearly white to tan. Difference between heartwood and sapwood color is great; some flooring manufacturers steam lumber to bleed the darker heartwood color into the sapwood, resulting in a more uniform color.

GRAIN: Mostly straight and open, but some boards have burled or curly grain. Arrangement of pores is similar to hickories and persimmon; but pores are smaller in size.

HARDNESS (JANKA): 1010; 22% softer than Northern red oak.

DIMENSIONAL STABILITY: Excellent (change coeffi­cient .00274; 26% more stable than red oak).

DURABILITY: Moderately dense, very strong, good shock resistance. Not as dent-resistant as oak.

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COLOR: Sapwood is gray-white; heartwood is salmon red to orange-brown when fresh, and becomes rus­set or reddish brown when seasoned; often marked with dark streaks.

GRAIN: Mostly interlocked; texture is medium to rather coarse.

HARDNESS (JANKA): 2350; 82% harder than Northern red oak.

DIMENSIONAL STABILITY: Average (change coefficient .00300; 19% more stable than red oak). However, actual installations have demonstrated significant movement in use.

DURABILITY: Dense and very strong.

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COLOR: Cream-colored sapwood; heartwood is honey-gold to brown with darker knots throughout.

GRAIN: Closed.

HARDNESS (JANKA): 1375; 6% harder than Northern red oak.

DIMENSIONAL STABILITY: Excellent (change coeffi­cient .00162; 56% more stable than red oak). How­ever, actual installations have demonstrated signillcant movement in use.

DURABILITY: Excellent.

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COLOR: Heartwood is uniformly pinkish to dark red, often a rich, dark red mahogany hue, turning a deep brownish red with age and exposure; sapwood is pale. Frequent black streaks with occasional in­grown grain.

GRAIN: Frequently interlocked or wavy. Texture is even and moderately coarse.

HARDNESS (JANKA): 1910; 48% harder than Northern red oak.

DIMENSIONAL STABILITY: Below average (change coefficient .00396; 7% less stable than red oak).

DURABILITY: Dense and very strong; high resistance to wear.

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COLOR: Dark reddish brown.

GRAIN: Striped figuring in quartersawn selections; texture is even and vety fine.

HARDNESS (JANKA): 2200; 71% harder than Northern red oak.

DIMENSIONAL STABIUTY: Above average (change coefficient .00238; 36% more stable than red oak).

DURABILITY: Excellent.

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COLOR: Heartwood is yellowish to orange-brown when freshly cut, turning brown or dark red-brown upon exposure.

GRAIN: Straight to interlocked or wavy; coarse texture.

HARDNESS (JANKA): 1925: 49% harder than Northern red oak.

DIMENSIONAL STABILITY: Excellent (change coeffi­cient .00158; 57% more stable than red oak). How­ever, actual installations have demonstrated significant movement in use.

DURABILITY: Strength is comparable to hickory, but density is somewhat lower.

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COLOR: Heartwood is vivid reddish orange when freshly cut, darkening to reddish- or purple-brown or black over time. Sapwood is cream-colored. Very uniform in color.

GRAIN: Straight to interlocked; coarse texture.

HARDNESS (JANKA): 1725; 34% harder than Northern red oak.

DIMENSIONAL STABILITY: Excellent (change coeffi­cient .00180; 51% more stable than red oak).

DURABILITY: Average to high durability.

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COLOR: Heartwood is brown when fi:eshly cut, turning deep purple to purplish brown over time. Sapwood is a lighter cream color.

GRAIN: Usually straight; medium to fine texture.

HARDNESS (JANKA): 1860; 44% harder than Northern red oak.

DIMENSIONAL STABILITY: Excellent (change coeffi­cient .00212; 43% more stable than red oak).

DURABILITY: Very strong and dense.

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COLOR: Heartwood vartes from yellow-brown to dark golden brown; turns rich brown under exposure to sunlight. Sapwood is a lighter cream color.

GRAIN: Straight; coarse, uneven texture.

HARDNESS (JANKA): 1000; 22% softer than Northern red oak.

DIMENSIONAL STABILITY: Excellent (change coeffi­cient .00186; 50% more stable than red oak).

DURABILITY: Strength values are similar to those of American oak.

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COLOR: Heartwood is yellow-brown when freshly cut, turning dark brown to almost black with alternate layers of light and dark. Sapwood is yellowish-white and clearly demarcated from heartwood.

GRAIN: Straight when quartersawn; coarse texture.

HARDNESS (JANKA): 1630; 26% harder than Northern red oak.

DIMENSIONAL STABILITY: Excellent (change coeffi­cient .00201; 46% more stable than red oak). How­ever, actual installations have demonstrated significant movement in use.

DURABILITY: Average.

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