Tanoak

Overview

Tanoak (Notholithocarpus densiflorus) is a Western US hardwood, not a true oak. It has light to medium reddish-brown wood. The Wood Database describes it as an untamed beast, with very high movement in service. It suits local flooring or veneer.

Pros

• Hard (1,420 lbf) and dense (about 675 kg/m3 dried).
• Good workability with machine or hand tools; glues, stains and finishes well.
• Moderate price for a domestic hardwood, from local sources.

Cons

• Poor dimensional stability and very high movement in service. Shrinkage is 4.9% radial and 11.7% tangential, with a T/R ratio of 2.4.
• Lumber can be challenging to dry without defects or discolouration.
• Non-durable to perishable, with poor insect resistance.
• Availability is generally limited to local sources, mostly flooring planks or veneer.
• Very wide sapwood, which is not clearly differentiated from heartwood.

Variants and subspecies

• Tanoak is a single species; the Wood Database page does not list named variants.
• Not an oak: it sits in the genus Notholithocarpus, not Quercus. Compare with White oak and Red oak.
• Related Pacific Coast trees: Golden chinkapin and Pacific madrone.

Working and finishing

The Wood Database says tanoak has good workability with machine or hand tools and glues, stains and finishes well, but the lumber can be challenging to dry without defects or discolouration, and dimensional stability is poor. Buy properly dried stock, use quartersawn boards where you can, and allow for movement in solid-wood panels.

Staining and finishing colour

Sapwood and heartwood are both light to medium reddish brown, and the colour darkens with age. The Wood Database says it stains and finishes well. Test any stain on offcuts first.

Sustainability and handling

The Wood Database reports tanoak as not listed in the CITES Appendices (checked 2026-09-30) or on the IUCN Red List; Wikipedia's page gives Least Concern, but notes sudden oak death (Phytophthora ramorum) has killed millions of trees. US-grown timber is still covered by the Lacey Act, which as amended in 2008 prohibits trade in plants and timber taken, possessed, transported or sold in violation of law (Wikipedia's summary of the Act); buy from dealers who can name the source. The Wood Database reports no health effects beyond the standard risks of wood dust. The Wood Database's wood-dust article treats wood dust in general as an irritant or sensitizer and notes that fine dust can cause cumulative lung damage, so extract at the source and wear a respirator when sanding or machining.

Popular projects

Flooring, veneer, railroad cross-ties and furniture, per the Wood Database; in practice mostly local flooring and veneer. It suits work where a hard, oak-like wood is wanted from West Coast sources.

Buying notes

Supply is mostly local: ask Pacific Coast sawmills and flooring suppliers. No retail list price was found, but the Wood Database says prices should be moderate for a domestic hardwood. Ask how the stock was dried and check for checking, collapse and discolouration.