Grades & Properties of Wood Flooring —
Domestic Species
Red Oak (North American Red Oak) —
Plain Sawn
Scientific Name:
Quercus rubra
Other Common Names and Related Species:
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American Red Oak
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Black Oak
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Buck Oak
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Canadian Red Oak
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Common Red Oak
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Eastern Red Oak
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Gray Oak
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Leopard Oak
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Maine Red Oak
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Mountain Red Oak
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North American Red Oak
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Northern Red Oak
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Southern Red Oak
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Spanish Red Oak
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Spotted Oak
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Swamp Red Oak
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Water Oak
Learn more about this hardwood flooring species »
Origin:
The United States and Canada.
Janka Hardness: 1290
Red Oak is the benchmark of the Janka scale. All other species are compared to it.
Grades of Plain Sawn Red Oak Flooring Available:
Red Oak is the most widely used wood for flooring. There are many grades of Red Oak flooring available. This page is devoted exclusively to Plain Sawn Red Oak. Please refer to the Quarter Sawn Red Oak flooring properties page for Quartered grades available. Flooring is normally made from one grade lower of lumber. Thus, #1 Common lumber will make Select and Better flooring and so on. Lumber is graded worst side, while flooring is graded best side of the board. The lumber is defected to yield a higher grade of flooring, except when Clear grade flooring is made.
Clear grade Red Oak flooring is color-sorted for a rich consistent deep pink color. Clear grade is the best flooring grade and made of the highest grade (export grade) lumber. Very little color variation is allowed in this grade.
Select and Better Red Oak flooring is color-sorted to remove extreme color variation, knots, mineral streaks, and surface defects such as cracks. Slightly more color variation will be present than in the Clear grade, but it will still have mostly consistent color. Select and Better Red Oak is also referred to as Premium Red Oak.
#1 Common Red Oak flooring is lightly color-sorted to remove the worst color variation. Small dime-sized knots are allowed, as well as mineral streaks.
#2 Common Red Oak flooring includes all the character found in the wood. Large knots, white sapwood, worm holes, and other surface defects are included in this grade. Other common names are Rustic Red Oak, Mill Run Red Oak, and Tavern and Cabin Grade Red Oak.
Learn more about these specific Plain Sawn Red Oak wood flooring grades:
