Grades & Properties of Wood Flooring —
Domestic Species
Quarter Sawn Red Oak (Tiger Oak)
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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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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Tiger 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 Quarter Sawn Red Oak Flooring Available:
Quarter Sawn Oak (known colloquially as "Tiger Oak quarter-sawing") means that the lumber is cut radially in relation to the growth rings so as to produce a uniform vertical-pattern grain. This method of cutting an oak log produces boards for flooring with beautiful medullary-ray figuring (referring to the vertical bands or plates of unspecialized tissue that radiate between the pith and the bark of the tree).
Quarter Sawn Red Oak flooring comprises Rift and Quartered Red Oak. The Rift just has vertical grain, while the Quartered has the figured streaks. Usually Rift and Quartered and Quarter Sawn refer to the same product, but Straight Rift and Straight Quartered are available separately by request. This page is devoted exclusively to Quarter Sawn Red Oak. Please refer to the Plain Sawn Red Oak flooring properties page for grades available in that type of Red Oak.
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.
Select and Better Quarter Sawn Red Oak flooring is color-sorted to remove extreme color variation, knots, mineral streaks, and surface defects such as cracks. Select and Better Quarter Sawn Red Oak is also referred to as Premium Quartered Red Oak.
#1 Common Quarter Sawn 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 Quarter Sawn 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 Quarter Sawn Red Oak, Mill Run Quarter Sawn Red Oak, and Tavern and Cabin Grade Quarter Sawn Red Oak.
Learn more about these specific Quarter Sawn Red Oak wood flooring grades:
