Species data
Willow Oak
Quercus phellos - a hardwood from eastern United States.
Properties at a glance
| Janka hardness | 1,460 lbf |
| Stiffness (MOE) | 1,804,000 psi |
| Specific gravity | 0.77 |
| Density | 48.0 lb/ft3 (770 kg/m3) |
| Weight per board foot | 4.00 lb |
| Shrinkage, green to oven-dry | 9.6% tangential / 5% radial |
| Indicative price | $4.00 per board foot (estimated) |
Values are at about 12% moisture content. Density is specific gravity times 62.4; a board foot is one twelfth of a cubic foot, so weight per board foot is that density divided by twelve. Anything marked estimated is our own figure, not a measured one.
How Willow Oak compares
Measured against the 113 solid woods in this database: it is harder than 66% of them, heavier than 73%, and stiffer than 72%.
What that means in the shop
A 4/4 board 8 inches wide and 8 feet long is 5.33 board feet, so in Willow Oak it weighs about 21.4 lb. A stack of ten is 214 lb - worth knowing before you load a rack or a car.
Against red oak, the trade's usual yardstick at 1,220 lbf, Willow Oak is about 1.2x as hard and 1.10x as heavy.
Its shrinkage is 9.6% tangential against 5% radial, a ratio of 1.9 to 1. The wider that ratio, the more unevenly a flatsawn board moves across its width as humidity changes, and the more it wants to cup; anything near or above 2 to 1 is worth quartersawing or restraining for panels and wide tops. This one moves comparatively evenly.
Woods of similar hardness
Closest to Willow Oak on hardness in this database: European Beech (1,450 lbf), Hard Maple (1,450 lbf), Lyptus (1,420 lbf), Pin Oak (1,500 lbf). Similar hardness does not mean similar behaviour - check density and movement before substituting one for another.
Working with it
Workability. Takes glue, stain, and finish well, behaving like other red oaks during shop work
Durability. A red oak with poor decay resistance; expect minimal durability when exposed to weather
Typical uses. cabinetry, furniture, interior trim, flooring, veneer.
Related calculators
Sources
MOE, SG (12% MC), Janka and shrinkage from The Wood Database (which cites the USDA FPL Wood Handbook). Willow Oak is not individually listed in the printed FPL/Hoadley dimensional change coefficient chart, so CT/CR are omitted. Uses, region, durability and workability summarized from The Wood Database. Price indicative.
These calculators are for planning and estimation. Engineering results (shelf sag, wood movement) use published average material properties; real boards vary by grade, grain, moisture and defects. Verify load-bearing designs with a professional.