Origin
The European oak, also known as common oak, ash-tree oak or carballo oak, is a tree species that gets its scientific name as Quercus robur. This tree grows in areas from southern Europe, Minor Asia and North Africa. In the Iberian Peninsula it also extends itself in the Atlantic regions, and some species can be found in Castilla y León, Aragón and Cataluña, too.
Colour
The sapwood of the European oak wood is pale yellow colour, and the heartwood has yellow or brown flush, with very visible rings.
Texture
The European oak wood is strong, with a straight vein and medium grain, and it also has with some small knots on the trunk.
Durability
The European oak is a species that requires living in a humid or oceanic weather to live, where there are no summer droughts. Therefore, the European oak wood is also valuable for being very resistant to cold, humidity and climate, as well as hits, therefore it is widely used in shipbuilding and in the railroad industry. In addition, it is highly prized for its resistance to fungi and termites attack.
Features
The European oak wood is strong, but pleasant to work for the final results. It allows easy sawing, although it is a hardwood and texture favors that the dye has a proper finish, although the drying is usually slow. The sapwood is not impregnable, while the heartwood is. Although this is a very solid wood, you should be careful when using products and glues for its delicate acidic component.
Applications
The European oak wood is mostly used to make furniture for indoors and outdoors, for carpentry and siding doors, for windows, decks or parquets, among others. Besides, it is also used to build decorative plates, wooden boards or barrels to keep drinks.