Live Oak

Quercus virginiana · Hardwood · North America

≈55 lb/ft³ dried (est.)Very durable

Properties

Average dried weight (est.)	55 lb/ft³ (880 kg/m³)
Specific gravity	0.88
Modulus of rupture	18,400 psi (126.9 MPa)
Modulus of elasticity	1.98 million psi (13.65 GPa)
Crushing strength	8,900 psi (61.4 MPa)
Shrinkage — radial	6.6%
Shrinkage — tangential	9.5%
Shrinkage — volumetric	14.7%
Shrinkage T/R ratio	1.4

Values at 12% moisture content, clear-wood averages. Source: USDA Forest Products Laboratory, Wood Handbook FPL-GTR-282 (2021), Table 5–3b p. 5–11; shrinkage Table 4–3 p. 4–8.

Live oak is the benchmark oak of the Handbook's tropical oak account: the tropical oaks are described as similar to it, and their strength values fall between white oak's and live oak's or equal live oak's. It was one of the main species used in building the U.S. Navy warship USS Constitution.

Appearance & grain

In heartwood color, texture, and grain, the tropical oaks are described as similar to the oaks of the United States, especially live oak. Live oak itself is exceptionally dense, with a dataset specific gravity of 0.88, the highest among the oaks.

Durability

Heartwood rated very resistant to decay fungi (rating stated for the tropical oaks, which the Handbook describes as similar to live oak).

Workability

Utilization of the tropical oaks is limited by difficulties in drying the wood. Live oak's dataset bending strength of 18,400 psi (at 0.88 specific gravity) puts it at the top of the oak strength range the Handbook describes.