Pin Oak

Quercus palustris · Hardwood · North America

Janka 1,510 lbf≈39 lb/ft³ dried (est.)

Properties

Janka hardness	1,510 lbf (6,716 N)
Average dried weight (est.)	39 lb/ft³ (630 kg/m³)
Specific gravity	0.63
Modulus of rupture	14,000 psi (96.5 MPa)
Modulus of elasticity	1.73 million psi (11.93 GPa)
Crushing strength	6,820 psi (47.0 MPa)
Shrinkage — radial	4.3%
Shrinkage — tangential	9.5%
Shrinkage — volumetric	14.5%
Shrinkage T/R ratio	2.2

Values at 12% moisture content, clear-wood averages. Source: USDA Forest Products Laboratory, Wood Handbook FPL-GTR-282 (2021), Table 5–3b p. 5–10; shrinkage Table 4–3 p. 4–8.

Pin oak belongs to the red oak group, whose species are not separated from one another in the lumber trade. Red oak lumber is remanufactured into flooring, furniture, general millwork, boxes, pallets and crates, and handles.

Appearance & grain

The sapwood is nearly white and roughly 2 to 5 cm wide, and the heartwood is brown with a tinge of red. Red oak is told from white oak by the size and arrangement of its latewood pores and by generally lacking tyloses, and quartersawn lumber is distinguished by broad, conspicuous rays.

Workability

Red oak wood is heavy, and rapidly grown second-growth wood is generally harder and tougher than finer-textured old growth, with fairly high shrinkage on drying. The group's open pores make it unsuitable for tight cooperage unless the barrels are lined, and ties, mine timbers, and fence posts require preservative treatment for satisfactory service.