Summary
• Oak accounts for the majority of temperate hardwood business in the UK.
• The top two species are European and American white oak.
• Oak is valued for its durability and versatility.
• Croatian oak is stocked by several importer/merchants.

“No-one ever got fired for buying oak – it’s safe and secure,” said Keith Fryer, co-director of T Brewer. “Oak is still the one that punters rely on and trust – if it’s oak, they know it’s going to be alright,” he said.

Frank Boddy, managing director at oak specialist John Boddy Timber, shares the view that oak has become the default position purchase for buyers seeking top quality hardwood, partly because “it’s a beautiful timber”, but also because, until relatively recently, certified tropical timber was as rare as hens’ teeth. “Where specifiers were sensitive about sustainability they were only left with temperate hardwood – and we’ve only got a limited number to choose from.”

“If you go into the average hardwood yard in the UK you’ll only see about six species,” agreed UCM plc director Kevin Ashby. “On the Continent they stock a huge variety of wood which opens the market up more.”

But were the range of available temperate hardwoods to increase in the UK, it seems likely that oak would retain the top slot – nobody has a bad word to say for it.

“It has a neutral colour so you can leave it in its natural colour or stain it, so it’s extremely versatile,” said Mr Boddy. “It’s also extremely stable, particularly in comparison with other species.”

Top species

Oak accounts for the major proportion of the hardwood business of most UK timber traders, with the top two species being European and American white oak – with American red oak some way behind. According to David Haywood, timber products director at Timbmet, for example, oak accounts for 26% of the overall business, broken down into: European, 600m³ in stock, annual turnover 4,500m³/£7m; American white, 1,400m³ in stock, annual turnover 5,000m³/£5m; and American red, 100m³ in stock, annual turnover 1,000m³/£750,000.

It’s a similar story at UCM. “We do around 2,000m³ of European oak and 5,000m³ of American white oak per year,” said Kevin Ashby, adding that American red oak volumes are negligible.

The UK red oak market has been a hard one to crack, but Richard Bagnall, managing director of Robbins Timber, sees some future for it. “Traditionally people have wanted white oak because it’s more durable, but the advantage of red oak is that it’s cheaper. And, depending on where you get it, it can look very similar. It’s increasingly coming into the furniture market.”

French, German and Croatian oak make up the bulk of the European oak stock in the UK, with English oak bought in for specific customer requirements.

Certified oak

The majority of John Boddy Timber’s oak is sourced from Germany. “We can get German and eastern European oak FSC certified. We do plenty of jobs where FSC is specified and we can’t use French oak because it’s PEFC,” said Mr Boddy.

International Timber stocks around 900m³ of PEFC-and FSC-certified oak at any one time, turning over around 3,000m³ or £3m of oak a year. According to managing director Tony Miles, the split is 65% in favour of Croatian material, with German at 25% and French at 10%.

“We tend to source all our European oak from the Balkans,” said Richard Bagnall. “Generally the forests are more mature and the growing conditions are excellent.”

Keith Fryer agrees that the further east you go, the better the oak. “You get slightly faster growing, straight, clean and clear oak trees,” he said. “The durability is slightly superior and the yield and quality are better.”

Along with American white oak, Danzer UK also keeps French boules, some fresh sawn QP1 grade French beams and Croatian square edge, and sales director Mike Evans has seen market share increase for the European species.

Demand for European oak

Arnold Laver & Co Ltd also stocks American white oak and Croatian, with French and British bought in on demand, and has a 70:30 split in favour of US oak. However, it too has found a swing in favour of European over the past six months. “It’s found its place in the UK market now and its growing popularity with UK consumers revolves around both product quality and good availability,” said purchasing director Pat Burke. “It’s generally perceived as more durable by our customers and its aesthetic character is a popular feature.”

The difference in aesthetics is partly down to the machining techniques favoured in each continent. “American oak is plain sawn and European oak is either quarter sawn or rift sawn, which can give the timber more aesthetic appeal,” said Timbmet’s David Haywood.

“American oaks tend to be more variable in terms of colour,” said International’s Tony Miles, “but the American method of sawing around the log tends to yield consistent flat sawn grain patterns, which contrasts with the mixture of [medullary] ray figure on quarter sawn and heart boards and the flame pattern in flat sawn boards typical of European oak products.

“Some customers just want whichever species and grade will do the job most economically, while others are looking for specific characteristics,” he added. “As a result, some prefer French or German boules, while others will prefer Croatian or German square edge.”

Boules

Boules – logs sawn through and through – offer the most uniformity. “This accounts for their popularity, particularly with furniture makers who tend to require little or no colour variation,” said Danzer’s Mike Evans. “They are also wider and longer than square-edged stock, providing more cutting potential.”

For the oak specialist the options are almost only limited by the imagination. John Boddy Timber, for example, offers a bespoke cutting service and around 20 different grades. Options include crown sawn, rift sawn, figured, quarter sawn, beams (seasoned and fresh sawn), billet/wainscot or true quarter sawn, for example. And grades range from clear to pippy and burr oak.

In general, though, prime and FAS grades are the most commonly stocked in the UK as they are the most sought after for joinery, furniture and flooring applications. Character oak has a more niche, but growing, market in flooring and, said Tony Miles, has made some inroads into cladding and decking.

Despite the global economic turmoil, oak has held its ground. “Part of that is fashion driven, but it’s also a good general purpose, attractive, durable hardwood,” said Richard Bagnall.

“Oak continues to be our biggest seller of sawn timber,” said Timbmet’s David Haywood. “It’s a product everyone knows and it offers a wide variety of internal and external uses. Its popularity in both the trade and consumer markets is long established and will continue to drive demand for this species.”