Welcome back to the Elemental Hardwoods blog, the most in-depth hardwood species series on the web. Today’s blog is a product spotlight on the beautiful hardwood, Asian White Oak.
Asian White Oak (Quercus Mongolica) is just one of over 600 oak species in the Quercus genus. This particular oak species can be found growing throughout the easternmost parts of Asia in countries such as China, Russia, Mongolia, Korea and Japan. The color, appearance and properties of Asian White Oak are very similar to our own North American White Oak flooring (Quercus Alba). The wood is a pleasant tannish to medium brown color and will exhibit a fair amount of variation. It’s not uncommon to see hints of green, gray and pink in many of the boards. Hardness (1360), stability, grain and texture are also very similar to standard North American White Oak, all of which are optimum for use as hardwood flooring.
Asian White Oak (Quercus Mongolica)
To say that Oak is prolific is an understatement. Its 600 different species can be found throughout the entire Northern hemisphere in the form of trees and shrubs as well as deciduous and evergreen varieties. Prior to the 19th century Oak was used in the construction of Naval war ships as well as many prestigious buildings throughout Europe due to its strength and durability.
Asian White Oak Hardwood Flooring
Today it’s still commonly used around the world in all types of construction including barrels for whiskey and wine, musical instruments, roof shingles and corks. Different types of Oak are the national trees of the United States, England, Germany and Poland. Additionally, Iowa, Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey and Georgia have all adopted an Oak as their State tree. Bottom line, Oak is a dominant species in the world of wood and as far as flooring goes it is the benchmark for price, availability, versatility, hardness, stability and demand.
Elemental currently stocks Asian White Oak in Solid 3.25” and 4.9” widths with lengths 1’-4’. The products are available either Smooth or Handscraped and only available Prefinished.
If you have any questions regarding this species, or any of our other products, please don’t hesitate to contact us.