Chêne / European Oak
Quercus Robur - Quercus Petraea
France is Europe’s leading producer of oak. More widespread than all other species of hardwood in France, oak accounts for 5 530 000 ha of French forest. Oak are tall, slow growing, long lived trees, up to 40 meters in height, with straight trunks, up to one meter in diameter. Harvesting begins at around 150 years of age.
Wood description
Oak sapwood is clear and easy to distinguish from the yellowish-brown heartwood. It is mainly a straight grain timber with heterogeneous structure.
Preserving
Oak heartwood has a naturally high durability enabling it to be used without any treatment as Class 3 timber (exposed to weathering). Sapwood is easy to trat and after impregnation can be used as Class 4 timber (in contact with water).
Physical and mechanical properties
Oak is a dense wood, moderately hard and moderately heavy, with a good level of stability (expansion/contraction is minimal). The wood is regular, with short fibres offering a good level of compression resistance.
| Average density | 710 kg/mᶟ |
| Total average volumetric shrinkage | 15.3 % |
| Brinell hardness perpendicular to the fibres | 32 N/mm² |
| Modulus of rupture under bending | 97 MPa |
| Breaking stress under axial compression | 58 MPa |
| Modulus of longitudinal elasticity under bending | 12 500 MPa |
Conditions of implementation
Grading
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Grading of Oak / Sawn Timber
Appearance grading/European standard EN 975-1
Strength class/French standard NFB 52-001
Main Uses
Thanks to its easy machining oak is the wood of choice for cabinet makers, joiners and interior designers. French oak is often used to create beautiful, high performance, solid strip hardwood flooring ideal for hallways, living rooms and kitchens. Oak beams are favoured in building traditional framework, to form the centrepiece of period refurbishment, or to add charm to a new property. Oak is also very appreciated in wine barrel production as well as for exterior use as decking, pilings and in the manufacture of railway sleepers.
