How to Choose the Right Wood Species
Choosing the right wood starts with your project. Compare colour, grain, hardness, workability and character to find the solid wood species that best suits what you want to build.
Start with the project, not the wood species
There is no single “best” wood species for every woodworking project. The right choice depends on what you want to build, how the finished piece should look and how the wood needs to perform in everyday use.
A dining table, a shelf, a cutting board and a decorative furniture piece can all benefit from different combinations of hardness, grain, colour and workability.
Instead of choosing a species simply because you like its name or colour, start by thinking about the requirements of the finished project.
What should you consider when choosing wood?
Five characteristics are especially useful when comparing solid wood species.
Colour & grain
Some woods are light and subtle, while others have strong grain patterns or naturally dark colours.
Hardness & wear
A surface that sees daily use may benefit from a harder wood than a lightly used decorative component.
Workability
Different species behave differently when sawing, routing, sanding, drilling and shaping.
Natural variation
Knots, colour changes, heartwood and grain variation can be either a feature or something you want to minimise.
The final surface
Oil, wax and other finishes can deepen the natural colour and make the grain more pronounced.
Popular wood species at a glance
The characteristics below are intended as a practical starting point. Every board is a natural material, so colour and grain will always vary from piece to piece.
| Wood | Appearance | Character | Typical projects |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oak | Warm, natural tones with clearly visible grain | Strong, durable and distinctive | Tables, shelves, desks, furniture and panels |
| Maple | Very light colour with relatively fine grain | Hard, clean and understated | Modern furniture, desks, cutting boards and light interiors |
| Ash | Light colour with pronounced grain | Strong, lively and expressive | Furniture, shelves, benches and larger panels |
| Beech | Light to slightly reddish with an even texture | Dense, hard and versatile | Furniture, work surfaces, cutting boards and workshop projects |
| Red Heart Beech | Light beech with darker reddish-brown heartwood | More varied and decorative than uniform beech | Character furniture, shelves, tables and decorative panels |
| Cherry | Warm reddish tones with smooth, elegant grain | Refined and naturally warm | Furniture, cabinets, shelves and decorative pieces |
| Walnut | Naturally dark brown with rich grain variation | Elegant, distinctive and highly decorative | Premium furniture, desks, tables and accent pieces |
| Alder | Light warm tones with fairly subtle grain | Relatively soft and easy to machine | Furniture, shelves and projects that require easy shaping |
| Larch | Warm yellow to reddish tones with strong grain | Rustic, distinctive and resinous | Shelves, furniture and projects with a more natural or rustic look |
What Can You Make With Solid Oak?
Considering oak for your project? Take a closer look at where solid oak works especially well and what to consider when building with it.
Explore the solid oak guide →Which wood is right for your project?
Looking at the finished project often makes the choice much easier.
Look for strength and character
Oak, ash, walnut, maple and cherry can all work well. The decision often comes down to the colour and grain you want.
Balance appearance and load
Oak, ash, beech, maple and many other species are suitable. Thickness, span and construction matter just as much as species.
Choose a suitable close-grained wood
Maple and beech are classic choices, while other suitable hardwoods can create very different visual results.
Let the grain become part of the design
Walnut, cherry, red heart beech and character-rich oak can make the wood itself one of the main visual features.
Light wood or dark wood?
Colour has a major influence on the final character of a piece of furniture.
Maple, beech and ash can create a bright, clean appearance, while oak adds more visible grain and a warmer natural tone. Cherry introduces warmer reddish colours, while walnut gives a project a much darker and more dramatic appearance.
Remember that the unfinished board is not always a perfect preview of the finished piece. Oils and other finishes usually deepen the colour and make the grain more visible.
Is harder wood always better?
No. Hardness is only one part of the decision.
A harder wood can be useful for heavily used surfaces, but it may also require more effort to machine. A somewhat softer species may be easier to shape and perfectly suitable for a shelf, cabinet component or decorative project.
The construction itself also matters. Board thickness, span, grain direction and support can be just as important as the species you choose.
Rough-Sawn vs Planed Wood
Once you have chosen the species, the next decision is how much surface preparation you want to do yourself.
Compare rough-sawn and planed wood →What about natural wood movement?
Every solid wood species reacts to changes in its surrounding environment. As humidity changes, wood can expand and contract — particularly across the grain.
This is normal behaviour for solid wood and should be considered when designing furniture, wide panels and other larger components.
Good construction allows the wood to move instead of trying to prevent movement completely.
Our How to Prevent Solid Wood from Warping guide explains how drying, storage, acclimatisation and construction all influence stability.
Planning to build a wider panel?
Many furniture projects require several narrower boards to be joined together. Once you have selected your species, straight and accurately prepared edges are important for a clean glue-up.
Our guide How to Edge-Glue Solid Wood Boards explains the process step by step.
Do not choose wood from a tiny colour sample alone. Look at the grain, variation and overall character of the species as well.
A large tabletop or shelf can look very different from a small sample because much more of the natural grain becomes visible. Choose the character you want to see every day.
Choose the wood that fits the project
The right species is the one that gives you the combination of appearance, performance and workability your project needs.
Start with the intended use, decide whether you want a quiet or expressive grain and think about how the finished surface should look. From there, choosing between oak, maple, ash, walnut, cherry and the other available species becomes much easier.
If walnut is on your shortlist, our solid walnut project guide shows where its darker colour and distinctive grain work particularly well.
You can compare the available dimensions and wood species in our solid wood board collection.
Start with real solid wood.
Explore kiln-dried solid wood boards, available rough-sawn or planed & jointed and prepared in our Bavarian workshop.
Explore solid wood boards