White oak vs red oak.

[Microduck17]

I have a stash of white oak and a stash of red oak. So far it seems like the white burns slower and makes more coals. What do you think is the overall best red or white ?

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[CentralVAWoodHeat]

I believe white oak has more BTUs per cord than red. I also like the way white oak smells. Vanilla and cinnamon when fresh cut.

 

[Microduck17]

It does smell nice and seems to split easier than red.

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[peakbagger]

My bet would be growing conditions would impact the Btu content between individual samples from each species.

 

[Microduck17]

You are probably right I never considered the growing conditions but it would make sense that a tree growing where there are ample nutrients and water would be healthier and likely have denser wood.

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[billb3]

Give me a choice between 4 year seasoned white oak and 4 year seasoned red oak and I'll take the white, please.
If I have to split it all I'd have to pause because I don't think white oak splits easier than red at all. Especially if you are splitting it by hand (with a maul).

 

[Jags]

My white always seems to be a longer burn than red. Simply my experience with it.

 

[BigJ273]

Red oak splits like butter with an axe. Nothing like feeling that “pop” on a big round when it gives way. Easy sailing from there

 

[jatoxico]

Haven't had a lot of white oak. Checking old posts it looks like the red oak that will be my primary wood this year, was split in 14'. I remember it looked like I could use it for flooring when I split it. Beautiful stuff but even 3 years out anytime I stole a stick from that stack it sizzled.

 

[Microduck17]

The red seems to be stringy and the white seems like it just pops when split on the splitter.

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[HisTreeNut]

Not really sure. I will volunteer for an experiment. Bring me a couple of cord of the red and white oak, I will split them, stack them, and in 3 years I will you know which is better...
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I have mainly had red oak and some white oak, but have never compared the two.

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[Sawset]

From what I see here, white oak is harder to cut, split, season, light to burn. Gives off more heat. Trees grow slow, tend to have tight and numerous knots around branches. They seem to hesitate seeding in in numerous qty, as in an open prairie.
Red oak usually cuts easier, splits without being stringy, seasons faster due to being open pored, lights easier. Reds can grow very quickly, reproduce easily, seem to be the first succession tree of choice if oaks are nearby.
Tree rings on reds can be 1/16" - 1/4".
Tree rings on white usually 1/16".

Both have about the same ash.

Plug in white oak, northern red oak. They have slightly different growth densities:

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[Medic21]

I have a bunch of both. White oak is by far better firewood. It is denser, burns hotter and longer.
I would not turn either down.

 

[Grizzerbear]

All of my firewood is mostly oaks of the red or white species with maybe 20% hickory. As far as heat output....white oak seems to put out more heat with better coal bed as well. The difference is pretty slim in my opinion and i dont go to the stack dead set on either one for the stove. Red oak is for sure easier to split and i happen to love that funky red oak stinch when fresh split.

 

[xman23]

I'm on top of an all oak mountain. White, and rock oak. Don't think I have red. The white oak is stringy splitting. The rock explodes when you hit it with aa maul. I think they burn about the same.

 

[weatherguy]

I prefer white oak, it burns a bit longer and is denser. I find it to be stringy when I split it and use a hatchet when Im splitting it.

 

[Woody Stover]

White Oak is a notch up from Red in output. Burns long, but is harder to start, sort of like Black Locust but not as bad. I usually only throw White in when I have a good coal bed to load on. Red Oaks are mainly what die here, so that makes up most of my stacks. Not sure what they succumb to..White Oak or Hickory only die or blow down occasionally. That's OK with me, Red Oak is a great all-around wood; Starts fairly easily, burns fairly long. Only negatives are the long dry times and punky, crumbly sapwood. I end up peeling a lot of that off with a hatchet, if it comes off real easy. If you let dead ones stand or lie around long enough, sometimes all the sapwood will be rotted off..the heart lasts a long time.

 

[davidmc]

I like white but red does good too.
I have access to both......these logs came from 3 large white oaks that were growing together as a trio. One was blown down so I went ahead and cut all three.

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[davidmc]

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[Paulywalnut]

I’ll take the white oak off your hands.

 

[Kevin Weis]

White Oak is a lot slower growing tree than Red. Therefore it is usually more dense. It usually burns slower but hotter . Will tend to grow on poorer soils better than Red Oak. I would prefer to burn the White.

 

[Ashful]

I’ve been burning 8-9 cords of oak per year the last several years, plus another cord of mixed ash and/or sassafras, and agree with everything stated above. Red oak splits and smells nicer, white has marginally higher BTU content. But around here white is often kept for lumber, while red is easy to grab for firewood. It does seem a shame to burn much white, as it’s in shorter supply here, and is such a nice rot-resistant wood for things like historically-correct boat and window components.

 

[Woody Stover]

I’ve been burning 8-9 cords of oak per year the last several years, plus another cord of mixed ash and/or sassafras, and agree with everything stated above. Red oak splits and smells nicer, white has marginally higher BTU content. But around here white is often kept for lumber, while red is easy to grab for firewood. It does seem a shame to burn much white, as it’s in shorter supply here, and is such a nice rot-resistant wood for things like historically-correct boat and window components.

There's quite a bit of White here but not as much as Red. The Whites just keep on growing and seldom get blown down or succumb to disease like the Reds do, so I've got a lot more Red in the stacks. BTU of White is substantially higher. I see a lot of charts with Red the same as hard Maple, about 24 mBTU. White OTOH they say is 25.7. That's noticeable, for sure. But yeah, the sapwood on White holds up longer than on the Red, and probably the wood does too.
Red Oak smells better? I can't remember too well how fresh White splits smell, but it's gotta be nicer than Red. I've split some White rounds that had been lying around a couple years before I split 'em, and the smell was heavenly..sweet vanilla and Oak fragrance, like bourbon.

 

[Sawset]

The Whites just keep on growing and seldom get blown down or succumb to disease like the Reds do

About 4 years ago oak wilt really became noticeable here. The progression here was west to east, so western WI had 50% oaks dead 10yrs ago (total red and white). 5yrs ago saw the first white oaks die here. Now, there are a dozen dead on 20ac. All white. Plus all the red oaks from before. Seems they show signs a decade before according to the last 10 tiny rings left behind. Look for many tiny water sprouts, dead branch tips, leaves that just never seem glossy green and healthy, then shrooms on the trunk. If you don't see it now in southern Indiana, chances are you will shortly.

 

[Grizzerbear]

About 4 years ago oak wilt really became noticeable here. The progression here was west to east, so western WI had 50% oaks dead 10yrs ago (total red and white). 5yrs ago saw the first white oaks die here. Now, there are a dozen dead on 20ac. All white. Plus all the red oaks from before. Seems they show signs a decade before according to the last 10 tiny rings left behind. Look for many tiny water sprouts, dead branch tips, leaves that just never seem glossy green and healthy, then shrooms on the trunk. If you don't see it now in southern Indiana, chances are you will shortly.

I havent noticed a widespread white oak disease here but the red oaks have really been hit hard here. I have tons of standing dead that i will sadly never get to. Im not sure what it is but from judging pictures from what i can make of it the disease is called hypoxylon canker. It literally has killed tons of mature red oaks in this part of country.