Cabinet Door Wood Species
Please read the following descriptions of our wood species and grades carefully when selecting a wood species for your order. Please also note that because climate and ecosystems across North America are so diverse, no two trees are exactly alike so neither will two boards be exactly alike.
Based on our experiences with wood, we have also made some finishing recommendations for each wood species and grade.
NOTE: The images shown with each wood grade are finished with a clear lacquer which enhances the colors and details of the wood grain.
Shop cabinet doors by wood
Each wood has its own page with every door and drawer front in it, room photos and prices.
Compare our wood species
Hardness is the Janka rating: the force it takes to press a steel ball into the wood. Price runs from $ to $$$$ against our other woods.
| Wood | Color | Grain | Hardness (Janka) | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maple | Creamy white to light tan | Fine, tight and even | 1,450 lbf | $$ |
| White Oak | Light golden tan | Straight, even lines (rift cut) | 1,360 lbf | $$$$ |
| Walnut | Light to deep chocolate brown | Smooth and flowing, a few pin knots | 1,010 lbf | $$$ |
| Hickory | Pale cream to tan-brown, high contrast | Bold and varied | 1,820 lbf | $$ |
| Red Oak | Warm pinkish tan | Open; arched (flat cut) or straight (quarter cut) | 1,290 lbf | $ |
| Cherry | Warm reddish brown | Fine, smooth and even | 950 lbf | $$$ |
| Alder | Warm light reddish tan | Knotty or clear, soft and even | 590 lbf | $ |
Our wood species and grades
Natural Hard Maple
Natural Hard Maple is the standard species and grade for our Hardwood Dovetail Drawer Boxes and Paint Grade Maple door frames.
The brown heartwood is more prevalent in this grade as well as mineral streaking and small, closed knots.
Select Hard Maple
Select Hard Maple (White Maple) is used for our stain-grade maple doors and drawer fronts. Color and grain variations are only tolerated to limited degree. The color is fairly uniform and well matched. Moderate color variations are allowed between doors. A few of the smallest pin knots may be allowed along with at small amount of mineral streaks and brown heartwood allowed in machined areas. This wood grade is well suited to most applications where medium to light spray stain finishes are specified. Here’s a great article on the differences between Soft and Hard Maple.
Select Red Oak
Select Red Oak is our standard grade used for Oak products. Color and grain variations are held to closer tolerances than in a Natural grade. The color is fairly uniform and well matched. Moderate color variations are allowed between doors. A few of the smallest pin knots may be allowed along with a small amount of mineral streaks and sapwood allowed in machined areas. This wood grade is well suited to most applications where lighter spray or wipe stain finishes are specified.
Quarter Sawn Red Oak
Color and grain variations are only tolerated to a limited degree. The color is fairly uniform and well matched. Moderate color variations are allowed between doors. A few of the smallest pin knots may be allowed along with a small amount of mineral streaks and sapwood allowed in machined areas. Being Quarter Cut, this wood type creates a fairly ‘straight grain’ look with an emphasis being placed on choosing material with ray flakes. This wood grade is well suited to most applications where light to medium spray or wipe stain finishes are specified.
Select Cherry
Select Cherry is the standard grade of Cherry. Color and grain variations are only tolerated to limited degree. The color is fairly uniform with little or no sapwood and well matched. Moderate color variations are allowed between doors. A few small pitch marks and/or pin knots may be allowed and some sapwood and or mineral streaks may be found in machined areas. This wood grade is well suited to most applications where medium to light spray stain finishes are required.
Premium Hickory
Premium Hickory Is a special designer grade of Hickory. For this wood grade, the sapwood and heartwood are matched and blended to flow through the panel in such a way as to minimize abrupt color changes along lamination lines. This is a very attractive natural looking wood grade and is usually finished clear but most light spray stains work well on this door.
Knotty Alder
Knotty Alder is a special designer grade of Alder. Color on this type of wood grade will be fairly uniform but grain variations and knots of all types and sizes will be present. It should be noted that alder knots usually contain slightly opened cracks. We make an attempt to make sure these knots are not open enough to allow light through but checking on edges is acceptable. This type of wood grade is usually finished with a light colored spray stain.
Clear Alder
Clear Alder provides results for an inexpensive cabinet door that resembles select cherry. Color on this type of door will be fairly uniform with consistent grain structure. This type of wood grade is usually finished with a light colored spray stain.
Rift Sawn White Oak
Color and grain variations are only tolerated to a limited degree. The color is fairly uniform and well matched. Moderate color variations are allowed between doors. A few of the smallest pin knots may be allowed along with a small amount of mineral streaks and sapwood allowed in machined areas. Being Rift Cut, this wood type minimizes the ray flakes in the White Oak and creates a fairly ‘straight grain’ look. This wood grade is well suited to most applications where light to medium spray or wipe stain finishes are specified.
Select Walnut
Select Walnut is our standard grade of Walnut. Color and grain variations are tolerated to a limited degree. The color variation is fairly uniform allowing the lighter colors to appear only in some deeper profiles and on the back side of the door. A few pin knots and small knot clusters may be allowed if overall color is consistent. This wood grade is well suited for light stains to dark stains.
Baltic Birch Plywood
The Baltic Birch we use in our dovetail drawer boxes is a BB/BB grade, is 15mm thick, and has 11 plies. This grade has a single piece face and back. On a 4×8 sheet, both face and back veneers allow 3-6 small color-matched patches on average and some light mineral streaks. Tight pin knots may be present. Inner cores are solid birch single piece veneers.
Questions about your project?
Talk to the people who build your doors.