Hardwoods of the Americas

Hard / Sugar Maple

Acer saccharum

+29% harder than European oak · +4% denser

Colour & grain: Pale cream, fine, dense. Stays pale; oil warms slightly

Suitable forCuttingServing

North American classic for butcher blocks — harder than European sycamore maple on average.

American White Oak

Quercus alba (reference)

+21% harder than European oak · +12% denser

Colour & grain: Light to medium brown, closed tyloses vs red oak. Deepens with oil; outdoors greys

Suitable forCuttingServingDecor

Slightly harder/denser than our European oak baseline averages. Excellent all-round board timber.

American Black Walnut

Juglans nigra

-10% vs European oak hardness · -10% denser

Colour & grain: Chocolate brown, often straight with figure. Deepens with oil and age

Suitable forServingDecor

Softer than hard maple — shows knife marks more; prized for colour on serving pieces.

American Black Cherry

Prunus serotina

-15% vs European oak hardness · -17% denser

Colour & grain: Warm reddish brown, fine. Darkens / reddens markedly with light

Suitable forServingDecor

Ages beautifully darker. Softer cutting surface than maple or oak.

Ipé

Handroanthus spp. (commercial group)

+212% harder than European oak · +56% denser

Colour & grain: Olive-brown to dark brown, very dense. Darkens; outdoors greys without oil

Suitable forOutdoor accents*Heavy-wear decor

Extremely hard — resists marks but tough on tools and knife edges. Not a gentle everyday cutting board for fine knives.

Cumaru

Dipteryx odorata (reference)

+197% harder than European oak · +61% denser

Colour & grain: Reddish to golden brown, dense. Deepens with oil

Suitable forHeavy-wear decorOutdoor accents*

Dipteryx spp. are CITES Appendix II (#17) as of 5 Mar 2026. Extremely hard — similar buyer caveats to ipé.