Wood Species Guide
Pin Oak
Quercus palustris
Also called: Swamp Oak, Swamp Spanish Oak, Water Oak (regional), Red Oak (in the lumber trade)
What Pin Oak looks like
Light to medium reddish brown heartwood with pale sapwood.
Grain and texture
Coarse, open red oak grain. Pin oak holds many small dead branches low on the trunk, so its wood often has lots of small knots, the pins it is named for.
Working Pin Oak: planing, cutting and gluing
Hard for a red oak and works well with sharp tools, but the many small knots cause tearout and make clear boards scarce. It glues and screws well.
Finishing Pin Oak: oil, film finishes and epoxy
Stains evenly and takes all common finishes. Seal knots and the open grain before any epoxy, and use a grain filler for a smooth top.
Durability, stability and Florida humidity
Not decay resistant. It is known for warping and checking while drying, so slow, careful drying matters. In Florida, keep it indoors in air conditioning and finish both faces.
Shop notes from our Fort Myers shop
Pin oak is one of the most planted street and lawn trees in the eastern US, so urban slabs are common up north. The knotty character suits rustic tables and benches, and the knots fill nicely with dark epoxy. We don't stock it, but ask us and we can often source it.
Common uses for Pin Oak
Rustic furniture, flooring, pallets, crossties, construction lumber and firewood.
Sustainability and CITES status
Not listed in the CITES Appendices. Common in its range and widely planted.
Safety and toxicity
- Skin irritation
- Eye irritation
- Respiratory / asthma
- Sensitizer (allergy builds with exposure)
Oak dust often irritates eyes, skin and airways, and some people become allergic with repeated exposure. Long, heavy exposure to fine oak dust is linked to nasal cancer.
- In the shop
- Dust collection + mask or respirator when sanding; gloves if your skin reacts
- Food contact
- Not recommended for cutting boards, bowls and utensils
General information, not medical advice. See a doctor if you have a reaction.
Oak dust is a common irritant for eyes, skin and the nose and throat, and some woodworkers develop an allergy after repeated exposure. Collect dust at the source and wear a mask or respirator.
Pin Oak in stock now
Ask us. We can often source it.
We don't have Pin Oak listed online right now, but new slabs and lumber come in all the time and not everything makes it to the website. Tell us what you're building and we'll check our racks and suppliers.
Similar woods: Oaks
- Red OakIn stockQuercus rubra (lumber often includes other red oak group species) Red oak is the familiar, hard-wearing hardwood behind generations of American floors and cabinets. In slab form it...
- White OakIn stockQuercus alba (lumber often includes other white oak group species) White oak is the strong, water-resistant oak behind whiskey barrels, wooden boats and Mission furniture. Its warm golden...
- Black OakQuercus velutina Black oak is a common eastern red oak that is sold as red oak lumber. Its inner bark...
- Bur OakQuercus macrocarpa Bur oak is the big-acorn white oak of the prairie states, hard, heavy and rot resistant. Most of...
- Cherrybark OakQuercus pagoda (formerly Quercus falcata var. pagodifolia) Cherrybark oak is the tallest, straightest and strongest of the Southern red oaks, named for bark that looks...
- Chestnut OakQuercus montana (syn. Quercus prinus) Chestnut oak is the white oak of rocky Appalachian ridges, named for leaves that look like chestnut leaves....