Green Oak
Oak Importer
As an Oak Importer who has been an active member within the UK timber market re-selling Green Oak & Oak Timber for over 20 years to the Swansea Cardiff and South Wales area I have compiled a list of the varying characteristics of the Oak timber products available for purchase.
What is Green Oak and what is it used for ? There are generally 4 different types of Green Oak for Sale in the Uk.
Oak Beam Grades
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Oak Sleeper Grade
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Oak Sleepers are the lowest grade of Oak available on the Uk market. They can be used for a number of applications for instance Retaining Walls, Pergolas, Garden Projects and buildings ( Subject to Planning specification ).
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Green Oak
Green Oak is freshly cut oak that has been felled within the 3 - 6 months. The fact that Green Oak or Freshly Sawn Oak as it is sometimes called is so fresh does however mean that the Oak can be prone to movement where splitting and cracking will be considered the norm when working with this particular type of Oak. It is however worth noting that green Oak has been used for centuries and has been used in a huge number of prestigious buildings and projects throughout the world.
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Air Dried Oak
As the name suggests is Oak Wood that has been slowly dried (approx 20 - 40mm per year). Stored in optimum conditions the Oak usually takes between 3 – 5 Years to reach a point where it is stable and wont warp and split like Fresh Sawn Oak.
Due to the Improved stability Air dried Oak is often a lot more expensive than Green Oak.
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QP1 Grade Oak
QP1 Oak is Sharp Edges, No Wane and Minimum Sapwood. There are certain characteristics that are accepted in this grade of Oak. Excluded: loose knots, frost cracking, ring shakes, star shake, curly grain, bark pocket, unsound sapwood, rot, white holes.
Conclusion
Use the correct Oak for the job at hand and you will not be disappointed. One of the main problems that consumers come up against is assuming that all Oak timber is the same. This is not the case and if a large building project is being undertaken stick to the advice of the regulatory governing body.
For Further information feel free to give me a call on Swansea 01792 884828 ask for Dean.