White Oak Supply Shortage Continues
The custom cabinet industry continues to experience a shortage of quality White Oak lumber and veneer. This issue is compounded when the demand for more restrictive grain patterns, like Rift Cut and Quarter Sawn White Oak, is increased.
Several issues are a work that impact this shortage.
Logging and Mill Labor Shortages
Believe it or not, the availability of White Oak logs is NOT the primary issue. An estimated 5.2 billion White Oak trees cover 235,000 square miles of the United States.
Part of the problem is that there are not enough loggers harvesting in the forests. Further, there are fewer dimensional lumber and plywood mills to produce the required product. This means cabinet manufacturers must cope with the restricted supply of quality White Oak lumber and veneer.
White Oak lumber processing takes longer than other domestic hardwood species. White Oak must be kiln dried slower to avoid checking and staining.
Custom Cabinetry Design
With the popularity of painted finishes in custom cabinetry, species like White Oak and Black Walnut are used heavily as a design accent species. Kitchen islands, glass door interior accent species, floating shelves, wood counter tops, mudroom cabinetry and bathroom vanity cabinets have all seen a dramatic increase in the use of Rift Cut White Oak.
The straight grain pattern of Rift Cut is highly desired by designers, however, Rift Cut is a cut that yields the least amount of lumber per hardwood log.
Stave and Burbon Barrel Production
The demand for bourbon production in the US far exceeds the production of White Oak barrels. More than 600 craft bourbon distilleries are currently operating in the US. More than 2 million White Oak barrels are produced annually, and each barrel used over 50 board feet of quality White Oak lumber.
Federal Law mandates that whiskey distillers use new Oak barrels for every new batch of bourbon, further putting a strain on White Oak for other industries.
Looking forward
It’s important to note that the shortages of White Oak make it more difficult for lumber mills, plywood mills and cabinet and component manufacturers to sort available wood for consistent color. Cabinet doors, center panels, face frames and finished plywood will have more color variation than those produced before 2018. In the past, White Oak was heavily sorted for color, keeping the range in a blonde to wheat color. Currently the industry is seeing either pink or darker brown tones.
With sorting for color a main issue, full sample doors should be used in the design sales process to properly educate customers on the range of color expected with current lumber and veneer availability.
Experts in the custom cabinet industry predict White Oak availability and price should stabilize in late 2027. Until then, we must all contend with the shortages and make the restricted supply of White Oak part of our design, sales and manufacturing process.