Quercus cerris
Harder than European oak and considerably cheaper, for one reason: it is difficult to dry. Buy it already stable and it is a bargain.

Momenteel is er geen Turkey Oak. Deze houtsoorten zijn geschikt voor dezelfde projecten en zijn wel beschikbaar.
We sturen u een e-mail wanneer nieuwe boomstambladen van Turkey Oak bij KORENA binnenkomen. Elk stuk is uniek, dus tijdig bericht is belangrijk.
Uiterlijk van het hout
Denser and harder than either European oak, with a coarser and more open texture. Colour is a light to mid brown, generally plainer and less olive than Quercus robur, with wide rays that produce a bold but less silvery fleck on quartersawn faces. Its reputation in the trade is poor, earned by a strong tendency to check and distort in drying rather than by any weakness in the finished wood.
Bewerking
Works similarly to the American oaks according to the source cited here. It is harder and denser than Quercus robur, so it blunts cutters faster and demands more power in the cut, but it machines cleanly once dry and stable. The very wide rays can lift on a quartersawn face if the cut is heavy. Grain filler is needed for a smooth finish given the coarse open pores.
Takes stain and finish much as other oaks do, and the plainer colour actually accepts stain more evenly than the olive cast of European oak. The coarse open pores need filling for a smooth surface. The same tannin and iron reaction applies as in every oak, so brass or stainless fittings only and no steel wool.
This is the species specific problem and the reason Turkey Oak is cheap. It is markedly prone to checking, honeycombing and severe distortion during drying, considerably worse than Quercus robur or petraea, and volumetric shrinkage at 16 percent is the highest of any hardwood KORENA lists. Tangential shrinkage of 10 percent against 6 percent radial compounds it. Slowly air dried stock that has already stabilised is the only version of this timber worth buying.
Hout zwelt en krimpt over de breedte wanneer de lucht vochtiger en droger wordt. Schat de seizoenswerking van een blad van Turkey Oak voordat u de bevestigingen ontwerpt.
Verwachte seizoenswerking
ongeveer 11,4 mm
Bevestig het blad met bladwervels of sleufbeugels, niet met lijm of strak aangedraaide schroeven.
Lineair krimpmodel: breedte × (krimp ÷ 28 % vezelverzadiging) × seizoensverschil in vochtgehalte. Gebruikt 10 % tangentiële krimp voor Turkey Oak. Dit is een planningsschatting, geen garantie.
Oak is a documented sensitiser, with reactions typically including eye and skin irritation and asthma-like symptoms. Repeated exposure to oak dust carries elevated nasal cancer risk, so extraction is not optional in a production setting.
Quercus cerris is the oak of southeastern Europe and Asia Minor, dominant through the Balkans, Hungary, Italy and Turkey. It grows fast on poor dry soils where the northern oaks struggle, and it has been planted widely outside its range. Balkan sourced material is common and inexpensive in the EU market.
Quercus cerris is the oak of southeastern Europe and Asia Minor. It dominates through the Balkans, Hungary, Italy and Turkey, growing fast on poor dry soils where the northern oaks struggle, and it has been planted well outside that range.
It has a poor reputation in the trade, and that reputation is worth understanding precisely, because it is only half deserved. The finished wood is not inferior. At 720 kg per cubic metre it is denser than European oak, and its modulus of rupture of 114.3 MPa is well above the 97.1 MPa of sessile oak. The problem is entirely in getting it from log to stable board.
Turkey Oak checks, honeycombs and distorts during drying far more readily than Quercus robur or petraea.
The numbers explain why. Volumetric shrinkage is 16 percent, the highest of any hardwood in this catalogue. Tangential shrinkage of 10 percent against 6 percent radial gives a ratio that guarantees flatsawn boards will cup hard. Combine high total movement with a wide differential and a fast schedule, and the wood tears itself apart.
A significant proportion of what is cut degrades before it becomes usable timber, and the price of the survivors carries that loss. That is why Turkey Oak is cheap.
The practical consequence for a buyer is simple and important: the risk lives in the drying, not in the service life. A slab that has already been slowly dried and has stabilised is a hard, dense, durable board at a fraction of European oak money. A slab that was rushed is firewood that has not finished failing yet.
Vragen van kopers
Not because the finished wood is weaker. It is denser and harder than Quercus robur. The discount reflects how badly it behaves in drying: it checks, honeycombs and distorts far more readily, and volumetric shrinkage at 16 percent is the highest of any hardwood in this catalogue. A large proportion of what is cut degrades before it is usable, and the price carries that loss.
It is published as an estimate derived from specific gravity rather than a measured test, and KORENA records it that way in the source note on the species record. Treat 5,340 N as indicative. It places Turkey Oak above European oak at 4,980 N, which matches its higher density of 720 kg per cubic metre, but it is not a laboratory measurement.
Yes, provided the slab is already properly dried and stable. Buy air dried stock that has had time to settle rather than freshly kilned material, check the measured moisture value on the listing, and let it acclimatise in the room before flattening. Once through drying it is a hard, durable surface. The risk is entirely in the drying, not the service life.
Mechanische eigenschappen
Gepubliceerde referentiewaarden. Als bronnen uiteenlopen, wordt het bereik getoond en wordt de gebruikelijke waarde gebruikt voor de bovenstaande schalen.
| Dichtheid (kg/m³)Massa per kubieke meter bij ongeveer 12 % vochtgehalte. Zwaarder hout is meestal harder en sterker. | 720 kg/m³ |
|---|---|
| Janka-hardheid (N)De kracht die nodig is om een stalen kogel tot de helft in het hout te drukken. Dit is de standaardmaat voor weerstand tegen deuken. | 5,340 N |
| MOR: breukmodulus (MPa)Buigsterkte: de belasting waarbij een balk breekt. | 114 MPa |
| MOE: elasticiteitsmodulus (GPa)Buigstijfheid: hoeveel een plank of blad onder belasting doorbuigt. | 10.8 GPa |
| Radiale krimpKrimp dwars op de groeiringen, van vers tot ovendroog. Kwartiers gezaagde planken werken volgens deze waarde. | 6.0 % |
| Tangentiële krimpKrimp langs de groeiringen. Dosse gezaagde planken en de meeste boomstambladen werken volgens deze waarde. |
Not listed in the CITES Appendices, and reported by the source KORENA cites as not assessed on the IUCN Red List, so no IUCN status is shown rather than one being assumed. It is abundant and fast growing across southeastern Europe and is often treated as a low value species, which makes it both inexpensive and easy to source with documentation.


So buy stable stock. Prefer air dried material that has had time to settle over freshly kilned. Check the measured moisture value on the listing rather than trusting a description, and let the slab acclimatise in its final room before flattening.
Colour is a light to mid brown, plainer and straighter than European oak, without the olive cast of robur. Texture is coarse and the pores are large and open.
The rays are very wide, wider than in the other oaks here, and on a quartersawn face they produce a bold fleck. It reads differently from the fine silvery ribbon of sessile oak: larger, more assertive, less lustrous. Whether that is better is a matter of taste, but they are not the same figure and one will not pass for the other.
Inspect the end grain for honeycomb, look along the length for cupping and twist, and check for surface checks. On this species those defects are common enough that they should be assumed present until ruled out.
The cited source describes it as working similarly to the American oaks. It is harder and denser than European oak, so it blunts cutters faster and asks more of a machine, but a dry stable board machines cleanly.
The very wide rays can lift on a quartersawn face under a heavy cut. Lighter passes and sharp tooling handle it.
As with all oak, the coarse open pores need a grain filler if a smooth surface is the goal, and the tannin content means iron contact produces blue black staining. Brass or stainless fittings only, no steel wool, and no steel clamp bars left on damp work.
The Janka value shown for this species, 5,340 N, is published as an estimate derived from specific gravity rather than a measured laboratory test, and KORENA records that qualification in the source note on the species record rather than presenting the number bare.
Treat it as indicative. It places Turkey Oak above European oak, which is consistent with its higher density, but it is not the same class of evidence as a measured value.
It takes stain and finish much as other oaks do, and the plainer, less olive colour actually accepts stain more evenly than European oak, which can go muddy under a warm tone.
Grain filler for a smooth surface, standard oak finishing otherwise.
Rustic tabletops, flooring, interior joinery, cladding under cover, and decorative slabs where a hard dense oak is wanted and the budget will not carry European oak. At decay class 2 it is durable, so protected exterior use is reasonable.
It is the wrong answer if you are buying unseasoned or freshly kilned stock, if the project cannot absorb the risk of movement, or if the classic silvery quartersawn fleck of European oak is specifically what the design calls for.
Not listed in the CITES Appendices, and reported by the cited source as not assessed on the IUCN Red List, so no IUCN status is displayed rather than one being inferred.
It is abundant and fast growing across southeastern Europe and is often treated as a low value species locally, which makes it both inexpensive and straightforward to source with proper documentation. Balkan sourced material is common in the EU market, and KORENA listings record the originating yard and region.
Plainer overall. The colour is a straighter light to mid brown without the olive cast of Quercus robur, and while the rays are very wide, the quartersawn fleck reads bolder but less silvery. If you want the classic silvery ray fleck, sessile oak delivers it better.
Yes, exactly as every oak does. Tannins react with iron to form a blue black stain. Use brass or stainless fittings, keep steel wool away, and do not leave steel clamp bars in contact with a damp glue-up.
| 10.0 % |
| Volumetrische krimpTotale volumeverandering van vers tot ovendroog. Een lagere waarde betekent stabieler hout. | 16.0 % |
|---|
| Natuurlijke duurzaamheid (EN 350)Europese norm voor natuurlijke weerstand tegen aantasting, van 1 (zeer duurzaam) tot 5 (niet duurzaam). | Class 2 — Durable |
|---|
Tik op een label voor de details.
Janka-hardheid 5.340 N
7 % harder dan Europese eik
720 kg/m³
16,0 % volumetrische krimp
3,7 / 5 gemiddeld bij bewerking
EN 350-klasse 2
Wat hout van Turkey Oak momenteel in Europa kost per kubieke meter, exclusief btw. Tik op een prijs voor de details.
Waarom kost een boomstamblad meer?
Dit zijn prijzen voor onbewerkt hout. Een boomstamblad is de beste zaagsnede uit een stam, wordt minstens een jaar gedroogd en daarna stuk voor stuk gecontroleerd en opgemeten. Slechts een klein deel van elke stam wordt een boomstamblad.
Bron: KORENA Timber Index · Meest recente gegevens: 24 sep 2026
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