Species playbook
Choose the wood before you choose the slab.
Botanical context, mechanical properties, working notes, drying behaviour, and live KORENA stock, grouped by species so you can plan a build before reserving a piece.
KORENA lists 19 verified hardwood slabs, each photographed and measured before listing, with confirmed species, dimensions, and provenance, shipped from EU partner yards.
Pinus halepensis
Aleppo Pine
A hardwood species in the KORENA reference list. Review the slab photos, measured outline, moisture notes, and partner-yard provenance before reserving a piece.
- Density
- Not listed
- Janka
- Not listed
Prunus serotina
Black Cherry
The cabinet-maker's favourite. Easy to machine, ages beautifully into a deep reddish-brown.
- Density
- 560 kg/m³
- Janka
- 4,226 N
Robinia pseudoacacia
Black Locust / Robinia
Class 1 durability from a tree that grows in Europe. One of the only EU-native options that survives outdoors untreated, and a credible domestic answer to tropical exotics like teak.
- Density
- 770 kg/m³
- Janka
- 7,560 N
Pinus nigra
Black Pine
A hardwood species in the KORENA reference list. Review the slab photos, measured outline, moisture notes, and partner-yard provenance before reserving a piece.
- Density
- Not listed
- Janka
- Not listed
Populus nigra
Black Poplar
A hardwood species in the KORENA reference list. Review the slab photos, measured outline, moisture notes, and partner-yard provenance before reserving a piece.
- Density
- Not listed
- Janka
- Not listed
Juglans nigra
Black Walnut
American Black Walnut is the chocolate-brown hardwood that built mid-century furniture. Imported into European yards as kiln-dried slabs, it works cleanly and finishes to a deep, warm tone that ages well.
- Density
- 610 kg/m³
- Janka
- 4,490 N
Juglans hindsii
Claro Walnut
California's figured walnut — the wildest figure in the walnut family. Graft unions between English walnut and Hinds' rootstock produce violet, gold and marbled patterns no other walnut can match.
- Density
- 640 kg/m³
- Janka
- 5,030 N
Pseudotsuga menziesii
Douglas Fir
A hardwood species in the KORENA reference list. Review the slab photos, measured outline, moisture notes, and partner-yard provenance before reserving a piece.
- Density
- Not listed
- Janka
- Not listed
Ulmus procera
English Elm
Rare salvaged hardwood with interlocked grain, wild figure, and exceptional steam-bending behaviour. Hard-won material with genuine craft heritage.
- Density
- 560 kg/m³
- Janka
- 3,680 N
Fraxinus excelsior
European Ash
Pale, ring-porous hardwood with bold grain and the best steam-bending behaviour in Europe. Strong and tough, but strictly interior use.
- Density
- 680 kg/m³
- Janka
- 6,580 N
Fagus sylvatica
European Beech
The workshop workhorse. Pale, dense, fine-textured hardwood with straight grain — and the wood that bends.
- Density
- 710 kg/m³
- Janka
- 6,460 N
Prunus avium
European Cherry
A refined cabinet wood with fine, even grain that ages from pinkish-tan to a deep reddish-brown.
- Density
- 600 kg/m³
- Janka
- 5,120 N
Larix decidua
European Larch
A hardwood species in the KORENA reference list. Review the slab photos, measured outline, moisture notes, and partner-yard provenance before reserving a piece.
- Density
- Not listed
- Janka
- Not listed
Quercus robur
European Oak
The default European hardwood for furniture, joinery and architectural slabs. Open grain, calm colour, predictable behaviour at the bench.
- Density
- 675 kg/m³
- Janka
- 4,980 N
Pyrus communis
European Pear
Master-grade carving and cabinet wood with a fine even texture. Slab-size pieces are rare and prized when they appear.
- Density
- 700 kg/m³
- Janka
- 7,420 N
Juglans regia
European Walnut
Warm chocolate-brown hardwood with straight to wavy grain. Works cleanly, finishes beautifully, and reads as the maker's wood across European studios.
- Density
- 640 kg/m³
- Janka
- 5,410 N
Taxus baccata
European Yew
Rare, culturally significant, and exceptionally durable. Dramatic orange-red heartwood against cream sapwood — the wood of the English longbow.
- Density
- 675 kg/m³
- Janka
- 6,760 N
Abies cephalonica
Greek Fir
A hardwood species in the KORENA reference list. Review the slab photos, measured outline, moisture notes, and partner-yard provenance before reserving a piece.
- Density
- Not listed
- Janka
- Not listed
Acer saccharum
Hard Maple
The canonical butcher-block and kitchen-island wood. Pale, dense, food-safe, and hard-wearing. North American import, long established as a furniture-grade species through European channels.
- Density
- 705 kg/m³
- Janka
- 6,450 N
Carpinus betulus
Hornbeam
Pale, ruthlessly dense, and famously hard. The wood old joiners reached for when they needed plane bodies, mallet heads, and water-mill cogs that would not give up.
- Density
- 735 kg/m³
- Janka
- 7,260 N
Platanus × acerifolia
London Plane
Quartersawn London Plane reveals lacewood: large medullary rays catch the light in dense, scaly flecks. The slab's signature, and its whole reason for being on this list.
- Density
- 560 kg/m³
- Janka
- 4,180 N
Pinus pinaster
Maritime Pine
A hardwood species in the KORENA reference list. Review the slab photos, measured outline, moisture notes, and partner-yard provenance before reserving a piece.
- Density
- Not listed
- Janka
- Not listed
Picea abies
Norway Spruce
A hardwood species in the KORENA reference list. Review the slab photos, measured outline, moisture notes, and partner-yard provenance before reserving a piece.
- Density
- Not listed
- Janka
- Not listed
Quercus rubra
Red Oak
A hardwood species in the KORENA reference list. Review the slab photos, measured outline, moisture notes, and partner-yard provenance before reserving a piece.
- Density
- Not listed
- Janka
- Not listed