English or European Oak grows throughout Europe, south to the Mediterranean and east to Asia Minor. Some authorities consider the Eastern and Southern varieties as a separate species. Since it grows over such a wide geographical range, there is considerable variation in the wood’s colour, grain and texture.

It is a large deciduous tree growing up to 130 feet in height with a massive girth. Trees with a circumference of 36 feet have been reported.  Most modern trees average 12 to 15 feet in circumference. English Oak matures slowly; usually taking 150 years before harvesting can begin. Some specimens have attained 1,000 years of age with the oldest oaks approaching 1,500 years. Like most of the white oak family, the wood is hard and durable. The heartwood is a light to medium brown, while the sapwood is lighter in tone occasionally blending into the heart. It is straight grained with a coarse uneven texture. Variation in growing conditions can produce interlocked and irregular grain. The density of growth rings is also highly variable. English Oak has large medullary rays and they are very prominent and distinctive on the quarter-sawn surface.

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