Walnut wood is sturdy, strong, and above all, beautiful. This is why it’s a favorite for furniture because the wood can be shaped and curved to your heart’s content.
If you’re into woodworking, you’ll find lots of walnut wood types on the market. Here’s how to know which one to get:
English Walnut Wood
If you love to eat walnuts, well, this is the tree that produces it. It’s fairly common and can grow as big as 2 meters in width and 35 meters in length.
Its colors can go anywhere from pale brown to dark chocolate. Don’t be alarmed though if you find traces of purple, red, or grey as this often happens due to the different treatment methods.
English walnut is expensive so make sure you treat it properly against insects because it’s prone to this problem.
Black Walnut Wood
This is, perhaps, the best choice for woodworkers because it’s both strong and easily worked on. The shock resistance is excellent and there’s dimensional stability, meaning you can alter it as needed, even for the most sophisticated or complicated cuts.
Black walnut is typically dark chocolate brown to pale yellow. It’s resistant to rot, making it perfect for long-term use. The only drawback is that insects also love it. On the plus side, this wood type is available almost anywhere with a price that’s just right for those experimenting on wood projects.
White Walnut Wood
It goes by the name of butternut because of its usually tan coloring with just a hint of red. It’s also a favorite of insects and unfortunately, can easily decay through weather exposure.
It is softer, so you can actually work with this better for small projects. The only other upside here is that it’s not expensive. If you’re new to woodworking or you’re creating experimental designs, this is the perfect choice.
Peruvian Walnut Wood
Despite the name, this wood actually comes from Mexico and Southern America. It has a rich chocolate brown color that seems to go all the way to the interior.
A slight purple tint gives it a sense of expensiveness. Plus, it’s durable, heavy and sturdy—ideal as furniture base. Note though, that it’s expensive despite being a domestic product.
Claro Walnut Wood
Displaying a shade of light brown to chocolate brown, this walnut wood type is loved by insects so make sure it’s treated for woodworking.
The upside is that if treated against insects, it will last a long time because it’s decay resistant. If you’re using this wood, you might want to keep it for small projects that need durable material because they can be quite expensive—even more expensive than black walnut.
Bastogne Walnut
This one is a result of cross-pollination so there’s really no standard. Strong and fast-growing, it displays a shade of light golden and reddish brown with streaks of dark coloring. It’s a domestic product hailing from California and, therefore, is less expensive.
Keep in mind that these walnut wood types also come in grades A, B, and C. The best ones, grade A, are considered more expensive but are often worth the price due to their durability.
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