Ohio Valley Hardwood Lumber
Black Walnut Lumber
Learn about Black Walnut lumber characteristics, current availability, pricing factors, and common uses for dimensional boards, slabs, figured stock, and custom woodworking material.
Hardwood Species Overview
Black Walnut Lumber
Black Walnut, Juglans nigra, is one of the most recognized North American hardwoods. It is known for dark brown heartwood, lighter sapwood, good workability, and strong demand in furniture, slabs, cabinetry, gunstocks, turnings, and specialty woodworking.
This page covers basic Black Walnut lumber characteristics, common uses, posted pricing, gallery examples, and availability considerations for buyers, woodworkers, builders, and landowners.
Black Walnut Specs
Black Walnut Lumber Facts
| Color | White sapwood with reddish-brown to dark brown heartwood. |
|---|---|
| Specific Gravity | 0.51 |
| Hardness | 3/5 |
| Workability | Among the more easily worked North American hardwoods. |
| Durability | Walnut heartwood has good decay resistance. Sapwood is less durable, and insect exposure should be considered. |
Native Range
Where Black Walnut Grows
Black Walnut is native to much of the eastern and central United States. In the Ohio Valley, it is an important hardwood species for lumber, slabs, veneer-quality logs, and standing timber value.
Wood Characteristics
What Black Walnut Is Known For
- Color: dark heartwood with lighter sapwood contrast.
- Grain: usually straight to slightly irregular, with occasional curl, crotch figure, or burl.
- Workability: generally machines, sands, glues, and finishes well.
- Stability: commonly valued for furniture and interior woodworking when properly dried.
- Value: often one of the higher-value hardwood species when color, size, grade, and figure are favorable.
Common Uses
Where Black Walnut Lumber Is Used
- Furniture and cabinetry
- Live-edge slabs and tabletops
- Interior trim and architectural millwork
- Gunstock blanks and specialty turning stock
- Figured, crotch, burl, and veneer-quality material
- Custom woodworking and heirloom projects
Buying Walnut Lumber
What to Ask Before Buying Black Walnut
Black Walnut lumber can vary widely in price and appearance. Color, width, thickness, grade, drying, figure, sapwood content, and whether the material is flat sawn, quartersawn, live-edge, or specialty stock all affect how it should be used and priced.
- Thickness: ask whether stock is 4/4, 5/4, 6/4, 8/4, or thicker specialty material.
- Moisture content: ask whether the lumber is kiln dried, air dried, or still drying.
- Grade and defects: check knots, checks, splits, wane, sapwood, insect damage, and color consistency.
- Width and length: wide boards and long clear boards usually price differently than standard stock.
- Figure: curly walnut, crotch walnut, burl, and highly figured material should be evaluated separately from standard boards.
Walnut Product Pathways
Black Walnut Lumber, Slabs, and Specialty Stock
Use the options below to learn more about Black Walnut lumber, slabs, specialty stock, and related services. Availability depends on current logs, drying schedules, dimensions, grade, and inventory.
Dimensional Black Walnut Lumber
Ask about current walnut boards by thickness, width, grade, drying status, quantity, and price per board foot.
Black Walnut Slabs
Learn about live-edge walnut slabs, including width, figure, drying, flattening, and project suitability.
Figured Walnut and Specialty Pieces
Ask about curly walnut, crotch walnut, burl, turning blanks, gunstock blanks, and other limited specialty material.
Custom Milling
Ask whether walnut logs or lumber can be milled, dried, surfaced, or prepared for a specific project.
Black Walnut Pricing
Posted Black Walnut Lumber Prices
Per board foot pricing for select and better Black Walnut lumber. Pricing can change with thickness, width, grade, figure, drying, quantity, and current inventory.
| Select and Better | Price |
|---|---|
| Walnut 4/4 thickness | $5.25 |
| Walnut 8/4 thickness | $6.25 |
| Quartersawn Walnut | $7.50 |
| Wide Stock Walnut, 7″–10″ width | $1.00+ |
| Widest Stock Walnut, 10″+ width | $2.00+ |
| Live-edge Black Walnut Slabs | |
| Live-edge Black Walnut slabs, 14″–20″ wide | $9.00 |
| Live-edge Black Walnut slabs, 21″–36″ wide | $10.00 |
| Live-edge Black Walnut slabs, 36″+ wide | $12.50 |
Kiln dried to between 6% and 8% moisture. Discounts may be available for larger quantities. Contact Ohio Timber Works for current details.
Availability and Pricing
Black Walnut Pricing Depends on the Board
Standard dimensional lumber, wide stock, figured material, and live-edge slabs should be evaluated separately. Current availability depends on logs, drying, grade, and inventory.
For Landowners
Black Walnut as Standing Timber
Black Walnut can be a high-value timber species, but value depends on more than species alone. Diameter, straightness, log length, defects, veneer potential, access, volume, and current market demand all matter.
If you own mature walnut trees or a mixed hardwood woodlot, Ohio Timber Works can evaluate whether the timber is suitable for harvest.
Black Walnut Lumber
Ask About Current Black Walnut Stock
Contact Ohio Timber Works to ask about Black Walnut lumber, slabs, figured material, drying status, dimensions, pricing, or project suitability.