Hardwood Commercial Names vs Botanical Species in Epoxy Slabs

Commercial Lumber Names vs. Botanical Species

When purchasing hardwood slabs or lumber for an epoxy river table or custom tabletop, woodworkers and clients frequently encounter standard trade names such as white oak, red oak, soft maple, or hickory. It is natural to assume that a single commercial name denotes an individual tree species. In standard lumber distribution, however, a single commercial designation routinely encompasses multiple botanical species.

The USDA Forest Products Laboratory defines these groupings in Table 6–3 of the Wood Handbook (General Technical Report FPL-GTR-282), titled Nomenclature of commercial hardwood lumber. Understanding the difference between commercial lumber categories and botanical tree species helps river table builders select slabs with greater predictability, avoid unexpected visual mismatches, and prepare wood surfaces properly before pouring resin.

The Oak Groupings: Red Oak and White Oak

Commercial oak illustrates how broadly lumber nomenclature groups distinct trees. Rather than selling oak by specific botanical varieties, commercial lumber segregates them into two primary categories: red oak and white oak. Each category gathers numerous botanical species.

Under the commercial name Oak, red, Table 6–3 includes a wide selection of species:

• Northern red oak (Quercus rubra)
• Pin oak (Quercus palustris)
• Black oak (Quercus velutina)
• Scarlet oak (Quercus coccinea)
• Shumard oak (Quercus shumardii)
• Southern red oak (Quercus falcata)
• Cherrybark oak (Quercus falcata var. pagodaefolia)
• Willow oak (Quercus phellos)
• Laurel oak (Quercus laurifolia)
• Blackjack oak (Quercus marilandica)
• California black oak (Quercus kelloggii)
• Northern pin oak (Quercus ellipsoidalis)
• Nuttall oak (Quercus nuttallii)
• Turkey oak (Quercus laevis)

The commercial classification Oak, white is equally diverse. Slabs sold under this trade name can originate from white oak (Quercus alba), bur oak (Quercus macrocarpa), chestnut oak (Quercus prinus), swamp white oak (Quercus bicolor), post oak (Quercus stellata), overcup oak (Quercus lyrata), chinkapin oak (Quercus muehlenbergii), swamp chestnut oak (Quercus michauxii), live oak (Quercus virginiana), Oregon white oak (Quercus garryana), valley oak (Quercus lobata), blue oak (Quercus douglasii), Arizona white oak (Quercus arizonica), Emory oak (Quercus emoryi), Gambel oak (Quercus gambelii), or Mexican blue oak (Quercus oblongifolia).

For river table fabrication, two slabs sold as commercial white oak might come from different botanical trees, resulting in natural variations in ring spacing, color tone, or ray pattern across the epoxy seam.

Hard Maple, Soft Maple, and Oregon Maple

Maple lumber is widely utilized in live-edge tabletops, but commercial names often cause confusion between species:

• Maple, hard: Comprises sugar maple (Acer saccharum) and black maple (Acer nigrum).
• Maple, soft: Covers red maple (Acer rubrum) and silver maple (Acer saccharinum).
• Maple, Oregon: Exclusively designates big leaf maple (Acer macrophyllum).
• Boxelder: Marketed under its own commercial lumber name (Acer negundo), despite belonging to the genus Acer.

When selecting slabs, hard maple ensures lumber from sugar maple or black maple. Slabs marketed as soft maple derive from red or silver maple. Live-edge burls and wide slabs harvested in the Pacific Northwest frequently come from big leaf maple, which Table 6–3 classifies separately as Oregon maple.

Elm, Ash, Hickory, and Locust Categories

Table 6–3 outlines similar groupings across other domestic hardwoods favored for river tables:

• Ash: Commercial white ash lumber encompasses white ash (Fraxinus americana), green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica), and blue ash (Fraxinus quadrangulata). In contrast, black ash (Fraxinus nigra) and Oregon ash (Fraxinus latifolia) remain distinct commercial listings.
• Elm: Slabs marketed as rock elm include rock elm (Ulmus thomasii), cedar elm (Ulmus crassifolia), winged elm (Ulmus alata), and September elm (Ulmus serotina). Commercial soft elm consists of American elm (Ulmus americana) and slippery elm (Ulmus rubra).
• Hickory and Pecan: Commercial hickory comprises shagbark hickory (Carya ovata), shellbark hickory (Carya lacinosa), mockernut hickory (Carya tomentosa), and pignut hickory (Carya glabra). Meanwhile, commercial pecan bundles bitternut hickory (Carya cordiformis), nutmeg hickory (Carya myristiciformis), water hickory (Carya aquatica), and pecan (Carya illinoensis).
• Locust: The commercial lumber name locust groups black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) and honeylocust (Gleditsia triacanthos), pairing trees from two separate botanical genera under one common sales name.

Why Species Groupings Matter for Epoxy Table Slabs

Navigating commercial hardwood groupings gives makers and buyers several advantages during tabletop construction:

• Slab Pairing and Symmetry: When creating a river table using two separate slabs, buying under a broad commercial name like red oak or soft maple can inadvertently mix botanical species. Verifying botanical identity with the sawyer ensures consistent grain texture and heartwood color on both sides of the epoxy pour.
• Sealing and Pour Preparation: Species within a single trade grouping can possess different pore characteristics. For instance, open-grained red oaks permit air movement differently than tyloses-filled white oaks. When sealing slab edges prior to casting deep-pour epoxy, builders should follow the resin maker’s data sheet and seal test cuts to minimize air outgassing and bubble entrapment.
• Accurate Product Descriptions: Custom furniture makers can inform tabletop clients whether their build features true black walnut (Juglans nigra) or one of several white oak species, establishing transparency and craftsmanship.

Sources

• USDA Forest Products Laboratory, Wood Handbook (FPL-GTR-282, 2021)

Published October 29, 2026. Sources are linked in the text.

Header image: original graphic by BigEpoxy.com.