When shopping for a cutting board, it’s important to understand that not all wooden cutting boards are created equal. While wooden boards are commonly the preferred choice of pro chefs because they are more sanitary and more impact resistant than other material options, different types of wood can have widely varying characteristics in relation to being a cutting surface.
There are, of course, a number of factors to take into consideration when purchasing a cutting board. These include cost, conditioning, the porosity of the wood grain, the ability to ward off bacteria and moisture, and the aesthetic style.
However, it’s also worth learning a bit about the different types of wood and their pros and cons when used as a cutting board.
Let’s take a look at what you need to know about the best (and worst) types of wood for cutting boards so you can make an informed purchase that lasts a lifetime.
Hardwood Vs. Softwood: Which Makes for Better Cutting Board Material?
Before we jump into the different tree species and how they perform as cutting board material, let’s take about the difference between hardwoods and softwoods.
In general, the trees from which hardwood is harvested are deciduous, meaning that they lose their leaves in the winter. On the other hand, softwood is sourced from coniferous trees that maintain their needles or leaves throughout the year.
Deciduous trees typically grow more slowly than coniferous trees. What this means is that the wood from these trees is generally denser than the wood from conifers. This means that there is more space between the wood fibers in softwoods than hardwoods.
In short, hardwood is almost always the preferred type of wood for cutting boards. Woods that are too soft will be easily damaged or scratched and can create deep grooves in your board where bacteria can take hold. On the other hand, wood that is too hard can be rough on your knives and lead to dullness with repeated use.
How hard a particular type of wood is can be quantified using the Janka Hardness Rating. The lower the number on this scale, the softer the wood is.
What Are the Best Types of Wood for Cutting Boards?
Now that we understand that hardwood is preferable to softwood for cutting boards, we can start diving into the specifics. Each of the following tree species has its own pros and cons, and depending on whether you’re more focused on durability, maintaining your knife-edge, or aesthetics, one of the following types of wood might be more appealing to you.
Maple
The industry standard for wooden cutting board material is easily sugar maple or hard maple wood. It scores 1450 on the Janka Hardness scale, meaning that it both provides an excellent hard surface while not being so hard it ruins your cutting edge. With small pores and dense, closed grain, maple is also favored because it helps to block the growth of bacteria.
(Are you curious to know more about whether or not it’s safe to use wooden cutting boards? Check out this article to learn more.)
Walnut
Another favorite hardwood material for cutting boards is walnut. Ranking at 1010 on the Janka scale, Walnut is one of the softest closed-grain hardwoods. This means that walnut boards tend to be more prone to scratches but are also much kinder to your knives.
Beech
Beech is another type of wood that is excellent as a cutting board material. Less damaging to knives than maple but still possessing durability with a hardness rating of 1300, beech is also nearly as effective as maple at resisting stains, moisture, and bacteria. It’s worth noting, though, that beech cutting boards require more conditioning than other types of wood because of their tendency to shrink.
(You can learn more about how to condition your board here.)
Teak
With a hardness rating of 1070, teak is not quite as hard as maple or beech but holds up better to impacts than walnut cutting boards. However, due to its high silica content, your knife blade will be more likely to dull when using teak cutting boards with regularity. It is also more prone to moisture, bacteria, and stains than other options because of its large pores.
While they require less maintenance than other types of wood because it shrinks less than maple, beech, or walnut. At the same time, it might mean more maintenance for your knives. Lastly, teak is the most expensive of the preferred types of wood for cutting boards.
Cherry
If you are shopping for a cutting board and you’re more concerned with form over function, it’s hard to beat the incredible aesthetic beauty of cherry wood. Cherry cutting boards are another softer option that won’t dull your knives, but will for the same reason be less durable than other options. You might find that some cutting board companies combine cherry with a harder wood to create cutting boards, in order to benefit from the gorgeous color without entirely sacrificing the durability of the board.
What Type of Wooden Cutting Board Is Right for You?
As you can see, there are a lot of different considerations to keep in mind when it comes to choosing the perfect cutting board for your kitchen. However, you likely don’t want to be spending your free time researching the Janka ratings of various tree species to make sure your new board will be durable and safe.
At Sirr’s Furniture, we only use the finest woods to create our products, such as maple, walnut, and lesser-known exotic species that are well-suited for creating gorgeous, long-lasting boards. Our specialty is creating high-quality, durable, and aesthetically pleasing cutting boards. This means that you don’t have to become an expert about types of wood just to make a simple kitchen purchase-- you can trust that our products are made with the highest-quality materials for the job.
Is it time for you to upgrade your wooden cutting board? If so, check out our online shop today!