Woods Not to Use for Cutting Boards: All You Need to Know

Woods Not to Use for Cutting Boards: All You Need to Know

Handyman's World is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

Wooden cutting boards are excellent investment pieces for any kitchen. When chosen carefully, they can be much more durable and sanitary than other types of cutting boards on the market. What are some things to avoid when choosing your wood types?

We’ll answer this and discuss some types of wood that aren’t suitable for cutting board construction.

5 Things to Avoid When Choosing Wood for Cutting Boards

Some characteristics should be avoided when choosing wood to create a cutting board. Here are some things to consider.

Wood That Is Too Hard or Too Soft

The ideal hardness range for wood used in cutting boards is between 850 – 1,600 lbf on the Janka scale. Any wood that is too high or too low on this scale can cause its own set of problems with your board.

Woods that are below 850 lbf on the scale will wear much faster than wood within the ideal range. While these types of wood are on the market at lower prices, they can cost extra money in the long run due to how often they need to be replaced. Since softwoods mar easily, over time knife marks will become deeper and can become areas where bacteria grow.

When wood is too hard, it actually has the ability to dull and damage knife blades. Even those within the ideal range can eventually dull blades, especially on the face and edge grain, but woods over 1,600 lbf on the Janka scale will damage the metal much harder. This level of hardness can also dull planing and cutting blades faster than other materials.

Open Grained Wood

When a hardwood tree is alive, the vessels are present to carry sap throughout the tree. In some species, these vessels are very small, unable to be seen with the naked eye. In other types, these vessels are clearly visible in the cross-section of the tree.

Once the tree is cut, these vessels remain open and visible as pores on the surface. Wood with open pores absorbs and holds water and bacteria. These pores can be filled, however, there are concerns with the food safety of many fillers. Typically, food-safe doesn’t equal food-grade, and there is a possibility of these finishes chipping off and into the food it is in contact with.

Softwood

Softwood does not refer to the hardness of the wood, but the type of trees the wood comes from. All softwood originates from coniferous trees, typically identified by their needles and cones. Softwoods grow in long, vertical cells called tracheids. The way these cells are configured makes the wood prone to splitting and cracking.

In addition to this, some softwood varieties, like cedar, secrete natural oils. These oils are typically non-toxic and lend a hand to the wood’s rot and insect resistance, though they can also be off-putting when used in direct contact with food.

Exotic Wood

Not all exotic wood needs to be avoided. Some, like teak, acacia, and bamboo are perfectly acceptable to use for cutting boards. For many others, hardness is an issue. Exotic woods can vary greatly in hardness, and many of them are extremely sturdy, and far too hard for cutting board use.

Some other brightly colored exotic woods, like cocobolo, pau ferro, rosewood, and wenge are extremely toxic. The toxins are stored in the sap, which can be released into the air during cutting and sanding or leeched through the wood’s natural oils. Extreme caution should be exercised with plenty of research completed prior to choosing exotic wood.

Treated Lumber

Treated lumber is not advised for any product that is meant to come into contact with food. Wood is treated using two methods:

  1. Topical applications of treatment chemicals
  2. Chemical impregnation using pressure

Treatments are available for moisture resistance, fire repellant, and increasing a wood’s natural strength.

Wood that has been treated should never be burned or used for direct contact with food. The chemicals used for these treatments are not safe for ingestion and should be avoided in all cases.

7 Types of Wood to Not Use for Cutting Boards

While extremely popular in the woodworking world, these types of commonly used wood should be avoided for cutting boards.

Cedar

While an incredibly versatile softwood, cedar simply doesn’t meet the criteria to be a good material for cutting boards. Its hardness ranges between 450 lbf and 900 lbf on the Janka scale depending on the tree it is harvested from, and its natural oils are very strongly scented. This wood is brittle and prone to splitting and cracking and is typically far too soft to handle any prolonged kitchen tool use.

Learn more about using cedar for cutting boards

Pine

Another softwood, there is no variety of domestic pine wood that reaches a Janka hardness of 800 lbf. Pine is incredibly lightweight and, being a softwood, is very prone to cracking and splitting. In addition, to increase the material’s strength and rot resistance, pine wood is often treated. This makes it unsuitable for contact with food.

Hickory

Wood from hickory trees is very durable and hardy. It has a straight to wavy grain with a medium texture. However, hickory has an open grain and falls just a bit too high on the Janka hardness scale to be suitable for cutting board use. Knives and other cutting utensils will quickly dull from frequent use on a hickory board.

Fir

Resinous in nature, fir can be difficult to keep clean and sanitary. Being a softwood on the softer side, around 480 lbf, it is prone to warping, splitting, and moisture absorption. Its low durability easily displays knife marks and damage. This increases the possibility of moisture and bacteria retention that will find its way into your food.

Purpleheart

Also known as amaranth, purpleheart lumber can be a tempting material due to its lovely purple color. The wood deepens over time, ranging from a violet-purple to dark brown-purple color with UV exposure.

Purpleheart hardness rates at 2,520 lbf, which will quickly dull knife blades. It is also known as a sensitizer, meaning it’s suggested not to have prolonged contact with its natural oils, dust, or surface. It is not inherently toxic, though food contact should be avoided to minimize potential issues.

Ash and Oak

Ironically, in another article we published, ash and oak were both on the list of suggested woods to use for cutting boards. Both of these woods are slightly controversial picks because of their open grains. Ash’s grain presents in varying pore sizes, depending on the age of the wood. Oak’s grain, on the other hand, is so open that you can blow through it like a straw.

While each of these woods is a hardwood that falls within the suggested hardness and is easily workable, care must be taken to prevent the growth and spread of bacteria. These are woods that should be approached with caution for cutting boards and items that will come into direct contact with food.

Learn more about using ash for cutting boards

What Wood to Use for Cutting Boards?

Most hardwoods that fall within the ideal Janka hardness rating with a closed grain will work well for cutting boards. These are the three most commonly used woods.

Maple

Being the most popular North American hardwood choice for cutting board materials, maple is extremely durable with excellent moisture resistance. It is rated with a hardness of 1,450 lbf. Its light coloration, straight to wavy grain, and even, fine texture make for a beautiful board.

Maple can be pricey, but is easy to find and doesn’t require any special care. These boards simply require gentle cleaning with warm, soapy water and periodic reoiling with a good-quality finishing oil.

Walnut

With its rich and deep brown tone, walnut is often used in decorative or patterned cutting boards. It is a hardy wood, coming in at 1,010 lbf on the Janka scale, with interesting patterns peppered amongst its mostly straight grain. Walnut features closed pores with a medium texture, and it is moderately priced.

Like maple, walnut has natural moisture resistance that helps stop the spread of germs and bacteria. Periodic oiling and gentle cleaning with warm, soapy water is needed.

Beech

A more cost-effective substitution for maple, beech is a domestic hardwood with a lovely light and creamy tone. It has a straight grain, closed pores, and rates at 1,300 lbf on the Janka scale. It has comparable moisture resistance and availability to maple.

All of these features combined make beech an excellent maple alternative for a durable, but less expensive, board. This type of wood only needs cleaning with warm soapy water and periodic reapplications of finishing oil.

Learn more about using beech for cutting boards

Summary

The points we’ve gathered above will help you to make note of which types of wood to avoid for your cutting board projects. A good set of general rules to take away from this article is to always take caution with exotic woods, check to see if the wood species’ pores are open or closed, make sure you know the wood’s hardness rating, and avoid softwoods altogether.