Sourcing hardwood planks is never just a box to tick. It’s a series of small, precise decisions that shape the quality, cost, and outcome of everything you build. Whether you’re crafting a piece of custom furniture, managing large-scale joinery, or sourcing timber for distribution, choosing the right dimensions and quality grades ensures better performance, smoother workflows, and fewer surprises along the way.
At MP Lumber, we supply European hardwood planks in a wide range of sizes, species, and grading options, all of which are in stock and ready for fast delivery from our Croatian facility. This guide will walk you through everything you need to consider to make the perfect choice for your next project.
Start With the End in Mind
The best place to begin is always the final product. Your end goal dictates your priorities.
- For high-end furniture makers, the focus might be on visual consistency, clean, blemish-free surfaces, and a species that responds beautifully to oils, stains, and lacquers.
- For interior joiners and builders, priorities shift towards dimensional accuracy, stability, and durability for items like staircases, flooring, and window frames.
- For industrial clients, the primary concerns may be structural strength, uniformity for automated processing, and cost-effectiveness over pure aesthetics.
The clearer your end goal, the easier it is to determine what combination of species, thickness, width, and quality class will serve you best.
Decoding Dimensions: How Size Impacts Your Workflow
The size of your planks directly affects everything from machine setup to material yield and final cost.
- Thickness: Thicker boards (e.g., 50mm) offer great flexibility for custom milling, resawing, and achieving substantial profiles, but they require longer drying times and more robust equipment. Thinner planks (e.g., 27mm or 32mm) are quicker to process but leave less room for error when planing to a final dimension.
- Width: Wider planks can be a significant time-saver, reducing the need for edge-gluing to create large panels for tabletops or cabinetry. However, they often come at a premium and can be more prone to cupping if not properly dried and acclimatised.
- Length: Length is a critical logistical factor. Longer planks are ideal for yielding long, clear components, but they require more storage space and can be challenging for facilities with automated cutting systems optimised for standard sizes.
At MP Lumber, we offer planks in assorted sizes, and the ones in industry specific dimensions and requirements, tailored to meet the technical and logistical realities of different buyers. Before placing an order, think through how each dimension will behave once it reaches your production line.
Not All Wood Is Created Equal
Species matters a lot. If you’re working on heavy-use products like table tops or staircases, oak offers the kind of strength and durability that holds up over decades. For components that require flexibility, such as curved elements or handles, ash gives you resilience with workability. Beech, known for its stability and uniform texture, is often preferred in laminated structures or where consistent finishing is key.
MP Lumber’s current stock includes oak, ash, beech, and other trusted European hardwoods, each with distinct strengths depending on your application.
Not All Hardwood Is Created Equal: A Deep Dive into Species
Choosing the right species is fundamental. Each one has a unique personality in terms of aesthetics, strength, and workability.
- European Oak (Quercus robur/petraea): The undisputed king of durability. Oak is hard, heavy, and boasts excellent wear resistance, making it the go-to choice for flooring, stair treads, cabinetry, and heavy-use furniture. Its prominent grain pattern and high tannin content give it a classic look and natural resistance to insects and decay. It stains and finishes beautifully, allowing for a wide range of aesthetic outcomes.
- European Ash (Fraxinus excelsior): Valued for its remarkable combination of strength and flexibility. Ash has a bright, creamy-white appearance with a straight, bold grain. It is famous for its ability to bend without breaking, making it ideal for curved components, sports equipment (like baseball bats and hockey sticks), tool handles, and chairs. While strong, it is less dense than oak, making it easier to handle.
- European Beech (Fagus sylvatica): The master of stability and fine texture. Beech is a hard, strong wood with a fine, straight grain and uniform texture. When steamed, it takes on a warm, pinkish hue. Its dimensional stability and smooth surface make it perfect for cabinetry, toys, kitchenware, workbenches, and laminated structures. It machines and turns exceptionally well, holding fine details with precision.
Understanding Hardwood Grading: What Do A, B, and C Really Mean?
Visual and structural grading is key to aligning wood with the right purpose. European standards provide a clear framework, so you know exactly what you’re paying for.
- Grade A (Prime/Clear): This is the highest quality available. The planks are virtually free of all defects. You can expect clean faces, consistent colour, and no knots, sapwood, or cracks. This grade is reserved for applications where appearance is paramount, such as high-end furniture surfaces, architectural mouldings, and veneers.
- Grade B (Standard/Joinery): This grade offers an excellent balance of quality and value. It allows for some natural characteristics, such as sound knots of a limited size, minimal sapwood along the edges, and slight colour variations. It’s the workhorse grade for most applications, including furniture frames, door and window components, and high-quality flooring.
- Grade C (Rustic/Structural): This grade embraces the natural character of the wood. It permits larger knots, more significant colour variations, sapwood, and some checks or cracks that do not compromise the wood’s structural integrity. It is an economical choice for applications where these features are acceptable or even desired for a rustic aesthetic, or for internal structural parts.
The Critical Role of Moisture Control: Kiln-Drying Explained
Even the best plank means little if it twists or cracks during processing. Wood is a hygroscopic material, meaning it absorbs and releases moisture from the air, causing it to expand or shrink. This is why proper drying is non-negotiable.
Every MP Lumber hardwood plank is kiln-dried (KD) to an industry-standard moisture content (MC), typically 8-12%. This process is far more controlled and reliable than air-drying, ensuring:
- Dimensional Stability: Reduces the risk of warping, cupping, and twisting after installation.
- Improved Adhesion: Ensures strong, reliable glue bonds for joinery and lamination.
- Flawless Finishing: Prevents defects and results in cleaner, more consistent finishes.
- Pest Elimination: The high temperatures of the kiln kill any insects or larvae within the wood.
Investing in properly kiln-dried lumber saves you invaluable time, material, and money in the long run by preventing costly defects and callbacks.
Sustainability in Timber: Sourcing with Confidence
In today’s market, customers and clients demand transparency. Knowing where your wood comes from is as important as its physical properties. Sourcing from responsibly managed forests is not just an ethical choice, it’s a smart business decision.
We are committed to responsible sourcing, partnering with suppliers who adhere to strict European forestry regulations. Certifications like FSC® (Forest Stewardship Council) and PEFC™ (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification) provide assurance that the timber comes from forests managed for long-term ecological, social, and economic health. By sourcing from our Croatian facility, European clients also benefit from shorter, more transparent supply chains and a lower carbon footprint.
From Our Mill to Your Workshop: A Supplier Who Matches Your Pace
Choosing the right plank is one part of the process. Getting it delivered quickly and reliably is the other. Because our extensive inventory is already in stock, we can prepare mixed-size and mixed-grade shipments with short lead times. Our team handles logistics efficiently, ensuring your material is securely packaged to prevent damage and moisture changes during transit and delivered across Europe with full documentation.
You don’t have to wait for the next milling batch or wonder if your order will make it through customs in time. Our team is here to ensure your material arrives when and where you need it.
Let’s Find the Right Fit
If you’re unsure which dimensions or grades are right for your next project, we’re here to help. With years of experience in hardwood production and a focus on long-term partnerships, MP Lumber is more than a supplier, we’re a part of your process.
View our current plank stock, or reach out for expert guidance on your next order.