White oak and red oak share many similarities in their uses. Both are high-quality materials for furniture, flooring, and interior decoration. However, white oak offers unique applications beyond these uses. White oak is harder, more resilient, and has higher bending strength than other woods, making it less susceptible to damage when bent under load. Furthermore, the large amount of filler within the pores of white oak makes it both resistant to corrosion and impermeability. Wine barrels made from white oak are leak-proof and breathable, making them a high-quality material for wine barrels (red oak, however, cannot be used for this purpose). Using white oak for winemaking not only imparts the mellow oak flavor but also improves the taste. While oak barrels are excellent for aging wine, they are relatively expensive. To address this issue, specialized oak products for winemaking were developed. Adding oak chips, sawdust, powder, blocks, dices, and planks to stainless steel or cement tanks can impart an oak barrel-like aroma and flavor to wine during the aging process, resulting in a wine with oak-like aroma and flavor without sacrificing its original flavor. Besides being used in wine barrels and winemaking products, white oak is also an excellent material for table tennis racket blades. In extensive testing of infill woods, white oak was found to be the material that best reflects wood properties in ways that are beneficial for table tennis.
Red oak is primarily used for furniture, flooring, and interior wood trim. Red oak is primarily produced in the United States, with a wide variety of species, high yields, and diverse growing conditions, yet the appearance and properties of the wood remain relatively similar. Red oak exhibits excellent surface coloring properties, allowing it to mimic darker woods through surface treatment, resulting in a variety of colors and patterns, offering excellent decorative properties. Its processing properties are similar to those of white oak, but its gluing properties are superior. Since the fillers in red oak are not as abundant as those in white oak, it has better permeability. When red oak is modified, preservatives, flame retardants and other liquids can easily penetrate into the wood, giving it better anti-corrosion and flame retardant properties.
