As you read this article, you’ll find detailed information on the price of walnut wood per board foot and the factors influencing this lumber cost.
This knowledge helps you make better purchase decisions.
Black Walnut Lumber Prices
Black walnut woods are among the most desirable and expensive woods you’ll find.
Others in this category include African black wood, ebony, Indian sandalwood, pink ivory, and Dalbergia. Black walnut wood is valued due to several reasons.
Prices tend to be higher due to multiple factors that mainly involve supply and demand.
About Black Walnut Wood
This wood is derived from black walnut trees mostly found around the South-central to South-eastern United States. One of the reasons why this tree is considered valuable is due to its close-grained nature.
Plus, it’s easily worked. At maturity, this walnut tree species reaches a height of around 80 to 130 ft.
Black walnut trees thrive under full sun and shady conditions. Preferred soil types are clay and loam soils with medium moisture. USDA growing zones 4 through 9 support the growth of black walnut trees.
This tree blooms in late spring which lasts for only 2 weeks.
Is Walnut Wood Expensive?
For many readers, this will be asking the obvious. Of cour,se black walnut trees are expensive, mainly from the scarcity of wood. Due to such a lack, demand always outstrips supply. Apart from its scarce supply, black walnut wood is beautiful, and strong.
It’s put to a wide range of us, including veneers, gunstocks, trims & moldings, cabinets, flooring, furniture, and cutting boards. It takes a minimum of about 35 years for black walnut wood to be cut and processed or milled for lumber supplies. This alone reveals why it’s so expensive to buy.
Black Walnut Price Per Board Foot
So far, we’ve focused on providing you the basics (by way of introduction) of black walnut wood.
If this wood is expensive as we’ve seen, then how much does it sell for? Starting with unprocessed black walnut woods, average prices will be around $5.25 per foot for a 4×4.
Quarter sawn black walnut will go for around $7.5 to 8 per foot. Now it’s logical to expect much higher prices for black walnut wood when they’re processed.
The average cost for such will be around $9 per foot while wider slabs are likely to as much as $12 per foot.
To help you better appreciate the extent of cost, a single black walnut tree may go for as much as $20,000. When it comes to the timber value of an acre of black walnut tree, this will go for around $100,000 per acre.
Single logs of black walnut woods can cost up to $200 per piece.
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More Details on the Value of Black Walnut Wood
When it comes to cost of black walnut woods, there are finer details that involve the size or dimension, degree of processing, and percentage moisture contained in the wood.
Although we’ve mentioned some aspects of pricing, the following should provide a clearer picture of what’s obtainable.
A black walnut wood measuring 8×4 thick would cost around $6.25. Wide stock walnut wood of around 7 to 10” wide starts from around $1. The widest stock walnut wood measuring 10’ + in width starts from $2.
Live edged black walnut slabs of between 14 to 20” wide for $9
Why is Black Walnut Woods Expensive?
If you’re wondering why black walnut wood is expensive, this section should satisfactorily answer your questions. Black walnut wood is valuable due to its excellent finishing qualities, resistance to mold and water, beautiful color, high durability, and intricate grain patterns.
i. Excellent Finishing Qualities
As stated earlier, it’s not difficult to see why black walnut wood is valued. A look at its excellent finishing tells the story. Such finishes are very smooth hence its use for specialty wood jobs.
Every work done with this wood tends to stand out. Based on these features, it’s not difficult to figure out why black walnuts will be costly.
ii. Resistance to Mold & Water
Moisture poses a real danger ta homes o wood, and other structural components. With steady degrading of wood comes mold growth. However, not all wood types are susceptible to moisture damage.
One of such is black walnut wood hence its cost. This is another reason why black walnut woods are pricey.
iii. Beautiful Color
The “black” included in the name doesn’t translate to the actual color of the wood. Black walnut woods have a rich, brown color that gives a rich texture to furniture made from the wood.
The color variations range from light to dark brown. This feature easily sets this wood apart from many others.
iv. High Durability
One of the features of black walnut wood that can’t be overstated is its durability.
This durable characteristic makes it ideal for all kinds of construction or wood projects. It has been found that furniture and items made of black walnut wood have a lifespan of between 150 to 400 years!
v. Intricate Grain Patterns
The grain patterns on black walnut woods are intriguing.
This is one of the main reasons why these woods attract a premium. The straight grain and sometimes curly or wavy patterns are a sight to behold.
Coupled with such natural features, the processing technique used adds to its beauty.
Where to Buy Black Walnut Wood
Having found out the prices of black walnut woods, knowing where to buy them from is another thing you’ll need to know of. While some readers will have an idea, others may not, and it’s nothing to be ashamed of.
Some great sources to shop include Wood Slabs, Cherokee wood products, TreecutPros, Nuts, Baird Brothers, Hearne Hardwoods, and Woodworker Source. More sources include Advantage Lumber and Bell Forest Products.
You may want to compare prices between sellers to get a good bargain. This gives you an idea of where to buy your woods from. You’ll need to check their quality too.
The black walnut wood prices discussed above are only averages and might not be an exact reflection of what’s obtainable. With the cost idea provided, you can use the details supplied to take informed decisions.