- What Are Air-Dried Oak Beams?
Air-dried oak beams are sawn timbers that have been left to dry naturally (in the open air) over time — usually for 1 to 5 years, depending on their size. The goal is to reduce the wood’s moisture content gradually to around 20–30%, making it more stable and less prone to warping or splitting once installed.
By contrast, green oak is freshly cut (high moisture, 50%+) and kiln-dried oak is dried artificially to a much lower moisture content (around 8–12%).
Advantages of Air-Dried Oak Beams
Stability: Less movement after installation than green oak; reduced warping, twisting, and checking.
Workability: Easier to cut, plane, and joint than green oak, which can be very hard on tools.
Aesthetic: Develops a beautiful silvered patina over time; characterful splits and grain pattern.
Durability: Oak is naturally resistant to decay, insects, and weather — especially European oak (Quercus robur or Quercus petraea).
Common Uses
Traditional timber framing and oak frame houses
Fireplace mantels and lintels
Restoration of heritage buildings
Exposed structural beams
Staircases, trusses, and interior features
Product is grade QP1
- Sawn timber with sharp edges, no wane, with tolerance of small quantities of sound sapwood on two edges maximum, if it covers less than 15% of the width of the faces and the edges.
- Slight traces of heart on one face tolerated. Enclosed heart permitted, black streaks tolerated on 10% of the pieces of the batch.
- Not acceptable: heart shakes, ring shakes, frost cracks, curly grain, bark pocket, enclosed sapwood, stain, bore holes, red heart, brown rot.
European Standard Grades: Coyle Timber – Grading Oak Beams
Delivery U.K. wide in 5 to 7 working days
Delivery by Pallet service or Bulk dependant on order size
Collection or Delivery information.
Description
Our air dried Oak beams are high quality (QP1) and are air dried for at least two years. We hold an extensive range in stock.
Air dried Oak beams have many uses from gate posts and Oak lintels to the construction of Oak buildings.
All of our Oak products are manufactured in North West France by a supplier we have worked with for more than 17 years. We consider them friends rather than associates. The trees are harvested locally from sustainable, well managed woodlands and the products are exported by sea from the nearby harbours of Caen, Cherbourg or Dieppe, thus reducing transport impact on the environment. The Oak industry in France is one of the most sustainable in the world as many of the woodlands are owned by families who have been managing their forests for many generations.
