Before we get into the wood: for the end grain vs. side grain question in depth, see End Grain vs. Side Grain: What's the Deal?. For care and maintenance, the Care Instructions page covers everything.
Not all wood belongs in a kitchen. A cutting board's wood needs to be hard enough to resist deep scarring, have a closed, tight grain that doesn't absorb moisture and food residue, be non-toxic, and be stable enough to resist warping through repeated wetting and drying cycles. That eliminates softwoods, most open-grained species, and anything with volatile aromatic compounds. What you're left with is a short list of closed-grain domestic hardwoods, which happen to be quite beautiful.
The Three Grain Orientations
End Grain exposes the cross-section of the wood fibers. The knife edges slide between the fibers rather than cutting across them, which has a self-healing property. This makes end grain the premier cutting surface, it’s gentler on knives and more resistant to deep scarring. These boards require dense, stable species to keep glue joints tight over time. End grain is best for heavy daily knife work.
Side Grain or edge grain cutting boards are strong across the width, resistant to warping, and are cost-effective options, as the construction method is not involved as end grain boards. Side grain boards can still handle heavy-use, at 1.5 inches, they are serious kitchen tools. They also show the fun linear figure of the wood.
Face Grain uses the widest face of the plank. Generally 0.75 to 1 inch thick, these boards aren’t designed for heavy knife work but instead make beautiful charcuterie boards, serving boards, and cheese boards, as the face grain orientation has the best visual character. These boards are a great value option
Grain Orientation by Use
| Use | Best Orientation | Best Species |
|---|---|---|
| Heavy daily knife work for the chef at home | End grain | Maple, Cherry, White Oak, Walnut |
| Everyday cutting board for the casual cooker | Side grain | Maple, Walnut, Cherry, Oregon White Oak |
| Presentation, charcuterie, serving, cheese | Face grain | Hickory, Maple, Cherry, Walnut |
How Thickness Changes the Equation
Face grain (0.75–1 inch): Light, portable, presentation-first. Almost any closed-grain hardwood works. Can be used for light cutting but not ideal for everyday use.
Side grain (1.25–1.5 inches): AWG boards come in at more than double most commercial boards. That thickness means it can be resurfaced multiple times over its life, stays flat on the counter, and handles seasonal humidity changes without stressing glue joints.
End grain butcher blocks (1.75 inches +): Species selection is critical. The mass of material moves seasonally, and only the densest, most stable hardwoods keep glue joints intact over decades. Similarly these boards can be resurfaced but don’t need it as often due to the end grain orientation. Can be refinished to extend its life but still made to manageable during use.
A Note On Resurfacing
A 1.25-1.5”+ side grain board can be sanded or planed flat multiple times over its life. A 0.75-inch board has one life. End grain butcher blocks at 1.75”+ or more inches can be resurfaced even more aggressively — the End Grain Butcher Block is built to be maintained for decades, not replaced. For care and conditioning guidance, the Care Instructions page covers everything.
What Makes a Wood Food-Safe
The criteria are simple: hardness, grain density, stability, and non-toxicity. Softwoods like pine and cedar are too soft and too porous. Open-grained species absorb moisture and food residue. Anything with aromatic oils or volatile compounds has no business near food. Below is a list of the hardwood that meet the criteria.
The Woods: What to Use
Maple
Maple is the benchmark. Hard maple at 1,450 lbf is one of the hardest domestic hardwoods available, with a closed tight grain that resists scarring and a nearly odorless, tasteless surface. Pale and creamy in color, it develops a warm honey patina over years of use. The most stable species for end grain construction, glue joints stay tight and the board stays flat. The End Grain Checkerboard Butcher Block in Maple & Cherry is the flagship application.
Best for: End grain butcher blocks, side grain cutting boards, any heavy-use application.
Walnut
Walnut at 1,010 lbf is softer than maple but harder than cherry, with a tight closed grain and exceptional dimensional stability. The deep chocolate-brown heartwood is one of the most visually striking domestic hardwoods available and creates bold contrast in multi-wood boards. Minor tannin bleed into light-colored foods is possible if the board isn't well maintained but manageable with regular oiling.
Best for: Side grain cutting boards, multi-wood end grain patterns.
Cherry
Cherry at 950 lbf is the softest of AWG's cutting board species, but its fine tight grain and exceptional stability make it reliable in daily use. Its defining quality is color evolution, a pale reddish-brown when new, it deepens into a rich warm tone over years of light exposure. A five-year-old cherry board is more beautiful than the day it was made. Pairs naturally with maple in end grain checkerboard boards.
Best for: Side grain cutting boards, end grain paired with maple.
Oregon White Oak
Oregon White Oak at 1,290 lbf brings something no other species on this list does: tyloses — cellular structures that seal the wood's vessels and create a natural barrier against liquid and bacterial penetration. It's the same property that makes white oak the wood of wine and whiskey barrels. Coarser grain than maple but excellent in daily use, with a warm tan color and distinctive medullary ray figure. Sourced locally in the Pacific Northwest.
Best for: Side grain cutting boards, any application where food safety properties matter most.
Hickory
Hickory at 1,820 lbf is the hardest commercial hardwood in North America, a bit hard for cutting surfaces where knife edge retention matters, but exceptional for face grain charcuterie and serving boards where durability and visual drama are the priority. The bold contrast between pale sapwood and tan-to-brown heartwood makes every board a different landscape. See the Rill Serving Board for an example.
Best for: Face grain charcuterie and serving boards.
Woods to Avoid
Acacia
The most common species on Amazon cutting board listings. Acacia photographs well and is priced to sell, but commercially available acacia boards are almost universally fast-grown plantation wood from Southeast Asia or East Africa, with open coarse grain that absorbs moisture unevenly and warps and cracks at higher rates than domestic hardwoods. The sourcing is typically opaque, no FSC certification, no disclosed adhesives, no visibility into manufacturing. When it fails after 18 months, it goes to landfill and you buy another one. The per-year cost is higher than it looks.
Verdict: Skip it.
Bamboo
Not wood technically, it’s a grass. Bamboo boards are made from thin strips glued together with large quantities of adhesive, some of which has been found to contain formaldehyde. The material itself has a Janka hardness similar to hard maple but very high silica content that makes it extraordinarily abrasive to cutting edges. A bamboo board will dull a good chef's knife faster than almost any other surface. Manufactured almost exclusively in China with rarely disclosed sourcing and finishing practices.
Verdict: Bad choice for knife edge retention. Adhesive concerns compound the problem. Avoid.
Teak
Teak is an excellent outdoor wood and a poor kitchen one. Its natural oils interfere with conditioning finishes, and its silica content dulls cutting edges aggressively — faster than any domestic hardwood. Sourcing is also frequently murky without verified FSC documentation.
Verdict: Better outdoors. The silica alone is a meaningful drawback for anyone who values their knives.
Beech
Beech is the standard utility cutting board wood in European kitchens and a legitimate material, hard, tight-grained, food-safe. More prone to checking and cracking than maple under humidity swings and less dimensionally stable in end grain construction. Fine where it's the local species. Not the right choice when maple, walnut, and Oregon white oak are available.
Verdict: Acceptable utility board. Better options exist in North America.
Softwoods: Pine, Cedar, Fir
Pine, cedar, and fir are too soft (350–620 lbf), too porous, and in the case of cedar and pine, contain aromatic compounds that transfer flavor to food. Deep scarring, rapid warping, and bacteria trapping in cuts are all guaranteed.
Verdict: Not appropriate for a cutting board.
Exotic Tropicals: Purpleheart, Padauk, Bloodwood
Visually arresting but problematic. Purpleheart contains compounds that may cause skin irritation and allergic reactions. Padauk contains dye compounds that can leach color onto food. Most come with opaque supply chains and sourcing concerns. Fine as decorative accent strips in small quantities; not appropriate as primary cutting surfaces.
Verdict: Caution. Verify sourcing and avoid as primary surface material.
Glass, Marble, and Ceramic
Harder than any kitchen knife steel. Every cut degrades the blade edge on contact. No functional upside. Display only.
Verdict: Never use as cutting surfaces.
The Full Spectrum at a Glance
| Wood / Material | Janka | Verdict | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hard Maple | 1,450 lbf | ✅ Best | Dense, closed grain, stable, food-safe |
| Oregon White Oak | 1,290 lbf | ✅ Best | Antimicrobial tyloses, PNW native, closed grain |
| Black Walnut | 1,010 lbf | ✅ Excellent | Stable, tight grain, visually striking |
| Cherry | 950 lbf | ✅ Excellent | Tight grain, exceptional stability, beautiful patina |
| Hickory | 1,820 lbf | ✅ Face grain only | Too hard for cutting; ideal for charcuterie |
| Beech | 1,300 lbf | ⚠️ Acceptable | Fine utility board; less stable than maple |
| Teak | 1,070 lbf | ⚠️ Caution | Silica dulls knives; oil interference; sourcing concerns |
| Acacia | Varies | ❌ Avoid | Open grain, unstable, opaque sourcing |
| Bamboo | ~1,380 lbf | ❌ Avoid | High silica destroys knife edges; adhesive concerns |
| Pine / Cedar / Fir | 350–620 lbf | ❌ Never | Too soft, too porous, aromatic compounds |
| Exotic tropicals | Varies | ⚠️ Caution | Toxicity risk, sourcing concerns |
| Glass / Marble / Ceramic | N/A | ❌ Never | Destroys knife edges on contact |
The Cutting Board Buyers Guide goes deeper on size, price, quality, and the full sourcing conversation. All AWG boards are made in Oregon from FSC-certified hardwoods, finished with food-safe hard wax oil, and built to last. Browse the cutting boards collection to see what's available.
