Guides
What is the best wood for a chopping board?
The short answer: a dense, close-grained hardwood. Teak, walnut, maple, cherry and acacia are the five worth buying. They are hard enough to shrug off knife marks and soft enough to be kind to an edge. Teak, with its natural oil, is the most tolerant of water.
What makes a wood good for a chopping board
Four things decide it.
Hardness. Too soft and the surface scores deeply, holds food and wears into a dip. Too hard and it blunts your knife. The good board woods sit in the middle.
Grain. Close-grained woods have small, tight pores, so water, juices and stains have less to soak into. Open-grained woods have visible pores that do the opposite.
Natural oil. Oily woods resist moisture, which means less swelling, less cracking and less warping.
Stability. A board gets wet and dries every day. Woods that move little with moisture stay flat.
The five woods worth buying
| Wood | Hardness | Water resistance | Colour and character |
|---|---|---|---|
| Teak | Medium-hard | Very high, from natural oil | Warm honey to brown, darkens with age |
| Walnut | Medium | High, naturally oily | Deep chocolate brown, lighter in the hand |
| Maple | Hard | Good when oiled | Pale cream, shows stains more |
| Cherry | Medium | Good when oiled | Pinkish brown, deepens to red over time |
| Acacia | Medium-hard, varies by species | Good | Golden to dark brown, often strongly figured |
Teak is the one we would choose for a board that gets used hard and washed often. Its natural oil keeps water out, so it stays stable and resists cracking. Walnut is also naturally oily and more moisture resistant than most woods, and it is the better looker for a board that goes to the table. Maple is the classic butcher's block wood: hard, tight-grained and pale, so it shows beetroot and turmeric. Cherry is a touch softer and lovely to look at. Acacia is widely available and good value, though quality and hardness vary a lot between species.
Woods to avoid
- Softwoods such as pine, spruce and fir. They score deeply, soak up juices and wear into hollows within months.
- Open-grained hardwoods such as oak and ash. They are strong, but their large pores trap moisture and food, and oak's tannins can stain and react with some foods.
- Bamboo. Strictly a grass, pressed and glued into boards. It is hard and the glue lines are harder still, which is tough on a fine edge.
- Anything finished with varnish or lacquer. The knife cuts through the coating and it flakes. A board should be oil finished.
Grain direction matters as much as species
The same wood behaves differently depending on how it is cut. On an end grain board the fibres stand upright, so the blade goes between them rather than across them. The edge stays sharp longer and the surface closes up after the cut. Edge grain boards show the long side of the fibres: lighter, cheaper, and fine for many kitchens. There is more on that in end grain or edge grain and are end grain chopping boards worth it?
Season's teak and walnut boards
We make our end grain boards in the two woods we rate most. Both are designed in London, from wood sourced sustainably from FSC-approved suppliers in South America, and finished in China. Both have a channel around one side for juices and crumbs and a plain side for everything else.
- Teak End Grain Chopping Board, £70-£120. Denser and higher in natural oil, so it tolerates water better. Four sizes from 35 x 25cm (1.6kg) to 46 x 36cm (4.1kg).
- Walnut End Grain Chopping Board, £70-£120. Darker and lighter in the hand: the medium 40 x 30cm is 2.1kg against teak's 2.95kg. Fresh cuts show pale at first, and regular oiling darkens them back into the wood.
Whichever wood you choose, it will last far longer with a monthly coat of oil: see how to oil a chopping board. If you are still deciding between materials, read wood or plastic chopping board.
Questions people ask
Is teak good for a chopping board? Yes. It is dense, close-grained and naturally oily, which makes it one of the most water-resistant and stable board woods there is.
Is walnut or teak better? Teak is denser and handles water better; walnut is darker and lighter to lift. Both are excellent, so choose on looks and weight.
Is oak a good wood for a chopping board? Not ideal. It is strong, but its open pores hold moisture and food, and it can stain.
Which wood is kindest to knives? Any medium-hard hardwood cut as end grain, because the edge slips between the fibres instead of chopping across them.
Do wooden boards need special care? Wash, dry on edge and oil every month or so. Never soak them or put them in the dishwasher.
Cook like it matters.
From the cooks at Season, a London cookshop since 2005.