The best wood for cutting boards

Anyone who buys cutting boards made of acacia in Germany usually does not get the African wood species acacia, but robinia wood. Despite this actually false declaration, the term acacia has prevailed. The false acacia has good durability and hardness for a European tree species. The very low price is primarily responsible for the success of the wood as a wood for the mass market. Unfortunately, the wood tends to warp, crack and splinter. Therefore, the false acacia is not the best choice for cutting boards.

Actually, bamboo is not a type of wood but a grass. A wood-like material can only be obtained through a complex technical process. The fabric is separated and re-glued. The high technical factor of the production means that there are very different qualities. Since a lot of glue is used in the production, the quality of this glue is also decisive for an evaluation of bamboo cutting boards. As a rule, bamboo is very coarse-pored, hard and tends to warp, especially when it comes into contact with water.

The beech is the most widespread deciduous tree in Germany. As a relatively heavy and dense European wood, it is comparable to oak. The wood has a strong tendency to shrink and cracks quickly and requires careful and gentle treatment. It is therefore not suitable as wood for cutting boards and is only available on the market as a cheap alternative.

For a European hardwood, oak has a relatively high strength, similar to beech. The annual rings are clearly set off in the oak and give the wood a decorative structure. It is particularly popular in interior design, for furniture, windows and doors. Oak is only suitable to a limited extent as a wood for cutting boards, as it can warp if it comes into contact with water for a long time.

Thanks to its high oil and rubber content, teak wood achieves the best resistance to wood-destroying fungi of all the woods described here. Its surface is particularly smooth. Knife blades stay sharp for a long time on the wood, as it is very gentle on the blade. Teak has a low tendency to warp and hardly ever cracks or splinters. It is considered a very high-quality precious wood, ideally suited for cutting boards and chopping blocks.