Which timber to choose for a staircase
Written by Scott Jones, The Stair Guys, independent staircase measuring and sourcing specialists·Last updated
"What is the best wood for a staircase" is really several questions in one, because a staircase is not made of a single part. The treads are walked on and take all the wear. The handrail is held. The spindles are mostly seen, not touched. A part that will be painted has different needs again. So the honest answer is not one species, it is knowing which timber suits which job, and then, ideally, keeping them in step so the stair reads as one piece.
Hardness, and the "minimum" that is not a rule
For treads, hardness matters, and the usual measure is the Janka rating: the force needed to press a small steel ball halfway into the wood across the grain. Harder woods resist dents and wear on the nose of the tread. Two things to keep in mind. First, published Janka figures vary between sources and even between trees, so treat any single number as a guide, not gospel. Second, the widely repeated line that stair treads need to be "at least 1000 lbf Janka" is a flooring-industry rule of thumb, mostly American, and not a UK regulation. UK stair rules, in Approved Document K and BS 5395, govern the geometry and the slip resistance, not the hardness of the timber. So hardness is one sensible factor when choosing a tread, not a test the wood has to pass.
The common stair timbers at a glance
Janka figures below are indicative side-hardness values in pounds-force (lbf), and they vary by source and provenance, so read them as a guide.
| Timber | Janka (lbf, indicative) | Character | Typically best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| European oak | 1,120 to 1,360 | Warm, tight grain, the classic | All round: treads, strings, the whole stair |
| American white oak | around 1,350 | Denser, straighter grain than red oak | Treads and hard-wearing parts |
| American red oak | 1,220 to 1,290 | Softer, more open grain, cheaper | Budget oak look, less ideal on hardest-worn treads |
| European ash | around 1,480 | Pale, springy, tough | Treads, where toughness matters |
| Beech | around 1,450 | Pale, very hard, uniform | Hard-wearing treads, painted work |
| Hard maple | around 1,450 | Very hard, pale, contemporary | Treads, a modern look |
| Walnut | around 1,010 | Dark, rich, a feature timber | Handrails and feature parts more than heavy-wear treads |
| Sapele | 1,360 to 1,510 | Mahogany look, hard | All round, a richer colour (check sourcing) |
| Scots pine (redwood) | around 540 | Softwood, grades vary | Paint-grade or carpeted, budget |
| Tulipwood (American, sold as "poplar") | around 540 | Soft, stable, takes paint well | Paint-grade only, not bare treads |
Note the naming traps: UK "redwood" is Scots pine and "whitewood" is spruce, neither is the American redwood tree; and American tulipwood is often called "poplar" but is not the same as true European poplar. See the label tells you the tree, not where it has been.
By part of the stair
- Treads. This is where hardness earns its keep. Oak is the popular all-rounder; ash, beech and hard maple are harder still if you want maximum wear resistance. Walnut is softer, so it is better as a feature than as the most-trodden tread. A veneered or engineered tread is a different question again, covered in what you are actually getting.
- Handrail. Feel and workability matter more than raw hardness here, because a handrail is gripped, not walked on. Oak is the safe choice, and walnut or a richer hardwood makes a handrail a feature.
- Spindles and newels. These see little wear, so the choice is mostly about look and matching, not hardness. That is also why a paint-grade timber can sit happily here on a painted balustrade.
- Paint-grade parts. If it is going to be painted, a stable softwood or tulipwood is fine and sensible, and spending on a hardwood you are about to hide is money in the wrong place. See painting your stairs.
A word on oak, because "oak" is not one thing
Ask for oak and you can get European oak, American white oak or American red oak, and they are not interchangeable. European and American white oak are denser, tighter grained and harder wearing. American red oak is softer, more open grained and cheaper, and it is the one most likely to turn up when a quote just says "oak". None is wrong, but they are different timbers at different prices, so it is worth asking which oak a quote actually means. There is more on this and on solid versus engineered oak in what you are actually getting, and on sourcing in what FSC or PEFC certified really means.
Frequently asked
What is the best wood for a staircase?+
It depends on the part. For treads, which take the wear, a harder wood like oak, ash, beech or maple is best. For a handrail, feel and workability matter more than hardness, so oak or a richer hardwood such as walnut suits. For anything painted or carpeted, a stable softwood or tulipwood is fine. Oak is the popular all-rounder, but there is no single best wood for the whole stair.
Is there a minimum hardness for stair treads?+
Not in UK regulations. The often-quoted "1000 lbf Janka minimum" is a flooring-industry rule of thumb, largely American, not a British rule. UK stair rules in Approved Document K and BS 5395 cover the geometry and slip resistance, not the hardness of the timber. Hardness is a sensible guide for choosing a tread, not a pass-or-fail test.
Is oak or pine better for stairs?+
Different jobs. Oak is a hard, wear-resistant hardwood that suits an exposed, natural-finish stair. Pine (UK redwood) is a softwood, cheaper and softer, and it is the right choice where the stair will be painted or carpeted rather than shown as bare timber. Neither is better outright, it depends on the finish and the budget.
Sources
Primary sources we used and reconciled before publishing.
Related guides
- The label tells you the tree, not where it has beenA timber label like "oak" or "pine" tells you the species, not the journey. A lot of stair timber is shipped abroad for processing before it returns as "product", so here is what to ask about where your timber was grown and processed, and why it matters.
- Glass balustrades: why the joinery and fixings matter more than the glassOn a glass balustrade the glass is the easy part. What makes or breaks it is a dead-square, parallel frame (ideally tenoned and drawbored, not just screwed) and silicone bedding the glass so it is cushioned, held plumb and does not rattle.
- Metal spindles: cheaper than you think, and why simple lastsMetal spindles are more affordable than their reputation suggests, so they are worth a look on cost. But the more elaborate the design the faster it dates, so a simple, plain metal spindle tends to stay looking right far longer.
- Painting your stairs? What they should actually be made ofIf you are painting a staircase the material underneath still matters. Treads should be solid pine, never MDF. Risers are best solid, with plywood a sound second and MDF the one to avoid. Here is why paint hides the look but not how the material behaves.
- Is your timber sustainable? Legality, and what FSC or PEFC certified really meansLegally sourced and sustainably sourced are not the same claim, and being FSC or PEFC certified is about audited paperwork, not a guarantee every board came from a certified forest. Here is what the labels really mean.
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