The sapwood is creamy white and is sharply defined from the golden, warm-brown of the heartwood.  Radial sawn material shows the characteristic silver grain figure.  The timber is hard, heavy and durable.  Coarse in texture and straight grained, requiring careful seasoning, it can be worked to a fine finish.  Indigenous to the British Isles, it is probably the best known and one of the most useful of all timbers, being used more extensively and for a greater number of purposes than any other.  French Oak is also available within the Group.