The wood species you choose for your kitchen cabinets affects everything: the color, the grain pattern, how well the finish holds up, how the cabinets age over time, and of course, the price. It’s one of the most consequential decisions in any custom kitchen project, and it’s worth taking the time to understand your options before committing.
This guide compares the most popular wood species used in custom kitchen cabinetry, covering the practical details that actually matter when you’re choosing: appearance, durability, workability, cost, and how each wood behaves with different finishes.
Key Takeaways
- Maple is the most versatile choice, taking both paint and stain beautifully. It’s the go-to for painted cabinets.
- Oak is the most durable and budget-friendly hardwood, but its strong grain isn’t for everyone.
- Cherry develops a rich patina over time that many homeowners love, but it comes at a premium price.
- Walnut offers unmatched natural beauty but is the most expensive common cabinet wood.
- Your choice of finish (paint vs. stain) should influence your wood selection just as much as your style preference.
Quick Comparison: Cabinet Wood Species at a Glance
| Wood | Hardness (Janka) | Grain | Cost Tier | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oak (Red/White) | 1,290 / 1,360 | Strong, prominent | $ | Traditional, craftsman kitchens |
| Birch | 1,260 | Fine, subtle | $ | Budget-conscious painted cabinets |
| Maple | 1,450 | Fine, uniform | $$ | Painted or stained, versatile |
| Hickory | 1,820 | Bold, dramatic variation | $$ | Rustic, farmhouse, cabin kitchens |
| Cherry | 950 | Smooth, refined | $$$ | Traditional, elegant kitchens |
| Walnut | 1,010 | Rich, flowing | $$$$ | Modern luxury, statement kitchens |
The Janka hardness rating measures how resistant a wood is to dents and wear. Higher numbers mean a harder, more durable surface. For kitchen cabinets, anything above 1,000 is considered suitable for daily use.
Oak: The Reliable Workhorse
Oak has been the default kitchen cabinet wood in North America for decades, and for good reason. It’s widely available, affordable, extremely hard, and holds up remarkably well to the daily abuse a kitchen delivers.
There are two common varieties used in cabinetry: red oak and white oak. Red oak has a warmer, pinkish undertone and a slightly more pronounced grain pattern. White oak leans cooler and more golden, with a tighter grain that’s become increasingly popular in recent years, partly due to its visual similarity to European white oak flooring.
Strengths
Oak’s durability is its calling card. It resists dents, scratches, and moisture better than softer woods like cherry. It stains well in a wide range of tones, from light honey to deep espresso. And because it’s abundant domestically, the price stays competitive even as other hardwood prices climb.
Limitations
Oak’s prominent grain is divisive. Some homeowners love the character and movement it adds to a kitchen. Others find it too busy, especially in lighter stain colors where the grain really stands out. If you’re after a sleek, smooth cabinet face, oak may not be the best fit. It also doesn’t take paint as cleanly as maple or birch because the grain texture tends to show through, even with a primer coat.
Best applications
Traditional, craftsman, and farmhouse kitchens. White oak is also gaining ground in contemporary designs when used with a light, natural finish that highlights the grain without heavy stain.
Birch: The Budget-Friendly Alternative
Birch is often recommended as an alternative to maple for homeowners who want a smooth-grained wood at a lower price point. It’s a domestic hardwood that’s readily available and works well in both stained and painted applications.
Strengths
Birch has a fine, even grain that’s less pronounced than oak, making it a solid candidate for painted finishes. It’s nearly as hard as oak (1,260 Janka vs. 1,290 for red oak), so durability isn’t a concern. And the price is typically 15 to 25 percent below maple, making it an attractive option when budget matters.
Limitations
Birch can be inconsistent in color. A single piece might contain both light sapwood and darker heartwood, which can create a blotchy appearance when stained. If you’re planning a natural or light stain, this variation can be frustrating. A skilled finisher can manage it with pre-stain conditioner and careful application, but it adds a step to the process.
Best applications
Painted cabinets where the wood itself won’t be visible. Birch also works well for cabinet interiors and boxes when paired with a more premium wood on the doors.
Maple: The Most Versatile Option
Maple is arguably the most popular wood for custom kitchen cabinets today, and its popularity comes down to versatility. It looks beautiful stained, it takes paint better than any other cabinet wood, and it’s hard enough to stand up to decades of daily use.
Strengths
Maple’s fine, uniform grain creates an incredibly smooth surface that’s ideal for painted finishes. If your vision involves white, gray, navy, or any other painted cabinet color, maple is the first wood most custom cabinet shops will recommend. It also stains well in lighter tones, where its subtle grain adds just enough visual interest without overwhelming the design.
With a Janka rating of 1,450, maple is harder than both oak and cherry, which means excellent resistance to the nicks and dings that kitchen cabinets inevitably endure.
Limitations
Maple can be tricky with dark stains. Because the grain is so tight and uniform, darker stain colors sometimes look flat or lifeless on maple compared to the way they look on a more open-grained wood like oak or hickory. If you want a rich, dark stained cabinet, cherry or walnut will give you more depth and character.
Price-wise, maple sits in the mid-range. It’s more expensive than oak or birch but significantly less than cherry or walnut.
Best applications
Painted cabinets in any color (maple is the gold standard for this), light natural stain finishes, transitional and contemporary kitchen designs. For a full discussion of painted vs. stained finishes, see our painted vs. stained cabinet comparison.
Hickory: Bold Character and Extreme Hardness
Hickory isn’t for the faint of heart. It has the most dramatic grain variation and color contrast of any common cabinet wood, and it’s far and away the hardest option on this list.
Strengths
With a Janka hardness of 1,820, hickory is virtually indestructible in a kitchen environment. You’d have to actively try to dent it. The grain pattern features striking contrasts between light sapwood and darker heartwood, creating a look that’s full of movement and natural character. For homeowners who want their cabinets to feel rustic, organic, and one-of-a-kind, hickory delivers like nothing else.
Limitations
That same dramatic character can be a drawback if you prefer a calm, uniform look. The color variation in hickory is substantial, and it’s difficult to control through staining. Even within a single cabinet door, you might see tones ranging from creamy blonde to reddish brown. This isn’t a defect; it’s the nature of the wood. But it does mean hickory works best when you embrace the variation rather than fight it.
Hickory is also one of the hardest woods to machine, which can add to fabrication costs in custom work.
Best applications
Rustic, farmhouse, lodge, and cabin kitchens. Hickory also pairs surprisingly well with modern designs when finished in a clear, natural tone that lets the wood speak for itself.
Cherry: Elegance That Deepens with Age
Cherry is the wood that homeowners fall in love with over time, quite literally. Its most distinctive quality is that the color deepens and enriches as the wood is exposed to light, developing a warm, reddish-brown patina that gets more beautiful with each passing year.
Strengths
Cherry’s grain is smooth, flowing, and refined. It creates an elegant look that works beautifully in traditional, transitional, and formal kitchen designs. The aging process (called “mellowing”) is a feature, not a flaw. A cherry kitchen that starts out lighter gradually develops the deep, warm tones that make this wood so coveted.
Cherry also takes stain and finish extremely well, with a depth of color that harder, tighter-grained woods can’t match.
Limitations
Cherry is softer than maple, oak, or hickory (Janka 950), which means it’s more susceptible to dents and scratches. In a busy family kitchen, this is worth considering. The marks add character to some eyes but concern others.
The natural color change also means that areas of the kitchen exposed to different amounts of light may age at different rates. A section hidden behind a small appliance or blocked by a window treatment might look noticeably lighter than the surrounding cabinets when that item is moved. The effect evens out over time, but it can be surprising in the first year or two.
Cherry is a premium-priced wood, typically running 30 to 50 percent more than maple for comparable cabinet work.
Best applications
Traditional, transitional, and formal kitchens where warmth and richness are priorities. Cherry is particularly beautiful with a natural or light stain that allows the aging process to shine.
Walnut: The Luxury Statement
Walnut is the most visually striking and expensive of the commonly used cabinet woods. Its natural color ranges from rich chocolate brown to deep purplish-black, with flowing grain patterns that create a sense of movement and luxury.
Strengths
Walnut’s appearance is its greatest asset. No other domestic wood achieves the same depth of dark, warm color without heavy staining. When finished with a clear coat or light oil, walnut looks stunning in both modern and traditional settings. The grain has a flowing, almost liquid quality that draws the eye.
Because walnut is naturally dark, it’s rarely stained. A simple clear finish is all it needs, which actually simplifies the finishing process and ensures the most natural, authentic look.
Limitations
Cost is the primary barrier. Walnut is the most expensive common cabinet wood, often running 40 to 60 percent more than maple and significantly more than oak. For a full kitchen of custom walnut cabinets, the material cost premium alone can add thousands to the project.
Like cherry, walnut is relatively soft (Janka 1,010), making it more vulnerable to dents and surface damage than maple, oak, or hickory. It also lightens slightly over time with sun exposure, which is the opposite of cherry’s darkening. The change is subtle but worth knowing about.
Best applications
Modern and contemporary kitchens where the cabinets serve as the design centerpiece. Walnut also works beautifully as an accent, for example, a walnut island paired with painted perimeter cabinets in white or light gray.
Other Woods Worth Knowing About
While the six species above account for the vast majority of custom kitchen cabinets, a few other options come up in conversations with cabinet makers:
Alder is a softer wood (Janka 590) with a fine grain similar to cherry. It’s popular in the western United States and costs less than cherry while offering a similar warm, reddish tone. It’s best suited for low-traffic kitchens or homeowners who don’t mind the occasional surface mark. Alder also takes stain exceptionally well and is a favorite for achieving a “knotty” rustic look when specified as rustic or knotty alder.
Ash has a grain pattern similar to oak but with a lighter, more neutral base color. It’s very hard (Janka 1,320) and takes both stain and paint well. Ash has become harder to source in some regions due to the impact of the emerald ash borer, which has affected supply and pricing.
Bamboo isn’t technically a wood (it’s a grass), but it’s increasingly offered by some cabinet makers as an eco-friendly option. It’s extremely hard and has a distinctive, uniform look. Bamboo cabinets suit modern kitchens, though the aesthetic is quite specific and may not appeal to everyone.
Choosing Your Wood: What to Consider
There’s no single “best” wood for kitchen cabinets. The right choice depends on the intersection of several factors specific to your project.
Your finish plan matters more than you think. If you’re painting your cabinets, the wood grain won’t be visible, so paying a premium for cherry or walnut makes no sense. Maple or birch give you a superior paint surface at a lower cost. If you’re staining, the wood species becomes the most visible design element in your kitchen, so choose based on the grain pattern and color you want to live with.
Consider your kitchen’s traffic level. A busy family kitchen with young children benefits from a harder wood like maple, oak, or hickory that can absorb bumps and scuffs. A less-trafficked kitchen in an empty-nester home might be the perfect place for the softer beauty of cherry or walnut.
Think about long-term color change. Cherry and walnut both change color over time (cherry darkens, walnut lightens). If this bothers you, maple and oak are more color-stable options.
Don’t forget the budget. Wood species choice has a direct and significant impact on your total cabinet cost. Our custom cabinet cost guide breaks down how material choices affect pricing across the board.
If you’re ready to start discussing wood options with a professional, find custom cabinet makers in your area through our directory.
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the most durable wood for kitchen cabinets?
Hickory is the hardest common cabinet wood with a Janka rating of 1,820, making it the most resistant to dents and scratches. Maple (1,450) and oak (1,290 to 1,360) are also excellent choices for durability. For most households, any of these three will hold up well for decades.
What wood is best for white painted cabinets?
Maple is the top recommendation for painted cabinets. Its fine, uniform grain creates an extremely smooth surface under paint, with minimal grain show-through. Birch is a solid budget alternative. Avoid painting oak, as its open grain texture tends to telegraph through the paint over time.
Does it matter what wood is used for the cabinet box if only the doors are visible?
The box (the interior structure) doesn’t need to be the same species as the doors. Many custom cabinet makers use high-quality plywood for the boxes and reserve the solid hardwood for doors, drawer fronts, and face frames. This is a smart way to reduce material costs without sacrificing visible quality or structural integrity.
Will my cherry cabinets really change color?
Yes. Cherry darkens and develops a richer, warmer tone when exposed to light. The most noticeable change happens in the first 6 to 12 months, then continues more gradually after that. Most cherry cabinet owners come to love the aged look, but if you prefer consistency, consider applying a UV-protective finish or choosing a different species.
Is walnut too soft for kitchen cabinets?
Walnut (Janka 1,010) is softer than maple or oak but still hard enough for kitchen cabinet use. It will pick up small dents and surface marks more readily than harder woods, but these are cosmetic and don’t affect the cabinet’s function or structure. Many walnut cabinet owners see the natural wear as part of the wood’s character.
Last Updated: February 2026