# white oak prices



## stltreedr (Feb 19, 2013)

I took some white oak to a local mill over the weekend for the first time- 4 logs each cut 8' 6" the biggest end was about 32 inches diameter and tapered up to about 25" at the top. He gave me $160 for all of them, which is about 10 cents per BF best I can figure. The logs were pretty nice, a couple small decayed spots. Do you all think that was a good price? I would've just cut them up if he didn't buy them, but I wanted to see how this process worked.


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## TreeGuyHR (Feb 19, 2013)

stltreedr said:


> I took some white oak to a local mill over the weekend for the first time- 4 logs each cut 8' 6" the biggest end was about 32 inches diameter and tapered up to about 25" at the top. He gave me $160 for all of them, which is about 10 cents per BF best I can figure. The logs were pretty nice, a couple small decayed spots. Do you all think that was a good price? I would've just cut them up if he didn't buy them, but I wanted to see how this process worked.



Seems a bit low if they were decent grade. In my area, seasoned split oak firewood goes for between $160 - $200 a cord, depending on quantity. 
You have about a cord, so if you figure in the labor of making firewood out of it, you basically were paid for firewood value (but not cut and split, which is nearly all the value).

Scribner scale for board foot yield is 200 bdf for an 8 ft by 24 in. log (small end, 0.5 ft. trim), so you were paid at the rate of about $200 per MBF (thousand board feet) if your logs scaled to 800 bdf. I don't know about your state, but I found these log prices:

Saw Log Pricing | Northeast Timber Exchange, LLC

$150 to $400 per MBF, depending on grade.


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## Woody912 (Feb 19, 2013)

that sounds like poplar price to me. Last reference I looked at for Indiana I think white oak was about $800/MBF for a #1 sawlog and I think that was stumpage price. maybe I misremembered. Seems low considering you delivered


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## GRTimberCO (Feb 20, 2013)

Well, what did your scale sheets show? How many board feet and @ what price? How did they grade, Veneer, block #1,#2?

View attachment 280285


this price sheet is from a mill that typically pays the most around here for quality logs.


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## Woody912 (Feb 20, 2013)

Woody912 said:


> that sounds like poplar price to me. Last reference I looked at for Indiana I think white oak was about $800/MBF for a #1 sawlog and I think that was stumpage price. maybe I misremembered. Seems low considering you delivered



Found some 2012 pricing for IN last night that ranged up to $1200 for #1 and as high as $3000 for >28" veneer, maybe like the mythical $50 raccoon hide we always heard about. x mother in law sold some timber a few yrs ago and did not even know much many trees she sold, not a lot of transparency in timber pricing IMHO.


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## stltreedr (Feb 20, 2013)

I have no price sheets, this was my first time trying to sell logs and the mill is about 1/4 mile from my house. My choices range from cutting it and splitting it, paying to dump it, or now take it to the mill. I have no Idea on grading- although I'm pretty sure it wasn't veneer, but the logs were big.

I spoke to another local miller last night and he said, "i would pay you that." So I'm not sure if that means he would pay more or if he would pay the same. Oh well, It's just a little bumper on the backside of my jobs anyway. No big deal. A few pics but not very good.View attachment 280286
View attachment 280287


You can kinda see the decay in the bottom 2 largest logs, but the shadow screws it up, the top 3 logs were solid as rock- the one on top left he didn't want and is now burning in my OWB


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## stltreedr (Feb 20, 2013)

GRTimberCO said:


> Well, what did your scale sheets show? How many board feet and @ what price? How did they grade, Veneer, block #1,#2?
> 
> View attachment 280285
> 
> ...




32" on the big end, 25 on the small- all logs together were 34 feet long...So I'm going to try and figure this here so you guys can tell me if I louse it up.
average diameter-28.5"
radius is 14.25
3.14X(14.25X14.25) X 408"= 260147 cubic inches of wood
divided by 144= 1806 sq. ft which should be the same as BF, right?


Do you count the extra 6" of log or is that wasted?


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## GRTimberCO (Feb 20, 2013)

You don't count the 6" of waste. Each log scales individually measured at the small end.



So, the biggest log you had (8' and 25") scales at 221 on the Doyle, 220 Scribner and 231 on the International scale, depending on which scale they are using. You multiply that by what they are paying per MBF (thousand board feet) and you've got your price for that log. Here's some more calculators you can play around with-

edit- well, it wouldn't let me link to the tool box on another website.


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## GRTimberCO (Feb 20, 2013)

Just out of curiosity I ran the numbers and you had around 575 board feet total. So, they payed you about $278-280 per MBF. That's pallet prices around here but not terrible. I've done better and done worse. You did OK I would think.


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## Woody912 (Feb 20, 2013)

GRTimberCO said:


> Just out of curiosity I ran the numbers and you had around 575 board feet total. So, they payed you about $278-280 per MBF. That's pallet prices around here but not terrible. I've done better and done worse. You did OK I would think.



From what I can see he has some knots and other defects, maybe some sweep. Maybe #2 or 3??????. He did better than I initially thought


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## Naked Arborist (Feb 20, 2013)

Somebody somewhere in the lumber stream is making some phat money. I would think white oak would be worth more than firewood in those large trunks. I know around here anything below that is not even worth taking to a mill. The mills were paying less than that last year for nice furniture grade hard woods, sucks.

If I could get those prices now for white oak and better woods picked up I'd be selling them everyday.


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## richard t (Feb 20, 2013)

Around here the only logs i figure is worth my time to take to the mill are walnut & cherry but I own a tree service so i don't log for a living.

But i do know in missouri there are alot of guys who cut and sell staves did it years ago with my uncle


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## stltreedr (Feb 20, 2013)

Thanks for all the info... I think I have a little better idea of what's going on now. (except for how to measure BF) I guess I need to get one of those scales. Since he's right around the corner I think I'll keep bringing stuff to this guy, unless maybe I get something really nice and want to see if someone else might pay big money for it. Thanks again.


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## BERN-TIMBER (Feb 20, 2013)

Ask him if he cuts railroad ties and cut for that grade. If I were to sell those logs here in PA they would go to a tie mill but would have to be cut 8' 8" or a tad longer, because a tie when dried has to finish at 8'6". They want the extra bit of trim to account for checking, but the price is usually a bit better. Not saying it would have changed anything but its worth looking in too.


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## timberland ts (Feb 22, 2013)

Got my price sheet here. Clear saw log 14" four clear face 400,12" 4f 300,12" 3f 250, 10" 2f 200,10" 1f 100. Biggest thing with logs is they need to be strait clear and free of defects. Crap logs crap money.


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## johncinco (Feb 22, 2013)

Ask the guy. He is more likely to pay more for logs cut to what he wants. Ask for some pointers on how to cut, the way he wants to buy. You can eliminate defects, knots, crotchs, limbs, at log ends if it makes for better lumber for him. You bring him better logs to make better lumber, and he can pay more. There is always something interesting to learn that can improve your own lot.


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