Best Wood for End Grain Cutting Board in 2024

What is the Best Wood for End Grain Cutting Boards?

End grain cutting boards are not only more durable than their counterparts, they’re also easier on your knives.

However, they often come at a hefty price, and not everyone has the space or the budget for one.

But what if you could get the benefits of end grain cutting boards without the expense?

Here are the best woods for end grain cutting boards and the best value for money boards available on the market.

What is End Grain Wood?

End grain is a type of wood with the grain seen when the wood is cut across the growth rings. This type of wood is more durable, and much more aesthetically appealing to the eye.

End grain boards are superior to the other types of cutting boards because this type of board is made by cutting pieces of lumber into blocks and gluing them together. This makes the top surface stronger and more durable.

TheTop 3 Reviews for Best Wood for End Grain Cutting Board

In this section we will go through a few of our favorite wooden cutting boards.

Large Walnut Cutting Board

This large walnut cutting board is a team favorite with ample space (17×11 inches) and rich American black walnut wood grain.

Fortunately this board comes pre-seasoned which is great for those who are short on time.

It is actually a reversible cutting board, which is handy for those times when you don’t want to have to wash and re-wash your board during your preparation of a meal.

One side of the board has a juice groove to catch any excess liquids and prevents any messes.

The design is one of beauty and functionality.  It has built in inner handle grips at either end for easy use and safety (preventing the board from slipping out of your hands).

Being made out of walnut, it possesses all the benefits that come along with the grain such as anti-stain and anti-bacterial properties.

A solid board all round.

Pros

  • extra large surface area to utilize for prep
  • walnut grain with fantastic properties
  • reversible board for easy use

Cons

  • requires conditioning and maintenance for long use

Kiso Japanese Cypress Hinoki Cutting Board

Although we didn’t cover this particular wood grain above, we thought it would be worth including this wonderful wood cutting board in our favorites.   The materials used to make this chopping board is 100% authentic Japanese Cypress, which is an extremely soft wood.  This soft wood allows the knife’s blade to penetrate the surface, therefore protecting it from becoming blunt and warped.

The Kiso Hinoki Chopping Board is masterfully crafted using one-inch thick strips, and not multiple layers, like other inferior products.  The Cypress wood also contains a natural compound called phytoncide which naturally resists mold and bacteria.

You would be hard-pressed to find a better complementary cutting board for Japanese Knives than the Kiso Hinoki board.

Pros

  • very soft wood to protect your knives
  • beautifully presented board
  • soft, but also contains antibacterial properties – a huge plus in our books

Cons

  • requires conditioning and maintenance for long use

Sonder Los Angeles Teak Wood Cutting Board

The Sonder Los Angeles Teak cutting board is a fantastic looking wood board that will be a showcase in your kitchen.  You definitely won’t want to tuck this away in your kitchen cupboards with the wonderful wood grain design.

Being a teak board, it is durable and hard.  What we love about this teak board is that it has self healing properties, which is hard to find in a board made out from teak.

The design is such that the knife’s edge goes between fibers rather than through them, which allows for it to close up and repair itself.

With the added bonus of juice groove all around the board’s edges, you won’t experience any spillages or messes.

In addition to the wonderful looks, the Sonder Los Angeles pride themselves in producing quality products.  Therefore, they offer a like for like replacement if you feel your board is faulty within one year of purchase.  You can be assured to buy with confidence with this board.

Pros

  • fantastic looking wood grain board
  • self healing and delicate on your knife’s edge
  • one year replacement warranty offered by a quality brand

Cons

  • requires conditioning and maintenance for long use

Buyers Guide to Finding the Best Wood for End Grain Cutting Boards

Maple

Maples sounds good and lives up to its reputation as one of the preferred varieties of wood for cutting boards.  Maple comes in both hard and soft options, however for cutting boards we recommend using the hard maple option.  They generally tend to be more scratch resistant and less likely to absorb any coloration left from your food.

Maple is a closed-grained wood that is favored due to the small pores in the wood.  This produces anti-bacterial properties and results in less moisture being absorbed into the cutting board.  This is critical to prevent any warping of the board.

Maple boards are a great option, but they will require more maintenance than other materials.

Teak

Teak is another good option for a wood cutting board.

Teak is known for its hardness and therefore makes a great cutting board.  The hardness allows you to cut into the wood over and over again.  However, the toughness of the wood also produces a problem.  Teak can sometimes be too tough.  And if you have expensive knives that you care about, using a teak cutting board repeatedly can potentially blunt your knives quicker.

Walnut

Is probably one of the softer woods for making a cutting board.  This is ideal for when you have invested in high quality knives and you want to protect the edge and ensure the longevity of the knife.

However, there is generally a trade off when you opt for the extremes of the soft-hard spectrum.  Softer woods means it has the potential to scratch and scar easier than other harder woods.  It also means Walnut has larger pores, which in turn could result in unwanted bacterial growth on the boards surface.

A positive with walnut cutting boards is that they require less maintenance and tend to be the less likely to shrink over time.  This means you only need to condition the board every quarter of a year or so.

Beech

Beech sits happily in the middle of the spectrum.  It is considered a semi-hard wood and is a good safe option for a wood cutting board.

It is a food-safe closed grain wood that is hard, but not too hard that it will blunt your knives.

Due to its closed pore nature, it possesses good anti-bacterial and anti-stain properties to ensure your board looks great for years.

One of the downsides to Beech is the coloration of the wood.  It is generally a paler color when compared to the other options and therefore can stain easier.

Final Verdict

If you are cooking in the kitchen you will eventually have to use a cutting board.

We always recommend using a wood cutting board compared to other options like plastic or glass.

It is generally the more hygienic option when compared to plastic boards.  It will protect your knife’s edge unlike glass cutting boards.

They also look great in the kitchen giving a beautiful cottage feel.