Black walnut sales stay steady

Black walnut (Juglans nigra) hardwood sales have remained steady as 2026 begins, with consistent orders and quality logs available, according to suppliers interviewed by Woodshop News. Customers are primarily seeking FAS (First and Seconds) and premium grades.

Rick Hearne of Hearne Hardwoods in Oxford, Pa., regularly sells premium unsteamed walnut and says it remains a steady seller despite tariff discussions that can influence buyers.

“The price has been holding fairly steady. The year started off with a better supply of logs because when Trump hit China with tariffs, they immediately stopped buying logs, and they were buying a tremendous amount of walnut logs from the Midwest, so the competition for the logs went down, but it didn’t last long. The tariffs being on and off again affects that and puts pressure on the quality of the material, but the price has been holding steady during that whole period,” Hearne says.

“We are very well inventoried on it. We really don’t pay much attention to commodity pricing. If it’s a super log, we want to buy it. So, we’ve had walnut stocked from 4/4 through 16/4 and boards up to 8 feet wide and 18 feet long.”

Hearne says he offers only unsteamed walnut in boards and slabs due to customer preference. Projects range from furniture and niche products to high-end architectural millwork. He adds that walnut demand matches white oak, with both being the strongest sellers.

Paul Kroffon of Kroffon Hardwoods and Cabinets in Tiffin, Iowa, has seen increased demand for walnut in recent months, mostly for tables and smaller craft projects.

“There seems to be a little bit of an uptick on it. We produce a lot of the 8/4 and 10/4 walnut and we’ve seen more activity on that. The 4/4, it goes in spells, but it seems there’s a little more increased activity on that,” Kroffon says.

“It’s usually a pretty steady item but sometimes you see a little increased activity and we’re seeing that. I don’t know if it was down, but it’s not the top seller we have. It seems like the white oak right now, everyone wants the quartersawn white oak.”

Carl Mahlstedt of Goosebay Sawmill and Lumber in Chichester, N.H, offers steamed standard dimensional walnut lumber and says demand remains high because of walnut’s unique color.

“It’s been very popular. We can’t seem to keep enough in stock. It’s been very steady; there could be a slight increase this year, but I think the overall view on it is that it’s still strong and it’s just still very popular. If anything, from at least what I see, the standard FAS grade is looking a little better than it used to. We try to stick with the premium grades because our customers would rather pay a little bit more to guarantee the nicer color and wider widths,” Mahlstedt says.

He also offers unsteamed live-edge slabs cut and dried on the premises. Among live-edge slabs offered, walnut is one of the more popular choices because of its color variation.

FAS walnut in 4/4 thickness was quoted at $10 to $13.25 per board foot.

Originally published in the February 2026 issue of Woodshop News.