What to Look For in the Best Cutting Board Wood: Teak, Maple, Walnut

A good wooden cutting board is the quietest, most pleasant surface to cut on, and with a little oil it lasts for years. It is where onions get diced for pico de gallo, where a bunch of cilantro gets chopped down to almost nothing, and where a rested skirt steak gets sliced across the grain for tacos. It also costs more than plastic, needs hand washing and wants oil every few weeks, so it pays to buy the right one the first time.

Choosing comes down to three questions: which wood, edge grain or end grain, and how big. This guide answers all three, names eight wooden boards worth buying from makers who publish their specifications, and sets out the care each maker asks for.

Julia’s earns a commission on purchases made through links on this page, at no cost to you. Recommendations are based on what a restaurant kitchen looks for, product specifications and verified buyer reports.

Quick verdict: which wooden board to buy

Below, the five standouts side by side, then all eight boards in full.

Five wooden boards compared

Our five standout picks, one for each kind of cook, with the specifications each maker or listing states. All eight boards are reviewed in full below.

Product images from Amazon. Woods, sizes and grain are as stated by each maker or listing; check the listing before you buy.

Our picks for the best cutting board wood

These eight boards cover the woods that make sense in a kitchen: teak, hard maple, black walnut, larch and acacia, plus Japanese hinoki and bamboo for contrast. There are edge-grain and end-grain boards, boards with and without juice grooves, and sizes from a 14-inch square to a full 20 by 15. Each pick explains who it suits and one honest reason to skip it. For plastic, composite and rubber boards, see our main guide to the best cutting board.

How to choose a wooden cutting board

These are the factors that separate a board you reach for every day from one that lives in a cupboard.

1. The wood

Kitchen boards are made from hardwoods that are dense and close-grained. Maple is the classic American choice, hard and pale. Teak is oily and moisture resistant, by Teakhaus’s account, which makes it lower maintenance. Walnut is darker and a little softer. Acacia is common in lower-cost boards. Softer woods such as hinoki are gentler on knives but mark more easily.

2. Edge grain or end grain

Edge-grain boards are made from long strips glued side by side, so the knife cuts along the wood fibers. They are lighter, cheaper and need less oil. End-grain boards are built from short blocks with the ends of the fibers facing up, like a checkerboard. Makers such as Larch Wood, Sonder and Ironwood say the knife slips between the fibers, which is kinder to edges. End-grain boards are usually thicker, heavier and more expensive.

3. Size and thickness

A main board should be at least 17 or 18 inches long so diced onion, tomato, chile and cilantro each get their own space. About 1.25 to 1.5 inches thick is a good balance: heavy enough to sit still, light enough to wash. Measure your sink before buying a 20-inch board.

4. Juice groove or flat

A groove catches juice when you slice rested carne asada or a roast chicken; it gets in the way when you sweep chopped vegetables off the edge. Reversible boards with a groove on one side give you both.

5. Feet or reversible

Rubber feet stop a board sliding, but they mean only one side is usable. A heavy reversible board stays put on its own weight; a light one needs a damp towel underneath.

Oiling and cleaning wood, per the makers

Every maker here agrees on the basics: hand wash, never the dishwasher, never soak, dry straight away, and oil the board regularly. They differ on how often. John Boos says at least once a month, or whenever the wood looks dry, with Mystery Oil left on overnight followed by Board Cream. Sonder says every two to three weeks. Teakhaus says a few drops of oil now and then. The University of Maine Cooperative Extension recommends food-safe mineral oil or beeswax about once a month and says to avoid olive or vegetable oil, which can turn sticky and rancid.

For food safety, Maine’s extension guide recommends one board for raw meat and another for ready-to-eat foods, and gives a sanitizing method for wooden boards: half a teaspoon of unscented liquid chlorine bleach per quart of water, left for one minute, then wiped dry. It also says to replace boards with deep grooves or cracks once they can no longer be cleaned effectively. Many cooks keep a wooden board for vegetables and bread and use a plastic one for raw meat; see our guide to the best cutting board plastic for that second board.

How we chose these eight wooden boards

We started from what a working kitchen asks of a wooden board: enough room for real prep, a stable footing, a wood that holds up to daily knife work and a care routine people will follow. We then looked for boards sold on Amazon in the United States from identifiable makers, covering the main woods in both edge grain and end grain, and checked each one’s stock with Amazon’s product data before writing. Woods, sizes, grain and care come from the maker’s listing or website; where neither states something, we say “not stated”. Food-safety and oiling advice comes from the University of Maine Cooperative Extension. We did not use these boards for this guide, and we have not cited published equipment reviews because we did not read them for these models.

Wooden board questions, answered

What is the best wood type for a cutting board?

Dense, close-grained hardwoods: maple, teak, walnut and acacia are the common ones, and each maker here uses one of them. Teak needs the least care by its maker’s account, maple is the classic, and walnut is a little softer and darker. Hinoki is a softer specialist wood for fine knife work.

Is end grain or edge grain better?

End grain is gentler on knives, according to the makers who build it, and suits heavy daily chopping. Edge grain is lighter, cheaper and needs less oil. For most home cooks a good edge-grain board is plenty.

What is the most durable wood cutting board for everyday use?

A thick hardwood board from a maker that publishes its care routine, oiled on schedule. The Teakhaus and John Boos boards here are 1.25 to 1.5 inches thick and built for daily use; end-grain boards from Larch Wood or Boos are thicker still.

Can wooden cutting boards go in the dishwasher?

Not according to any maker on this list. John Boos says never, Teakhaus says hand wash only, and Totally Bamboo says no dishwasher and no soaking. Maine’s extension guide warns wood may warp in a dishwasher.

What oil should I use on a wooden cutting board?

A food-safe mineral oil or the maker’s own board oil or cream. The University of Maine’s guide advises against olive and vegetable oils because they can go sticky and rancid.

Our wooden board for a busy counter

Buy the Teakhaus edge-grain board if you want a large wooden board that asks little of you. Choose the John Boos Chop-N-Slice for American maple at a manageable weight, the Larch Wood end-grain board if your knives come first, and the Sonder Alfred if you carve and serve on the same board. For plastic, composite and rubber boards alongside wood, see our main best cutting board guide.

A board is only part of the prep kit: our guide to Mexican cooking tools covers the rest, and our best meat claws help when a slow-cooked pork shoulder lands on that board. For what to make with all the chopped tomatoes and tomatillos, see salsa roja vs salsa verde.

On a budget? See our guide to the best budget wood cutting boards.

Related guide: Wood vs plastic cutting board.

Related guide: End grain vs edge grain cutting board.

Related guide: Bamboo vs wood cutting board.

Related guide: Best made in usa cutting board.

And if you would rather leave the chopping to someone else tonight, see the menu or call to order.