It is very important to understand a few things about Oak Sleepers before making a purchase. There are a lots of inferior products available on the market that will not result is a satisfactory end product. In this article I want to go over a few considerations you should make when purchasing Green Oak Sleepers for your garden projects. I would also like to share why we believe the products we offer our customers are superior in both quality and appearance.

What should you be looking for in a good hardwood Oak Sleeper?

The density of the railway timber — the rate at which its been grown affects this greatly- slower growth results in closer growth rings creating denser and more hard wearing timber.

Minimal sap wood – Sap wood is the outer, younger rings of the tree, that have not had a chance to fully harden, which result in a soft timber that can easily rot and be damaged, these can normally be see as light colour material on the outside corners of the sleepers. please see diagram below.

Straight well cut timber – good quality production equipment used in there manufacture and the selection of good rare materials.

All look for timber that has at least 2 good faces that are free from waney edges, this will help greatly with the final appearance of your project.

Why Choose Canadian Oak Railway Sleepers?

Canadian Oak Sleepers are grown in an extremely cold climate, resulting in denser, slow grown timber that is much more suited to the damp UK climate than timber sourced from Europe. It will either be quickly grown Eastern European or French timber or cut from Turkey Oak trees (Quercus Cerris) which is a much inferior timber that rots quickly and will twist and warp to a much greater extent than White oak (Quercus alba) that we source from sawmills in Canada.

Canadian oak sleepers are subject to very tight regulation on imported timber from non European countries. All new oak has to be free of sapwood and heat treated in the country of origin to remove the possibility of insect infestation. Although increasing prices, these new regulations help ensure that the quality of all imported timber is of the highest possible standard.

With our Canadian oak sleepers, you will always get at least 2 good sides with minimal waney edges, but quite often you will find all 4 sides are good enough to use as the finished surface.

If you would like to come and view our New Canadian Oak Garden Sleepers please visit one of our branches in Portsmouth, Poole, Winchester or Tadley, always call before to confirm sufficient stock is currently available to view.

Our sleepers are supplied in the following sizes:

2.2m x 200mm x 75mm untreated

2.2m x 200mm x 120mm untreated

Untreated Green Oak Railway Sleepers will require additional treatment, adequate drainage and careful installation when coming in contact with the ground, especially when being used in wet or damp areas.