Color analysis of white oak, edge-glued furniture panel stock

Edge-glued furniture panels are part of the hardwood dimension industry’s production mix. There has been increasing pressure, particularly by export markets, for panels to be better matched in color and for lighter colored panels to be separated for special finishing effects. Currently, matching and evaluation of dimension stock is based on the subjective judgments of the producer and buyer. A more objective description of colors can be obtained by using colorimeters. In this initial investigation, a handheld portable colorimeter was used to assess color variation in stock for three furniture panels. The results showed significant variation within panels in the color property L*, a color property that describes lightness or darkness of the color. Little variation was observed in individual boards within panels, suggesting that few measurements per board are needed in an industrial setting. Further investigations will center on determining the variability of color in white oak wood used for panels and the ability of a calorimeter to be used in an industrial setting.

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