Wood species
Walnut drawer boxes
Walnut is the dark one. Black walnut comes out of the log a deep chocolate brown, and a dovetailed walnut drawer box is about as good as a drawer gets to look at. We build it on custom and wholesale orders, quoted from your sizes and quantity.
Quick answer. Walnut drawer boxes are built from solid black walnut, a rich brown hardwood at about 1010 Janka that is easy to work, moderate in weight and beautiful under an oil or clear finish. We dovetail it exactly like our standards: 5/8 in sides, 1/4 in captured bottom, cut to the 1/32 in, from our Las Vegas shop. Walnut is not on the configurator. Send sizes and quantity through the instant quote, the contact page or the trade portal and we quote it as a custom or wholesale order.
What walnut looks like in a drawer
The heartwood runs from a warm milk chocolate to a deep, almost purple brown, often with darker streaks following the grain. The sapwood at the edge of the log is pale cream, and a board can carry both, so a walnut box may show a light band along one side. Grain is mostly straight with an open, slightly coarse texture, and it takes a curly figure now and then. The dovetails are the show: dark pins locking into dark tails, with the pale end grain of each cut catching the light so the joint reads from across the room.
One thing to know before you order: walnut moves the opposite way from cherry over time. Cherry darkens with light and age; walnut lightens slightly and warms toward a golden brown. A fresh walnut box is the darkest it will ever be. Under an oil finish that shift is gentle and the color stays deep for years.
| Trait | Walnut |
|---|---|
| SPECIES | Black walnut, solid North American hardwood |
| COLOR | Chocolate to purple brown heartwood, cream sapwood |
| GRAIN | Mostly straight, open textured, occasional curl |
| JANKA | About 1010 |
| WEIGHT | Moderate: heavier than Baltic Birch, lighter than Hard Maple |
| OVER TIME | Lightens slightly and warms |
| ORDER | Custom or wholesale, quoted |
Hardness, weight and how it works
At about 1010 on the Janka scale walnut sits in the middle of the pack, below Hard Maple at 1450 and birch at 1260, above cherry and soft maple at 950. It is plenty hard for a drawer side. It dents a little easier than maple under a sharp knock, but the dark color hides small marks that would show on a pale wood. Weight is moderate, so it lands between our two standards on an undermount runner rated by drawer plus contents. Walnut is also one of the nicest hardwoods to machine: it cuts clean, the dovetails come out crisp and it sands smooth without a fight, which is part of why furniture makers have favored it for centuries.
How it takes finish
Walnut wants a clear finish, not a stain. An oil finish soaks in and brings the color to its deepest; a water based clear coat keeps it a touch cooler and lighter. Nobody stains walnut darker because it is already the color other woods are stained to reach. Our boxes ship sanded and unfinished so you can match the finish on the rest of the piece, or ask about finishing when you request the quote.
Which drawers it suits
Walnut is the box you build when the inside is part of the design. Dresser and nightstand drawers, desk drawers, jewelry drawers, closet islands, kitchen drawers in a walnut kitchen, and any furniture where opening the drawer should be a small pleasure. It is not the pick for a garage or a laundry room; that is Baltic Birch or melamine work.
How we build it
A walnut box is built the way every box leaves our shop. Solid 5/8 in walnut sides, true interlocking dovetails at all four corners, a 1/4 in bottom captured in a groove on all four sides, every dimension cut to the 1/32 in, sanded and assembled. Side mount boxes are cut narrow for the slide clearance; undermount boxes are notched and drilled for the runner you name. The dovetail page shows the joint.
Bottoms that pair with walnut
- Baltic Birch, 1/4 in. The usual pick. Pale, stable, light, and it lets the walnut sides carry the look.
- Baltic Birch, 1/2 in. For wide or heavy drawers.
- Walnut. Ask us. A solid walnut bottom makes a fully matched box for furniture work.
- Melamine. Black melamine disappears under a walnut box and wipes clean; white and HardRock Maple also available.
How to order walnut boxes
Walnut is built on custom and wholesale orders and is quoted per job; it is not on the configurator and there is no published lead time. Measure each box to the 1/32 in using the measuring guide, note the quantity and the slides, and send it through the instant quote or the contact page. Cabinet shops and designers use the trade portal, and volume runs go through wholesale. We confirm sizes, bottom and slide prep, then build.
Walnut against the stocked standards
| Walnut | Baltic Birch | Hard Maple (Select Grade) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| WHAT IT IS | Solid hardwood | Multi ply birch panel | Solid hardwood |
| COLOR | Chocolate brown | Pale blonde, striped edge | Creamy white |
| JANKA | About 1010 | About 1260 | About 1450 |
| WEIGHT | Moderate | Lightest | Heaviest |
| FINISH | Oil or clear, never stained darker | Clear or paint | Clear; blotches under pigment stain |
| ORDER | Quoted, custom or wholesale | Configurator, ships in about 2 to 4 days | Configurator, +$34.99, about 4 to 5 days |
Other dark or warm options: cherry for a reddish brown that deepens with age, white oak for a tan that stains anywhere from pale to black. The two standards are compared on Baltic Birch vs Hard Maple.
In photos
What walnut looks like
Questions
Can I order walnut drawer boxes on the configurator?
No. The configurator carries Baltic Birch and Hard Maple (Select Grade). Walnut is a custom or wholesale order, quoted from your sizes and quantity through the instant quote, the contact page or the trade portal.
Will the walnut have light sapwood in it?
It can. Walnut boards often carry a pale cream band at the sapwood edge. If you need all heartwood, say so when you request the quote and we will talk through what is possible for your run.
Does walnut change color?
Yes, slightly. Walnut lightens and warms a little with time, the opposite of cherry, which darkens. An oil finish keeps it deep the longest.
Is walnut strong enough for a kitchen drawer?
Yes. At about 1010 Janka it is a proper hardwood, and the dovetailed corners carry the load the same as on a maple box. It dents a little easier than maple, and the dark color hides small marks well.
What bottom should I put in a walnut box?
Most walnut boxes get a 1/4 in Baltic Birch bottom, light and stable, with the walnut sides carrying the look. Ask about a solid walnut bottom for fully matched furniture drawers, or black melamine for a wipe clean floor.
Quote a walnut drawer box
Solid walnut, dovetailed, cut to the 1/32 in in our Las Vegas shop. Send sizes and quantity and we will quote it.