Midwest Hardwood
Cabinet Manufacturers have long been at the core of our business. We offer species and grade mixes at a quality level that exceeds the industry standard and makes Midwest Hardwood Corporation the perfect hardwood lumber supplier for small, medium and larger cabinet manufacturing companies.
Reasons you should form a relationship with Midwest Hardwood Corporation:
| Color Consistency & Control |
Midwest is a Northern Hardwood manufacturer that saws, kiln dries and rips hardwood lumber from the premium region of North America. Combining the right region with proper handling and drying procedures assures our customers a high quality and color consistent product. |
| Securing Your Supply Chain | As a large primary manufacturer that harvest the timber and saws and dries the lumber, you can be assured of adequate volumes of supply at all times. |
| Proprietary Grades | In today's optimized cabinet manufacturing environment, many of our customers are finding the solution·of lumber grades is a mix of traditional NHLA #1 Common and·#2 Common grades with some additional color specifications. This allows manufacturers to use lower grade lumber for short parts efficiently and garner cost savings associated with #2 Common lumber. |
| ?Value Added Services | Many Manufacturers find it advantageous to buy ripped-to-width lumber? instead of random length. This allows cabinet manufacturers to focus on their core product and not on their rough mill. In addition we operate state-of-the-art moulders, where we can run lineal mouldings like door rail or cabinet crowns when business is sufficiently busy to justify outside sources. |
Flooring manufacturers have unique needs in their hardwood lumber requirements. They often require fixed or sorted widths, specified lengths and other custom attributes. Midwest Hardwood Corporation serves the needs of flooring manufacturers around the world by providing:
| Proprietary Grade Solutions | For years Midwest Hardwood has had the industry leading custom sawn Rustic Lumber Program in Black Walnut, Hickory, White Oak, Cherry, Hard Maple and Red Oak. As consumer tastes have evolved towards more natural looking floors Midwest's Rustic Program has allowed manufacturers to take advantage of this trend and generate profits in rustic floors. Midwest Hardwood Corporation understands the unique needs of engineered vs. solid flooring manufacturing and can sort boards for each market. |
| Sorted to Width Offerings | Combining Midwest's large production capacity with a diverse customer base allows the company to offer significant volumes of sorted-to-width product. This significanlty improves yields and the resulting profits for Midwest Customers. |
| Ripped-To-Width Blanks | For companies that want to go off the truck straight into production, Midwest offers an extensive inventory of ripped-to-width hardwoods. |
| Flooring Strips | Midwest manufacturers Black Walnut Flooring Strips for international markets, Click here for more information. |
| FSC Product Available | In all of our species and products above we can supply lumber from well-managed forests. Learn More |
Midwest Hardwood has the ability to custom match just about any moulding profile, run out of nearly any species, for large volume national home builders to some of the fanciest Hotels and Casinos in North America. For a traditional profile, you can utilize Midwest's on hand knife library of more than 1300 profiles. Midwest can supply mouldings up to 4” thick and 8” wide, in lengths as long as the lumber is available.
Midwest Hardwood Corporation operates a custom architectural moulding plant in Westby, WI USA. Westby Hardwood Products (located about 25 miles Southeast of La Crosse, WI) has over 40 years of experience manufacturing premium custom millwork, flooring, and other value-added hardwood products for customers around the world. Recently this plant has added significant capacity to make dimension blanks for the flooring, furniture and cabinet industries.
If your needs require lumber to be moulded or chopped to length, please contact us for a quote.
In Europe and Asia one of the key products made by many flooring manufacturers is 2-Strip and 3-Strip Engineered Flooring. This commodity product is the European equivalent of 3/4" x 2-1/4" Strip Flooring manufactured in the US market. In Europe·these flooring strips or "blocks" are surfaced on all four sides, precision trimmed square-to-length, then slit into 4 or 5 top layer pieces that are subsequently glued to an engineered substrate.
The advantages Midwest brings to the flooring strip market are:
| Volume | Competitive manufacturers might make 1 - 2 containers per month of strips and are subject to lumber thickness variances as they are supplied by multiple manufacturers, Midwest makes 8-12 containers per month. |
| European Thickness | 2-3 strip manufacturers are use to a 30 mm green thickness in their White Oak strips and have been unable to find this in North American sourced products, this is important as often times manufacturers find when using North American species they only get 4 top layers due to thinner input |
| Dryness and Steaming Consistency | Midwest owns the sawmills, dry kilns and chopping facilities products sourced from Midwest in consistent load to load, year to year. |
| Custom Length Mixes | The volumes Midwest Hardwood manufacturers we can easily accommodate custom lengths and specific percentage flooring strip orders without extended order fulfillment times· |
Comparison of Strip Manufacturing Methods
| Attribute | European Sawing Method | American Sawing Method | Midwest Hardwood Sawing Method |
| Full 26mm Thickness | YES | NO (varies as buying from assorted sawmills yields varying thicknesses. USA 1”=25.4mm) | YES |
| Full 70/76mm Width | YES | YES | YES |
| High % of Sap | YES (40-50% estimate) | NO (#2 Com 15-20%) | NO (0-10%) |
| Sap Orientation | Vertical | Horizontal | Horizontal when available |
| Mixed Rift/Quartered | YES (20-40% estimate) | NO (nearly all flat sawn) | YES (20-40% estimate) |
| Availability | Custom sawing (would require buyer to take all the lumber from each log) | Low/Varied (From small chop shops with limited cash to buy necessary lumber) | Very good (10+ containers/month) |
| Price | High (+50-60% above current market as more of the log would go to strips) | Low (subject to rapidly increasing #2 Com prices, will confirmed orders ship??) | Moderate (competitive with #2 Com when shipping reliability is factored into cost) |
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*Available FSC® Certified.
| Black Ash | White Oak | ||||||
| 16,900 | 4/4 | #1 Com* | Rgh Unsel | 26,000 | 4/4 | Sel & Btr* | Rgh Qtd |
| 30,000 | 4/4 | #2A Com* | Rgh Unsel | 26,000 | 4/4 | Rustic* | Rgh 5.5"-6.5" |
| 10,400 | 5/4 | #1 Com* | Rgh Unsel | 38,000 | 5/4 | Sel & Btr* | Rgh Rift/Qtd. |
| 5,100 | 5/4 | #2A Com* | Rgh Unsel | 5,200 | 5/4 | #1 Com* | S2S 1-3/16" |
| White Ash | 29,000 | 5/4 | #1 Com* | Rgh Rift/Qtd. | |||
| 12,000 | 4/4 | Sel & Btr* | Rgh Rift/Qtd. | 5,000 | 8/4 | Sel & Btr* | Rgh Rift/Qtd. |
| Aspen | Black Walnut | ||||||
| 33,500 | 4/4 | Sel & Btr* | Rgh | 6,000 | 4/4 | FAS/1F* | Rgh |
| Basswood | 10,000 | 4/4 | FAS/1F* | S2S 15/16" Sap1F | |||
| 5,000 | 4/4 | Sel & Btr* | Rgh 16' | 20,000 | 4/4 | FAS/1F* | Rgh 90/90 heart or better |
| 5,500 | 9/4 | #2 Com* | Rgh | 14,000 | 4/4 | FAS/1F* | Rgh Rift/Qtd. |
| American Beech | 9,700 | 4/4 | #1 Com* | Rgh | |||
| 11,000 | 4/4 | #1 Com* | S2S 15/16" Unsel | 10,500 | 4/4 | #1 Com* | Rgh 7"& wider |
| 12,800 | 4/4 | Rustic* | Rgh Unsel | 6,200 | 4/4 | #1 Com* | S2S 15/16" Sap1F |
| White Birch | 10,000 | 4/4 | #2 Com* | Rgh | |||
| 10,000 | 4/4 | Sel & Btr* | Rgh Fleck Free | 9,000 | 4/4 | #2 Com* | Rgh Rift/Qtd. |
| 17,000 | 4/4 | #1 Com* | Rgh Fleck Free | 30,000 | 4/4 | Rustic* | Rgh 8.5"-11.5" |
| 15,000 | 4/4 | #2 Com* | Rgh Fleck Free | 10,000 | 5/4 | FAS/1F* | Rgh Rift/Qtd. |
| 17,800 | 4/4 | #3 Com* | Rgh Fleck Free | 6,400 | 5/4 | #2 Com* | Rgh |
| Cherry | 9,600 | 6/4 | FAS/1F* | Rgh Rift/Qtd. | |||
| 25,000 | 4/4 | Sel & Btr* | S2S 15/16" 90/50+ RED | 5,800 | 6/4 | FAS/1F* | S2S 1-7/16" Sap1F |
| 25,000 | 4/4 | Rustic* | S2S 15/16" 5.5"-8.5" | 15,000 | 7/4 | FAS/1F* | Rgh |
| 19,000 | 5/4 | Sel & Btr* | S2S 1-3/16" 90/50+ RED | 12,000 | 8/4 | FAS/1F* | Rgh, 9" & wider |
| 20,000 | 6/4 | Sel & Btr* | S2S 1-7/16" | 10,000 | 8/4 | FAS/1F* | Rgh Rift/Qtd. |
| 6,000 | 8/4 | Sel & Btr* | Rgh | ||||
| Hickory | |||||||
| 10,000 | 4/4 | Sel & Btr* | S2S 15/16" Brown | Appalachian Hardwoods - Midwest | |||
| 29,000 | 4/4 | Rustic* | Rgh 10" & wider | ||||
| 8,000 | 5/4 | Sel & Btr* | S2S 1-3/16" | At Hollidaysburg, PA | |||
| 10,000 | 8/4 | Sel & Btr* | S2S 1-15/16" | White Ash | |||
| Hard Maple | 17,000 | 5/4 | FAS/1F* | Rgh Unsel | |||
| 5,000 | 4/4 | Sel & Btr* | S2S 15/16" #1&2 Wht | Cherry | |||
| 18,000 | 4/4 | Sel & Btr* | S2S 15/16" Rift/Qtd. | 18,000 | 5/4 | FAS/1F* | Rgh Unsel |
| 12,000 | 4/4 | #1 Com* | S2S 15/16" #1&2 Wht | At Lenoir, NC | |||
| 15,000 | 4/4 | #1 Com* | S2S 15/16" Rift/Qtd. | Appalachian Red Oak | |||
| 11,000 | 4/4 | #1 Com* | S2S 15/16" Brown | 22,000 | 5/4 | #2 Com* | Rgh Unsel |
| 7,100 | 4/4 | #2 Com* | S2S 15/16" Rift/Qtd. | ||||
| 15,000 | 5/4 | Sel & Btr* | S2S 1-3/16" #1&2 Wht | ||||
| 26,000 | 6/4 | Sel & Btr* | S2S 1-7/16" #1&2 Wht | ||||
| 17,000 | 8/4 | Sel & Btr* | S2S 1-15/16" #1&2 Wht | ||||
| Soft Maple | |||||||
| 20,000 | 4/4 | Sel & Btr* | S2S 15/16" Sap1F & Btr | ||||
| Red Oak | |||||||
| 16,000 | 4/4 | Sel & Btr* | Rgh Rift | ||||
| 9,000 | 4/4 | Select | S2S 15/16" Unsel | ||||
| 8,000 | 5/4 | Sel & Btr* | Rgh Unsel | ||||
| 8,600 | 5/4 | #1 Com* | Rgh Unsel | ||||
| 8,900 | 5/4 | #2 Com* | Rgh Unsel | ||||
| 11,000 | 6/4 | Sel & Btr* | Rgh Unsel | ||||
| 6,000 | 8/4 | #1 Com* | Rgh Unsel | ||||
Trading hardwood lumber and logs across international borders can be risky business. Every aspect of a business transaction can be a challenge to the inexperienced – product quality & consistency, shipment timeliness, a common understanding of specifications and countless other variables can come into question.
Midwest Hardwood Corp. has been trading hardwood products in international markets for nearly 30 years, as manufacturers, as sellers and as buyers. Our sales representatives and traders are trained and experienced lumbermen. We know logs and lumber. We understand what’s important to our customers in manufacturing and distribution around the world. We deal with international logistics and finance every day. When a challenge arises our people know how to respond quickly and effectively.
We also know how important experience and trust are to successful international partnerships. We maintain several sales offices around the world to allow a better understanding of our customer’s needs and a higher level of service. Our sales managers travel throughout the world regularly to meet face to face with our customers and see first-hand their individual requirements.
When possible we tailor our products to our customer’s local requirements. Metric measurements, special sawing methods, smaller bundle sizes and customized kiln schedules are just a few examples of the modifications we can do when our customers ask.
Hardwood Lumber
Kiln dried hardwood lumber is the core of our business. Our reputation for kiln drying quality stands with the best in the industry. We saw and dry more than 12 Northern and Appalachian species in as many as 8 thicknesses. All traditional NHLA grades are available as well as proprietary grades. Selected widths & lengths are possible when market conditions allow. Rough and surfaced lumber is always available.
Ripped-to-Width Lumber
When random width lumber isn't the answer we offer the option of lumber ripped to width after kiln drying. Our gang rip saws and automated handling systems offer precision and high volume for consistently higher yields and on-time delivery.
Mouldings
Westby Hardwood Products, our dimension and moulding plant has long standing experience producing standard and custom mouldings in all North American hardwood species.
Specialty Products
Innovation drives growth in our industry just like any other. Our divisions combine forces with a number of companies to create specialized products to meet the challenges of an ever changing market.
Learn more about:
Midwest Hardwood Corporation is a vertically integrated hardwood manufacturing company and Industrial Building products distributor that has served domestic and international customers since 1981. What began as a one-person firm operating from a small home in Duluth, Minnesota has become a major manufacturer and distributor that has averaged double digit growth every year since its founding.
Today we’re a 450-employee corporation which includes 3 sawmills and 3 concentration yards (dry kiln facilities) in Wisconsin and Kentucky. From these facilities we produce more than 80 million board feet of Northern and Appalachian hardwoods annually for customers that span the globe. In addition to the sawmills and dry kilns we also distribute lumber, sheet goods and other related products into the local markets of Minneapolis, MN, Milwaukee, WI, Sioux Falls, SD and Omaha, NE. We also operate a value added moulding and dimension production facility in Westby, WI.
The reason for that growth is simple: we know our market and our products. We’re also constantly seeking out innovative ways to enhance everything we do, be it better ways to serve our customers or utilize our resources.
We’re a dynamic company, with a passion for excellence in everything we do, service, products and methods. And we wouldn't have it any other way.
Grades: FAS1F & Better and Select & Better
| Hardwood Lumber Species (click on links below for more information) |
FAS1F&BTR | SEL/BTR | ||||||||
| 4/4 | 5/4 | 6/4 | 8/4 | 10/4 | 12/4 | 4/4 | 5/4 | 6/4 | 8/4 | |
 Aspen |
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 Basswood |
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 Black Walnut |
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 Cherry |
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 Hard Maple |
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 Hickory |
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 Red Oak, Appalachian |
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 Red Oak, Northern |
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 Soft Maple |
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 White Ash |
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 White Oak |
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 Yellow Poplar |
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Grades: #1C, #2A and Rustic
| Hardwood Lumber Species (click on links below for more information) |
#1C | #2A |
RUSTIC |
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| 4/4 | 5/4 | 6/4 | 8/4 | 4/4 | 5/4 | 6/4 | 8/4 | 4/4 |
5/4 |
6/4 |
8/4 |
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| Aspen |
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| Basswood |
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| Black Walnut |
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| Cherry |
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| Hard Maple |
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| Hickory |
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| Red Oak, Appalachian |
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| Red Oak, Northern |
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| Soft Maple |
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| White Ash |
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| White Oak |
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| Yellow Poplar |
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Midwest Hardwood