Select, Natur, Rustikal: what grades really mean.

Select, Natur, Rustikal: few terms cause more confusion when choosing a wood floor than the grade. Two boards from the same trunk can end up in different grades, and two floors with the same grade name can look completely different. This article explains what a grade really tells you, how the common ladder is structured, and what architecture practices should pay attention to when specifying.

The grade (in German 'Sortierung') classifies solely the appearance of the timber. Four things are assessed: knots (soundly intergrown light knots or dark, sometimes fallen-out knots, each with a maximum size in millimetres), sapwood (the lighter, younger part of the wood beneath the bark), cracks (whether they are permitted and whether they are puttied or filled with epoxy resin) and colour play (mineral streaks, heartwood colouring, general colour variation).

What the grade does not tell you: hardness, dimensional stability, wear layer thickness, installation quality or lifespan. A rustic floor is not an inferior floor. It is the same tree with more visible biography. The grade is a design decision, not a technical one.

The industry works almost everywhere with a ladder of three to four levels. The names vary, the principle is the same: the higher the level, the calmer the appearance, the lower the yield from the trunk, the higher the price.

Prime / Exquisit / Clear

• Practically knot-free, cut from the centre of the trunk.
• No sapwood, no cracks, very even colour and grain.
• The calmest and most expensive appearance; a classic for representative spaces and fine laying patterns.

Select

• Few, small, soundly intergrown knots (typically up to about 15 mm).
• No or hardly any sapwood, no filled knots or cracks.
• Calm, but not sterile: the wood remains recognisable as a natural material.

Natur / Nature / Character

• Sound and dark knots up to a defined size (often around 15 to 30 mm).
• Sapwood may occur, moderate colour variation.
• Lively, but controlled: the most frequently chosen level in residential spaces.

Rustikal / Rustic / Country

• Large and dark knots, pronounced colour play, sapwood permitted.
• Cracks allowed, usually limited (up to about 5 mm wide) and professionally filled with epoxy resin.
• The wood tells a story: suited to wide plank floors, alpine architecture and large, calm floor plans.

Important to know: grade names are in-house standards of the manufacturers, not protected terms. 'Select' at manufacturer A can be defined more strictly than 'Select' at manufacturer B. Some houses use their own names such as Country, Vintage, Markant or Blended, others leave the classic ladder entirely and work with mood terms from calm to expressive. The American market grades differently again, with levels such as Clear, Select and Common. The European standard EN 13489 (multi-layer parquet) does define appearance classes with symbols (circle, triangle, square), but in practice the manufacturers' grades usually sit on top of these as their own, finer grids.

The consequence for planning: the name alone is not enough. What counts is the definition behind it, namely the millimetre limits for knots, the handling of sapwood and cracks, and whether fillings may remain visible.

A special case: grading by cut

In the premium segment, timber is additionally graded by cut: rift and quarter sawn (standing annual rings, a very calm, striped grain with medullary rays in oak) count as a grading class of their own, running across the knot ladder. If you are looking for an extremely calm, linear appearance, you are more likely to find it through the cut than through the knot grading.

• Ask for the definition, not just the name: maximum knot size in millimetres, sapwood yes or no, cracks and fillings. Reputable suppliers have these criteria in writing.
• Sample the grade, not just the colour: a single sample does not show the spread. Request photos of entire surfaces or a laid reference.
• Record the grade in the specification and in the quotation, with name and definition. Only then can the delivery be checked later.
• Think grade and laying style together: a striking laying pattern such as herringbone tends to suit a calm grade; large, calm surfaces can take more character.
• Understand the price logic: a higher grade means a lower yield from the trunk, not better quality. Rustic is an aesthetic, not a compromise.

In the Material Concierge material library, the grade is therefore a dedicated selection field in quotation and sample requests: the chosen level is recorded with the request, so that practice and supplier are talking about the same picture.