What Wood Is My Furniture Made Of? Free Photo Check

What the furniture wood identifier reads by photo

Furniture hides its species under stain, finish, and years of wax, so this tool reads the traits that survive: grain pattern, pore structure, figure, and the base color showing through worn spots. From one photo it suggests the likely species, the cues it matched, and the lookalikes worth ruling out.

Reads from finished or stained surfaces are lower confidence, and the result says so when it happens. The strongest photo comes from an unfinished spot — furniture almost always has one — which is why the section below starts with where to find it.

Where to look to see what wood your furniture is made of

The finished top rarely gives the best answer. Makers leave secondary surfaces bare or lightly sealed, and those spots show true grain and color. Check the piece in this order and photograph the first patch of bare wood you find, ideally in daylight.

• Drawer sides and drawer bottoms — usually unfinished and easy to pull out into the light.
• The underside of tabletops, seats, and case pieces.
• Inside surfaces of aprons, stretchers, and face frames.
• Back panels and dust panels, which are often a different, cheaper wood than the show surfaces.
• A worn edge or chip where the finish has rubbed through to bare wood.

Veneer, stain, and other red herrings

Stain exists to make one wood look like another: poplar passes for walnut, alder for cherry, birch for maple. Veneer adds a second trap — the thin show surface can be a different species from the frame underneath, so a drawer side and a tabletop may honestly return two different answers.

This tool names the species of the surface in the photo — it does not judge whether that surface is solid wood or veneer, and it cannot see construction from a photo. If solid-versus-veneer matters for your decision, inspect an edge or end grain in person or ask a restorer.

Antique furniture wood identification clues

Older pieces often pair a show wood on visible surfaces with a plain secondary wood inside — walnut or mahogany fronts over pine or poplar drawer boxes is a classic combination. Identifying both woods tells you more about the piece than either one alone, so scan an inside surface as well as the front.

A species read is one clue, never proof of age or authenticity. Modern reproductions use the same woods as the originals, and this tool does not authenticate, date, or value furniture. Treat the result as background for a conversation with an appraiser or restorer, not as a verdict.

When to move past the photo check

If the result comes back uncertain, the fix is usually a better photo: find a truly bare spot, get closer, and shoot in daylight. When you are working through a whole piece, the Wood Identifier app saves each scan so you can compare the drawer sides, top, and frame in one place.

Bring in a human expert when money or history is on the line — before refinishing a piece that might be collectible, pricing furniture for sale, or matching wood for a repair a client will see. A restorer or appraiser can examine construction and finish in hand, which a photo cannot replace.