Oak Sleepers

French Oak Sleepers, or garden sleepers, have always been a popular product, probably due to their versatility. Most of our contractors select the 100mm-200mm oak sleepers at 2.4 metres but we also stock 130mm x 220mm and 150mm x 250mm oak sleepers, both at 2.6 metres length.

Our 100mm x 200mm are often used for landscaping tasks such as garden retainers. These substantial sleepers can be used horizontally, or alternatively dug into the ground and used vertically. Other popular applications include garden steps, for growing vegetables in garden raised beds or oak garden furniture. Beware of the weight, even a small oak sleeper can weigh 50kg. For that reason Softwood sleepers are also stocked including the UC4 Incised sleepers which carry a Manufacturers 15 Year Warranty

European Oak Sleepers and appearance

Oak sleepers will vary in appearance. Fresher cut stock tends to be a pale green to soft russet tones, but as they start to weather the colours will become more muted and after a season or two will become slate grey in colour. This is perfectly natural. Very occasionally fresh cut oak sleepers may have dark grey or black marks on the exposed face, this is perfectly normal and sometimes occurs when the timber has been in contact with steel from fork lift “prongs”. Marks can be removed by use of a belt sander or an experienced tradesman may prefer to use Oxalic Acid.

Because of the high amounts of tannin in oak timber it is recommended that stainless-steel threaded bar and fixings are used. Any other fixings could lead to a materials failure. Old buildings invariably had to use hand-made oak pegs.

Design considerations

Some sleepers will have waney and uneven edges, some may even have bark on them and this is part of their rustic appeal. These are all allowed within the sleeper grade, this is not a structurally graded timber. Usually the sleepers will have two to three good adjoining faces, but this is not always the case, this makes them useful for steps. As the sleepers dry out they will start to exhibit end splits and the grain will open up a little.

Fresh cut oak contains a high proportion of water, after cutting typically 7% of the volume will change in the first year. However this potential rustic appearance is considered a feature, not a defect of the product Because oak leaks water some of the tannin will leach out of the oak sleeper as well. When assessing your design make sure you make allowance for this leaching, it will stain gravel, rendered walls, slabs and other light coloured materials.

Oak sleeper sizes and weights

We normally carry the following three sizes of oak sleepers, there may on occasions be a slight variation. Approximate weights are 48 kg., 72kg. and 96kg. As a rule we would expect a mechanical (i.e. forklift) offload or the assistance of one, or preferably two able bodied persons when we are delivering oak sleepers 100mm x 200mm (approx. 4" x 8") at 2.4 metres (approx. 8') 130mm x 220mm (approx. 5" x 9") at 2.55 metres (approx. 8'4") 150mm x 250mm (approx. 6" x 10") at 2.55 metres (approx. 8'4")

Deliveries to our yard are usually full loads direct from France. This allows us to get a keener  price which we can then pass on direct to the Trade.

Alternatives to oak sleepers

Our European oak sleepers are intended primarily for landscaping uses. If you require structural oak or graded oak then we can price this for you, we can bring over bespoke sized oak sections from France for larger structural projects. Smaller orders can be sourced from England using French oak, e.g. for mill wheels, gates and freshwater fish passes