Walnut vs Cherry Wood Color: The Real Difference (and How Cherry Changes)

Short answer: black walnut is a stable chocolate-to-purplish brown that barely changes over time, while cherry starts out a lighter pinkish-brown when freshly cut and darkens noticeably over months of light exposure into a rich, warm reddish-brown. If you want a dark, dramatic, modern look that stays consistent, pick walnut. If you like the idea of furniture that visibly deepens and “ages in” over its first year or two, cherry is the classic choice.

Walnut Wood Color

American black walnut (Juglans nigra) heartwood runs from a rich chocolate brown to a darker, sometimes purplish-brown, frequently with darker streaks or a subtle grey undertone running through the grain. Its sapwood, by contrast, is pale and almost white – which is why a lot of walnut lumber is steamed during milling, a process that drives some of the sapwood’s lighter color into the heartwood and evens the board out to a more consistent brown.

Walnut’s color is comparatively stable over time. It will lighten very slightly with prolonged UV exposure, the same way most woods do, but it doesn’t go through the dramatic shift that cherry does – a walnut table will look recognizably the same color five years in as it did on day one.

Cherry Wood Color

American black cherry (Prunus serotina) is famous in woodworking circles for exactly the opposite behavior: freshly milled cherry heartwood is a pale pinkish or salmon-brown, almost unremarkable-looking on the day it’s cut. Over the following months of exposure to ordinary light, cherry undergoes a real, visible photo-oxidation process and deepens into the warm, rich reddish-brown most people picture when they hear “cherry wood” – the color you see in older cherry furniture didn’t come from a stain, it developed on its own.

This means a brand-new cherry piece will look noticeably lighter than a cherry heirloom, and it’s also why woodworkers are careful about covering part of a cherry project with tape, a rug, or another object early on – the covered area darkens slower, leaving a visible lighter patch (a “tan line”) once it’s uncovered.

Side-by-Side Comparison

	Walnut	Cherry
Fresh-cut color	Chocolate to purplish-brown	Light salmon-pink
Color over time	Stable, very slight lightening	Deepens substantially to reddish-brown
Grain character	Often more dramatic, sometimes wavy or figured	Fine and straight, occasional small gum pockets
Janka hardness	~1,010 lbf	~950 lbf
Typical cost	Usually more expensive per board foot	Usually somewhat less than walnut

Which Suits Your Style?

Walnut tends to read as modern, moody, and dramatic – it pairs naturally with contemporary and mid-century furniture, black or brass hardware, and lighter wall colors that let the dark wood stand out. Cherry reads warmer and more traditional; it’s the classic choice behind Shaker and Colonial-style furniture, and its gradual darkening is often treated as a feature rather than something to fight, since it means the piece keeps developing character for the first couple of years you own it.

If you’re mixing either wood with existing furniture, remember that a newly built cherry piece will look lighter than an older cherry piece for a while – that’s normal, not a defect, and the color will keep closing that gap as it ages.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does walnut or cherry get darker with age?

Cherry changes color dramatically, going from a light pinkish-brown to a deep reddish-brown over months of normal light exposure. Walnut is comparatively stable and only lightens very slightly over time.

Is walnut or cherry more expensive?

Walnut is usually more expensive per board foot than cherry in most U.S. lumber markets, though prices vary by region and grade.

Can I stain cherry to look like walnut, or walnut to look like cherry?

You can shift the color somewhat with stain, but each wood’s natural grain pattern and the way it ages will still show through – cherry will keep darkening on its own even under a walnut-toned stain, and walnut won’t develop cherry’s characteristic photo-darkening no matter what stain is applied.

Which wood is harder, walnut or cherry?

Walnut is slightly harder, at roughly 1,010 lbf on the Janka hardness scale compared to cherry’s roughly 950 lbf – both are considered mid-hardness domestic hardwoods, well suited to furniture.

Conclusion

Walnut gives you a stable, dark, dramatic brown from day one. Cherry gives you a lighter starting color that develops into a warm reddish-brown over its first year or two of use. Neither is objectively “better” – it comes down to whether you want that color locked in immediately or want to watch it develop.