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Where to Buy Hardwood Lumber In Illinois

Updated: August 23, 2022
Finding hardwood at a reasonable price is hard. Box stores charge a high markup, and local sources take a lot of research. Use this guide to help find quality hardwood lumber near you.
Hardwood Lumber in Illinois Best Lumber Stores
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Where to Buy Hardwood Lumber In Illinois

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Buying hardwood of any quantity is costly. Due to issues from the  pandemic and inflation finding the best hardwood near you at a reasonable price is difficult. In this guide you’ll find a collection of top hardwood stores in your state (and bordering) to browse prices and stock.

To help your search you’ll find:

  • Price list links when published
  • Key services like surfacing (eg. S3S) 
  • Pick-up vs. delivery
Lastly, with the price of hardwoods even a few dozen board feet can be worth a 1-2 hour drive. And who knows, maybe you’ll find a hardwood for turning, reclaimed lumber or even urban timber for your next project.

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1. Bull Valley Hardwood

Anytime you find a hardwood store with a kiln, online store AND a showroom with over 4000 square feet of lumber it’s worth the trip. And while Bull Valley Hardwood is a few hour round trip drive for some, it’s one of those stores worth checking out.

Price List: No

Online Shopping: Yes

Wood Selection

Services & Supplies

2. Corsaw Hardwood Lumber co

From mulch to kiln dried hardwood Corsaw Hardwood Lumber has a good selection of local hardwoods and rough sawn lumber to choose from. 

Price List: No

Online Shopping: No

Wood Selection

Services & Supplies

3. Owl Hardwood Lumber Company

Owl Hardwood Lumber is one of those handful of lumber retailers in a state that checks the box on inventory AND offers services like planing and sanding if the job is too big for your tools. Located just west of the Chicago downtown areas they are an easy drive for almost all woodworkers in the great Chicago area.

Price List: No

Online Shopping: No

Wood Selection

Services & Supplies

4. Horigan UFP Urban Lumber

It is almost expected of Chicago that they have an urban lumber source that converts trees to lumber (and not mulch or firewood). So, it’s no surprise that Horigan UFP is on the north end of Chicago and consumes their fair share of urban-sourced trees and converts them to local lumber.

Price List: Yes

Online Shopping: No

Wood Selection

Services & Supplies

5. Doug White Lumber and Hardwood

I can’t recall seeing a lumber yard that’s been in business over 150 years. However, that’s what you’ll find at Doug Whites Lumber in Marissa. And featuring a competitive price list (that few will publish!) you’ll want to support a local shop and keep them going.

Price List: Yes

Online Shopping: No

Wood Selection

Services & Supplies

6. The Hardwood Connection

With over 40 years experience and a centralized rural location with easy access to Chicago and Dekalb you’ll find both a good supply of hardwoods in an easy to reach location. And, if you’re looking at a larger order, over 50 bd ft features a discount.

Price List: No

Online Shopping: No

Wood Selection

Services & Supplies

7. Harry’s Lumber Co

With a full line of home materials and a decent supply of hardwood you’ll want to take a look at this 80+ year old lumber supplier.

Price List: No

Online Shopping: No

Wood Selection

Services & Supplies

8. Great Spirit Hardwoods

With a simple mission of supplying slabs and hardwood lumber Great Spirit Hardwoods is a destination for slabs. And, they feature an online store to take a look at their inventory first. 

Price List: No

Online Shopping: Yes

Wood Selection

Services & Supplies

9. Kunz Carpentry

Located due east of St. Louis in the southwestern corner of Illinois, Kunz Carpentry is a full supplier of hardwoods, plywoods and all of the top brands in tools and hardware you’ll need.

Price List: No

Online Shopping: No

Wood Selection

Services & Supplies

10. Schmeling Building Supply

This Rockford based building supply store features a complete line of home materials and a good selection of hardwoods. From Knotty Alder to Walnut their stock is worth taking a look at if you’re located in northern Illinois.

Price List: No

Online Shopping: No

Wood Selection

Services & Supplies

Resources For Hardwood Lumber in Illinois

Stack of Hardwood Lumber - Wood for Sale

From the standard urban log recycler to full featured lumber retailers stocked with a warehouse of all sorts of hardwood you’ll have no trouble finding hardwood lumber in Illinois.

Illinois Woodworking Resources

Featured Illinois Hardwood

While also a featured wood in nearby states, when looking at hardwood lumber in Illinois it’s worth taking a look at the Black Walnut. This tree is an easy to mill, beautiful wood that can be used with or without the white sapwood.

Wood Buying References

Hardwood Lumber in Illinois Border States

In Conclusion

Compared to neighboring states finding hardwood lumber in Illinois is a heavily rural search. While the urban area of Chicago features a few outstanding stores, there is a great selection of local retailers in the 100-mile fringe to the north, west and south of the city worth taking a look at.

Know of a few lumber yards that you think should be on the list? Give us a shout in the comments and we’ll take a look at adding. 

  • About the Author
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Eric Trion
( Woodworker )

Eric has been a professional woodworker for over thirty years and has worked in small cabinet shops making everything from kitchen cabinets to hand-made furniture. Now working from a home woodworking shop Eric is sharing his passion for woodworking, tool advice and how-to knowledge from his Minnesota-based woodshop.

4 thoughts on “Where to Buy Hardwood Lumber In Illinois”

  1. Forged of Wood 12 miles Southeast of Galesburg, IL is an excellent place to find high quality locally sourced sawn and kiln dried hardwood lumber and live edge slabs. This is a small company that specializes in Midwest hardwood lumber and offers a full array of custom milling and wide belt sanding. The owner is very knowledgeable and customer service is second to none. They also provide an accurate prices list on their website http://www.forgedofwood.com.

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