Preserve Wood Cutting Boards with the Product Trusted by Professional Woodworkers
No matter how well made, wooded cutting boards require proper maintenance to last and without regular treatment they will dry out, crack, and can even begin growing mold on the surface. Walrus Oil Cutting Board Oil penetrates the wood surface with wood preserving oils and seals the surface with water repelling beeswax, helping cutting boards last for generations.
Our Cutting Board Oil is 100% Food-Safe and free of toxins and synthetics, designed for new builds or for reconditioning. A heavy-duty cutting board oil that doesn't require multiple coats! It will leave your board with a silky smooth finish, rich color, and a little sheen.
The perfect ratio of ingredients locks in natural wood tones while repelling water and food particles when in use, and it only takes seconds to apply.
Ingredients: Coconut Oil, Beeswax, Pure Mineral Oil, Plant-Derived Vitamin E.

- Food Contact Safe Ingredients
- Semi-Gloss Finish
- Unscented
Project Ideas:
Cutting Boards, Butcher Block Counters, Charcuterie Boards, Wooden Bowls, Wooden Spoons, and Knives.
How to Maintain a Cutting Board
When applying our cutting board oil to a heavily used cutting board, be sure to wash the board first with light-soap and let it dry for a few hours. If there are lots of knife marks and you want to smooth out the wood surface, you can lightly sand it with 320 - 800 sand paper before applying oil, but this is not required. Simply apply a coat of oil by hand or a rag, let it set for 12 - 24 hours, then buff off any residue. You board is now ready to use immediately.
We also have more detailed application tips on our "Product Instructions" page when using our cutting board oil for new woodworking projects.
The Best Cutting Board Oil for Cutting Boards
When using Cutting Board Oil, it's important to use something that's Certified "Food-Contact Safe". Walrus Oil Cutting Board Oil is NSF Certified as safe for food-contact surfaces. Our finish is an oil and wax combination with the right viscosity so that the oil penetrates into the wood and cures with a water-repelling wax finish on the surface. It's trusted by thousands of professional woodworkers and commercial chefs around the world and enjoyed by even more customers who use it to maintain their cutting boards at home.
What is NSF Certified Cutting Board Oil?
NSF is the most recognizable organization in the USA for certifying products as safe for food-contact surfaces. They are also the industry standard for restaurants and food manufacturing facilities in the USA. Getting a product certified by NSF is a lengthy and costly endeavor, which is why Walrus Oil is one of only a few companies in our industry that is certified. Much like the FDA, NSF has the power to do surprise visits at facilities to ensure Quality Control standards are of the highest priority.
Walrus Oil Cutting Board Oil, Wood Wax, and Cast Iron Oil are all NSF Certified as safe for food contact surfaces. This means its safe to use in commercial kitchens and manufacturing facilities where NSF certification is required. All ingredients in our Cutting Board Oil are also considered GRAS (generally regarded as safe) by the FDA for food contact surfaces, aka. 100% Food Safe.
The Best Hardwoods for Making Cutting Boards
While Walrus Oil can be used with any type of hardwoods, there are a few that's considered premium, especially when considering grain. When it comes to commercial-grade butcher blocks, what you typically see in restaurants is end grain hard maple. This is a very sturdy hardwood that can handle heavy daily use, even in butcher shops. And since end grain is much stronger than face grain, the butcher block is going to last a very long time if well maintained with our Cutting Board Oil. Other great hardwood options are cherry and walnut.
Oils that Shouldn't Be Used on Cutting Boards
We all know cutting board maintenance is essential, thankfully with Walrus Oil we make it easy and offer "peace of mind" knowing our product is trusted by tens of thousands of happy customers around the world. However, there are a few things that can potentially ruin a cutting board the quickest.
It is a bad idea to oil your board with vegetable oils that can go rancid and potentially grow mold. This includes non-fractionated oils high in oleic fatty acids such as olive oil, almond oil, and generic vegetable oil. Journal of the American College of Toxicology reported that "almond oil tends to become rancid more quickly than other fixed oils". In short, this would be a poor choice for a wood preservative. It's also important to note that in most cases even "refined" oils, such as refined avocado oil, refined almond oil, and even refined coconut oil can still go rancid since "refining" doesn't change the chemical nature of the oil.
Fractionated coconut oil is an oleic plant-based cutting board oil ingredient we use that's safe for conditioning wood. It's been processed (through fractionation) so that it cannot go rancid. Linoleic-based oils such as walnut oil, safflower oil, and tung oil are safe for wood since they are "polymerizing", meaning they will fully cure (harden). Oleic oils will never cure, which is why they go rancid (unless fractionated). White mineral oil is completely safe for cutting boards and the type we use in our Cutting Board Oil recipe is certified by NSF as safe for food-contact surfaces, it's certified vegetarian by the American Vegetarian Association, and it is NOT on the California prop-65 list as a carcinogenic ingredient (nothing we use in our entire company is for that matter). In short, you can be sure that with Walrus Oil Cutting Board Oil that it will successfully condition your board, it will not go rancid, and is certified by multiple 3rd party organizations.
Of equal importance, never put your cutting board in a dishwasher. This might sound like a good idea, but the high temperatures and moisture will cause the glue in your cutting board to come undone and it wouldn't be surprising to find your cutting board split and in pieces after only one wash. Don't do it, unless you want to get out of cooking dinner really desperately! To safely wash your board we recommend cleaning with cold or lukewarm water and light dish soap.
Using Cutting Board Oil with Another Company's Products
Our Cutting Board Oil can be used in conjunction with most other oil-based finishes or epoxy and resins, such as when making a "river board" or when using wood pieces that have had cracks and holes filled with epoxy.
Woodworking photos by Krista Ross of Toronto. She is the owner of The Woodsman's Daughter and handcrafts cutting boards, wooden spoons, candle holders, and other home goods. She's also a lover of dogs and plants. |