Usually in dry sandy forests with other oaks and hickory or (in cutover areas) red maple and large-tooth aspen.

Yellow or orange inner bark is a good character for this species, but is rarely noted on herbarium specimens. The scaly fringed aspect of the cup around the acorn and the large, hairy, angled winter buds are also diagnostic. The glossy leaves, often but not always lobed more than halfway to the midrib, will also help to distinguish black oak from red oak.