| The cork oak, Quercus suber, grows in the sunny | | | | Sheets of cork, often the by-product of more |
| south of Portugal, Spain, and North Africa. Portugal | | | | lucrative stopper production, are used to make floor |
| accounts for more than 50% of the world's total | | | | tiles and bulletin boards. |
| cork production. It is the climate and soil types of this | | | | The cork industry is generally regarded as |
| region that keep the trees growing. Although cork | | | | environmentally friendly. |
| trees are also grown in some Asian countries, only | | | | The sustainability of its production and the easy |
| cork harvested from the Mediterranean region is | | | | recycling of cork products and by-products are two |
| considered commercial quality. | | | | of its most distinctive aspects. |
| Cork material is a subset of generic cork tissue, | | | | Cork demand has increased due to a larger |
| harvested for commercial use primarily from the Cork | | | | proportion of wine being sealed with cork rather than |
| Oak tree, Quercus suber, with Portugal producing | | | | being sold in bulk. Since a tree's bark can only be |
| 50% of cork worldwide. Cork consists mostly of | | | | harvested once a decade or so, supply is highly |
| suberin. | | | | inelastic. Top quality corks are quite expensive, so |
| Cork's elasticity combined with its near-impermeability | | | | many cheaper brands have switched to lower quality |
| makes it suitable as a material for bottle stoppers, | | | | cork, synthetic plastic stoppers, screwcaps, or other |
| especially for wine bottles. Cork stoppers represent | | | | closures. Because synthetic stoppers do not dry out |
| about 60% of all cork based production. | | | | and shrink, wine bottles with synthetic corks do not |
| Cork's low density makes it a suitable material for | | | | have to be stored on their sides to prevent the wine |
| fishing floats and buoys, as well as handles for fishing | | | | from oxidizing. |
| rods. | | | | Cork contamination with harmless but foul-smelling |
| Cork is also used in the manufacture of musical | | | | trichloroanisole is one of the primary causes of cork |
| instruments, particularly woodwind instruments, | | | | taint in wine. |
| where it is used to fasten together different | | | | Cork has been used in rocket technology due to its |
| segments of the instrument and make the seams | | | | fire resistance. Cork can also be used as bricks for |
| airtight. | | | | the outer wall of a house. |