Beech
American Beech (Fagus grandifolia)
Distribution
Throughout Eastern USA, commercial concentration is in the Central and Middle Atlantic States.
General Description
The sapwood of American beech is white with a red tinge, while the heartwood is light to dark reddish brown. American beech tends to be slightly darker and less consistent than European beech. The wood is generally straight grained with a close uniform texture.
Working Properties
American beech works readily with most hand and machine tools. It has good nailing and gluing properties and can be stained and polished to a good finish. The wood dries fairly rapidly but with a strong tendency to warp, split and surface check. It is subject to a large shrinkage and moderate movement in performance.
Physical Properties
American beech wood is classed as heavy, hard, strong, high in resistance to shock and highly suitable for steam bending.
- Specific Gravity: 0.64 (12% M.C.)
- Average Weight: 721 kg/m3 (12% M.C.)
- Average Volumetric Shrinkage: 13.0% (Green to 6% M.C.)
- Modulus of Elasticity: 11,859 MPa
- Hardness: 5782 N
Durability
Rated as non-resistant to heartwood decay, and liable to attack by common furniture beetle and longhorn beetle, but permeable for preservation.
Availability
USA: Mostly limited to lower grades.
Export: Very limited, due to low demand and wide availability of European beech.
Main Uses
Furniture, doors, flooring, internal joinery, panelling, brush handles and turning. It is particularly suitable for food containers as there is no odour or taste.