German beech vs. north american forest species

German beech

American Alder

COMMON NAME:

German Beech Fagus Sylvatica
Other names: European Beech

American Alder Alnus rubra
Other names: Red Alder, Western Red Alder, Western Alder

DISTRIBUTION

A native of Western Europe, this species is reported to grow throughout Europe, approximately between latitudes 40 degrees North and 60 degrees North, and Western Asia.

West coast USA, principally the Pacific Northwest, where it is the most common commercial hardwood.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION

European Beech wood is normally white, pale cream or pale brown and is steamed to relieve drying stresses while also bringing out a pinkish-red color.

Red Alder is almost white when freshly cut. But on exposure to air, it quickly changes to light brown with a yellow or reddish tinge. The heartwood is a pale roseate with a low luster, and is formed only in trees of advanced age. There is no visible boundary between sap and heartwood. The wood is fairly straight grained with a very fine, uniform texture.

WORKING PROPERTIES

German Beech is easy to machine, nails and glues well and when sanded, stained and polished, it produces an excellent smooth finish. The timber dries fairly well at a moderate rate, and requires care in air-seasoning and kilndrying to prevent excessive shrinkage.

Red Alder has fine machining and finishing characteristics, and is excellent for turning and polishing. It nails, screws and glues well, and can be sanded, painted or stained to easily blend with more expensive woods such as Walnut, Mahogany or Cherry. It dries easily with little degrade and has good dimensional stability after drying.

PHYSICAL PROPERTIES

The wood is fairly hard and has a fine and even texture. German Beech has exceptional steam bending properties, even when knots and irregular grain are present. It can be bent to very small radii, which makes it particularly useful in the furniture industry.

Lightweight for a hardwood, Red Alder is relatively soft with medium density. It has low bending strength and stiffness, and has relatively good impact resistance.

DURABILITY

Strength properties of European Birch and African Mahogany are reported to be similar to those of German Beech.

The wood is non-resistant to heartwood decay, and is liable to attack by the common furniture beetle. But it is permeable for preservation treatment.

AVAILABILITY

 57%

 3%

The most available temperate hardwood in the world (see Figure 3); 57% of Germany’s hardwood forests are German Beech. Available in wide boards and in the form of veneers, it is in the same price class as the lower cost hardwoods.

USA: Reasonably available, but strictly limited by region. Comprises 3% of standing North American hardwood forests (see Figure 2). Number one North American hardwood exported to Asia. Export: Readily available in some markets but limited in others. Available in dimension stock and rough lumber.

MAIN USES

Lightly steamed Beech is used in applications where clear finishes are utilized to highlight the natural beauty of the wood’s grain and color uniformity. It is also used to mimic other more expensive woods such as Maple, Cherry, Mahogany and Walnut. Common uses include cabinetry, high-class joinery, furniture, chairs, desks, domestic flooring, sliced veneer and plywood. Beech is also used in musical instruments, toys, sports equipment, shoe heels, tool handles and wooden ware.

Furniture, kitchen cabinets, doors, interior mouldings, turnings, carving and kitchen utensils. Also excellent for upholstery framing due to superior tack-holding capabilities.

PRICE

 60

TRAIT QUALITY

German beech

American Alder

Higher numbers indicate better trait quality

10090

10090

100100

90100

10090

100100

9692

8862

9767

8032

9551

8836

9867