Beech lumber is a true all-rounder. But what are the advantages of beechwood compared to other species? Find it out in our beech wood comparison:
| German beech | American Alder |
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Beech lumber is a true all-rounder. But what are the advantages of beechwood compared to other species? Find it out in our beech wood comparison:
| German beech | American Alder |
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| German Beech Fagus Sylvatica | American Alder Alnus rubra | |
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Other names |
European Beech | Red Alder, Western Red Alder, Western Alder |
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A native of Western Europe, this species is reported to grow throughout Europe, |
West coast USA, principally the Pacific Northwest, where it is the most common commercial hardwood. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 57 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. |
3 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. |
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| Moderate $ | Moderate $ |
| German beech | American Black Walnut |
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| German Beech Fagus Sylvatica | American Black Walnut Juglans nigra | |
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Other names |
European Beech | Black walnut, American walnut |
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A native of Western Europe, this species is reported to grow throughout Europe, |
Throughout eastern USA, but the principal commercial region is the Central States. One of the few American species that is planted as well as naturally regenerated. |
| 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 sapwood of walnut is creamy white while the heartwood is light brown to dark chocolate brown, occasionally with a purplish cast and darker streaks. Walnut can be supplied steamed to darken sapwood or left unsteamed. The wood is generally straight grained, but sometimes possesses a wavy or curly grain that produces an attractive and decorative figure. |
| 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. | Walnut works easily with hand and machine tools, and nails, screws and glues well. Unsurpassed finishing properties allow it to hold paint and stain very well, and to be polished to a high luster. It dries slowly, and care is needed to avoid kilning degrade. Walnut has good dimensional stability. |
| 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. | Walnut is a tough hard timber of medium density. It is strong in comparison to weight, with moderate bending and crushing strengths, and low stiffness. It has a good steam bending classification. |
| Strength properties of European Birch and African Mahogany are reported to be similar to those of German Beech. | Rated as very resistant to heartwood decay, it is one of the most durable woods even under conditions favorable to decay. Sapwood is vulnerable to attack by powder post beetles. |
| 57 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. |
1 USA: Reasonable availability, with regional limitations from less than 1% of standing North American hardwood forests (see Figure 2). Export:Reasonable availability in both lumber and veneer. |
| 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. | Walnut is among the most valuable furniture and cabinet timbers in the USA. It is also popular for architectural interiors, high-class joinery, doors, flooring, paneling, radio and television cabinets, musical instrument cases and the like. It is a favored wood for using in contrast with lighter coloured timbers. |
| Moderate $ | High $ |
| German beech | American Cherry |
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| German Beech Fagus Sylvatica | American Cherry Prunus serotina | |
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Other names |
European Beech | American Black Cherry |
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A native of Western Europe, this species is reported to grow throughout Europe, |
Throughout Eastern USA. Main commercial areas include Pennsylvania, Virginia and New York. |
| 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. | Cherry heartwood varies from rich red to reddish brown and will darken with exposure to light. It can sometimes exhibit a greenish cast. In contrast, the sapwood is creamy white. The wood has a fine, uniform straight grain, smooth texture, and may naturally contain brown pith flecks and small gum pockets. |
| 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. | Cherry is easy to machine, nails and glues well, and when sanded, stained and polished, it produces a smooth, glass-like finish. It dries fairly quickly with moderately large shrinkage, but is dimensionally stable after kilning. |
| 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. | Moderately heavy and hard, Cherry is of medium density with good wood bending properties. It has low stiffness, medium strength and is resistant to shock. |
| Strength properties of European Birch and African Mahogany are reported to be similar to those of German Beech. | Rated as resistant to heartwood decay. The sapwood is susceptible to attack by the common furniture beetle, and the heartwood is moderately resistant to preservative treatment. |
| 57 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. |
2 USA: Regionally available from 2% of North American hardwood forests. Widely available for export in a full range of specifications and grades as both lumber and veneer (see Figure 2). |
| 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. | Cherry is considered a premier American cabinet wood, ranking second only to Walnut. Other common uses include furniture, high-class joinery, kitchen cabinets, mouldings, paneling, flooring, doors, boat interiors, musical instruments, turning and carving. |
| Moderate $ | High $ |
| German beech | American Hard Maple |
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| German Beech Fagus Sylvatica | American Hard Maple Acer saccharum, A. nigrum | |
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Other names |
European Beech | Sugar Maple, Black Maple |
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A native of Western Europe, this species is reported to grow throughout Europe, |
Eastern USA, principally Mid-Atlantic and Lake States. It is a cold weather tree favoring a more Northerly climate. |
| 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. | The sapwood is creamy white with a slight reddish brown tinge. The heartwood varies from light to dark reddish brown. The amount of darker brown heartwood can vary significantly according to growing region. Both sapwood and heartwood can contain pith fleck. The wood has a close fine texture and is generally straight grained, but it can also occur as "curly", "fiddleback", and "birds-eye" figure. Does not require filling. |
| 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. | Hard Maple dries slowly with a large shrinkage factor, so it can be susceptible to movement in performance. Pre-boring is recommended when nailing and screwing. With care it machines well, turns well, glues satisfactorily, and can be stained and polished to an outstanding finish. |
| 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. | The wood is hard and heavy with good strength properties reflected by its high resistance to abrasion and wear. It also has good steam bending properties. |
| Strength properties of European Birch and African Mahogany are reported to be similar to those of German Beech. | Rated as slightly or non-resistant to heartwood decay, Hard Maple is also famous for its resistance to abrasive wear. Sapwood is liable to attack by furniture beetles. The heartwood is resistant to preservative treatment, but the sapwood is permeable. |
| 57 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. |
7 USA: Widely available from 7% of the North American hardwood forests (see Figure 2). Export: Widely available as lumber and veneer. The higher quality grades of lumber available are selected for white colour (sapwood), although this can limit availability |
| 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. | Hard Maple is the leading wood for flooring in residences, schools, skating rinks, bowling alleys and more. It is also popular for furniture, paneling, kitchen cabinets, worktops and tabletops, stairs, handrails, mouldings and doors. |
| Moderate $ | Moderate $ |
| German beech | American Red oak |
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| German Beech Fagus Sylvatica | American Red Oak Quercus rubra | |
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Other names |
European Beech | Northern Red Oak, Southern Red Oak |
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A native of Western Europe, this species is reported to grow throughout Europe, |
Widespread throughout Eastern USA. The Oaks are by far the largest species group growing in the Eastern hardwood forests. Red Oaks grow more abundantly than the White Oaks. The Red Oak group comprises many species, of which about eight are commercially available. |
| 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 Oak sapwood is white to light brown, and is occasionally subject to faint blue stain. The heartwood is a pinkish-reddish brown. The wood is similar in general appearance to White Oak, but with a slightly less pronounced figure due to the smaller rays. It is mostly straight grained with a coarse texture. The Red Oak tree gets its name because of the colour of the leaves in the autumn. |
| 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 Oak turns, carves and bends well. Nailing and screwing is good although pre-boring is recommended. Sanding and finishing qualities are excellent. It dries slowly with a tendency to split and warp. It has high shrinkage and can be susceptible to movement in performance. |
| 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. | The wood is very hard, heavy and strong, with medium bending strength and stiffness, and high crushing strength. It is very good for steam bending. Southern Red Oak has more rapid growth than Northern Red Oak and tends to be harder and heavier. |
| Strength properties of European Birch and African Mahogany are reported to be similar to those of German Beech. | Red Oak is moderately easy to treat with preservatives. It is not water resistant and the heartwood is not particularly durable under conditions favoring decay. |
| 57 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. |
23 USA: Abundant, the most widely used species. Available from 23% of standing North American hardwood forests (see Figure 2). Export: Good availability as lumber and veneer, but less than White Oak. Red Oak is often classified according to growing regions, marketed as Northern Red Oak and Southern Red Oak. |
| 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. | Construction, furniture, flooring, architectural interiors, internal joinery and mouldings, doors, kitchen cabinets, paneling, coffins and caskets. |
| Moderate $ | Moderate $ |
| German beech | American Soft Maple |
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| German Beech Fagus Sylvatica | American Soft Maple Principally Acer rubrum, A. Saccharinum |
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Other names |
European Beech | Red Maple, Silver Maple |
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A native of Western Europe, this species is reported to grow throughout Europe, |
Throughout Eastern USA, and to a lesser extent on the West Coast (bigleaf maple). |
| 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. | In most respects, Soft Maple is very similar to Hard Maple. Although, due to its widespread growth, it may be more susceptible to regional colour variations. Generally the sapwood is grayish white, sometimes with darker coloured pith flecks. The heartwood varies from light to dark reddish brown. It is usually straight, close grained, fine textured, and does not require filling. The lumber is generally sold unselected for colour. |
| 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. | Soft Maple machines well, and can be stained and polished to an excellent finish. It glues, screws and nails satisfactorily. It dries slowly with minimal degrade and there is little movement in performance. |
| 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. | Soft Maple is about 25% less hard than hard maple, has medium bending and crushing strength, and is low in stiffness and shock resistance. Density is similar to that of Magnolia and Gum, and it has good steam bending properties. In certain regions, Soft Maple lumber may contain spot worm holes. |
| Strength properties of European Birch and African Mahogany are reported to be similar to those of German Beech. | Soft Maple is non-resistant to decay and insect attack. The heartwood is moderately resistant to preservative treatment but the sapwood is permeable. |
| 57 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. |
8 USA: Readily available as lumber and veneer. 8% of North American hardwood forests (see Figure 2). Export: Availability is improving as demand increases. |
| 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, paneling, interior joinery, kitchen cabinets, mouldings, doors, musical instruments, and turnings. Soft Maple is often used as a substitute for Hard Maple or stained to resemble other species such as Cherry. Its physical and working properties also make it a possible substitute for Beech. |
| Moderate $ | Moderate $ |
| German beech | American White Oak |
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| German Beech Fagus Sylvatica | American White Oak Quercus alba | |
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Other names |
European Beech | Northern White Oak, Southern White Oak |
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A native of Western Europe, this species is reported to grow throughout Europe, |
Widespread throughout Eastern USA. The White Oak group comprises many species, of which about eight are commercially available. |
| 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. | American White Oak is similar in colour and appearance to European Oak. Sapwood is light coloured and the heartwood is light to dark brown. White Oak is mostly straight grained with a medium to coarse texture, with longer rays than Red Oak. White Oak therefore has more figure. |
| 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. | White Oak machines well, and nails and screws well, although pre-boring is advised. It also turns, carves and bends well. Its adhesive properties are variable, but it sands, stains and polishes to a good finish. The wood dries slowly and care is needed to avoid checking. Due to its high shrinkage, it can be susceptible to movement in performance. |
| 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. | It is hard and heavy wood with medium bending and crushing strength. White Oak is low in stiffness but very good in steam bending. |
| Strength properties of European Birch and African Mahogany are reported to be similar to those of German Beech. | The heartwood is quite durable under conditions favoring decay, and is extremely resistant to preservative treatment. The sapwood is moderately resistant to treatment. |
| 57 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. |
16 USA: Readily available from 16% of North American hardwood forests (see Figure 2). Not as abundant as Red Oak. Export: American White Oak is the most important hardwood export. |
| 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. | Construction, furniture, flooring, architectural joinery, exterior joinery, mouldings, doors, kitchen cabinets, paneling, railway sleepers, timber bridges, barrel staves, coffins and caskets. White Oak can vary in colour, texture, characteristics and properties according to the growing region. |
| Moderate $ | Moderate $ |
| German beech | American Yellow Birch |
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| German Beech Fagus Sylvatica | American Yellow Birch Betula alleghaniensis | |
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Other names |
European Beech | Yellow Birch, White Birch, Red Birch, Northern Birch |
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A native of Western Europe, this species is reported to grow throughout Europe, |
Eastern USA, principally Northern and Lake States. |
| 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. | Yellow Birch has a white sapwood and light reddish brown heartwood. It is generally straight grained with a fine uniform texture. |
| 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. | The wood works fairly easily, and has excellent machining and finishing characteristics. It glues well with care, takes stain and polish extremely well, and nails and screws satisfactorily where pre-boring is advised. It dries rather slowly with little degrade. But it has moderately high shrinkage, meaning it is susceptible to movement in performance. |
| 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. | Yellow Birch is moderately heavy, hard and strong. It has very good wood bending properties with good crushing strength and shock resistance. |
| Strength properties of European Birch and African Mahogany are reported to be similar to those of German Beech. | It is non-resistant to heartwood decay, and is liable to attack by common furniture beetles. Heartwood is moderately resistant to preservative treatment, but sapwood is permeable. |
| 57 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. |
1 Grown in Southeastern Canada, the Lake States, New England and the Appalachian region as far south as Georgia, Yellow Birch is commercially the most important species of the Birches. USA: Reasonable availability, from 1% of North American hardwood forests (see Figure 2). More limited if selected for colour, such as Red Birch (heartwood) or White Birch (sapwood). Export: Limited due to low demand, but increasing |
| 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, internal joinery and paneling, doors, flooring, kitchen cabinets, turnings and toys. Birch veneer is used extensively in lower-priced cabinets and furniture. It is also the most popular of the decorative woods available in plywood form. |
| Moderate $ | Moderate $ |
Beech lumber is a true all-rounder. But what should be observed when choosing sawn lumber? What is the ideal moisture content? Why is sawn beech lumber steamed before it is sold?
You can find all informations about ecology, finished products, sawn lumber, availability and charateristics on www.european-beech.com