Species Guide
Beech
The Basics
Species Overview
Beech is an important species within the huge family of Fagaceae in the silvicultural composition of the natural hardwood forests of North America which include oaks and chestnut, but beech is not one of the most commercially available.
American beech tends to be darker in color and less consistent than European beech. The sapwood is almost white with a red tinge and the heartwood is light to dark reddish brown. The wood of beech is generally straight and close grained with uniform texture. It has medium bending and crushing strength, but is low in stiffness and shock resistance. The wood may exhibit brown mineral streaks in the heartwood which, under NHLA Grading Rules, are not considered a defect.
Scientific Name
Fagus grandifolia
Avg. Board Length
8’ – 12’
Common Thicknesses
4/4, 5/4, 6/4, 8/4
Also Known As
Beech
Avg. Board Width
4” – 8”
Avg. Dried Weight
3.8 lbs/bdft
Where It Comes From
Growth Distribution
Beech trees grow widely across the eastern United States in mixed hardwood forests, although are concentrated in the central areas of the eastern States. American beech is different to European beech as the trees grow less tall and generally less straight and are frequently multi-stemmed in older stands.
Forest Inventory Analysis (FIA) data shows U.S. beech growing stock is 348 million m3, 2.6% of total U.S. hardwood growing stock. U.S. beech is growing 4.5 million m3 per year while the harvest is 3.8 million m3 per year. The net volume (after harvest) is increasing 0.7 million m3 each year.
Beech has limited availability as sawn lumber, especially in higher grades and thicker sizes. This is attributed partly to the fact that most parcels of mixed species logs do not contain sufficient beech to produce a full charge for kiln drying. Furthermore beech, which is rather difficult to dry, requires a particular kiln schedule and cannot easily be mixed with other species. For this reason availability is mainly from specialist producers who can also usually supply steamed beech. The lumber is normally sold unselected for color and mainly in thicker specifications. Beech veneer is rarely available.
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0-4K
4-8K
8-12K
12-16K
16-20K
20-24K
Volume of live trees on forest land, 1000 m³
Uses
Common Applications
Beech is considered suitable where hardness and hardwearing properties may be essential. It is used in furniture, doors, flooring and panelling. It has specialist applications including tool and brush handles as it is easy to turn. Having no smell or taste, it is suitable for food containers.
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Flooring
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Panelling
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Tool Handles
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Turning
