Appalachian Species & Grades

Beech

Other Common Names: Carolina Beech, Gray Beech, Red Beech, Ridge Beech, Stone Beech, White Beech, and Winter Beech. Now confined to the eastern United States, American Beech is sometimes underrated and under-appreciated: which may be due to its somewhat bland appearance. With straight grain and medium to fine uniform texture, the sapwood of American Beech is white with a red tinge, while the heartwood is light to dark reddish brown. Beech wood is used to make flooring, furniture, veneer plywood, and railroad ties. It is especially favored as fuel wood because of its high density and good burning qualities.
Grades Available:

Properties

  • Machining4
  • Nailing4
  • Screwing4
  • Gluing4
  • Finishing5

Properties of Beech

With overall good workability, Beech responds superbly to steam-bending. It does, however, have a large amount of movement in service, so movement and wood stability must be taken into account.

How does it compare

Lumber
(12 % moisture content)
Specific Gravity
(Density)
Dimensional
R
(%)
Movement
T
(%)
Hardness
(lbs)
Compression
Parallel
(ps)
Bending
Strength
(ps)
Bending
Stiffness
(kps)
Grain
Alder, Red (Western).414.47.35905,8209,8001,380Fine
Ash.604.97.81,3207,41015,4001,770Fine
Basswood.376.69.34104,7308,7001,460Fine
Beech.645.511.91,3007,30014,9001,720Fine/Medium
Birch, Yellow.627.39.51,2608,17016,6002,010Fine
Cherry, Black.503.77.19507,11012,3001,490Mod/Coarse
Hickory.664.98.91,8207,85013,7001,730Mod/Coarse
Maple, Hard.634.89.91,4507,83015,8001,830Fine
Maple, PC .483.77.18505,95010,7001,450Fine
Maple, Soft.473.07.27005,2208,9001,140Fine
Oak, Red.634.08.61,2906,76014,3001,820Coarse
Oak, White.684.48.81,3607,44015,2001,780Mod/Coarse
Poplar, Yellow.424.68.24505,2909,2001,500Fine
Walnut, Black.555.57.81,0107,58014,6001,680Medium

GRADES