European Beech

European Beech

REGION: Eastern Europe, Oceania and S.E. Asia, Western Europe

COUNTRY: Denmark, France, Germany, Japan, Romania, United Kingdom, Yugoslavia.

SAPWOOD COLOR: Sapwood and heartwood are usually difficult to differentiate.

HEARTWOOD COLOUR: Freshly-cut European beech is whitish to very pale brown in colour, but exposure darkens it to pale reddish-brown. Trees grown in the coldest regions may produce logs with a darker colored core, commonly known as 'red heart', often with darker streaks. It is a common practice in south-east Europe to steam beech in the green condition, which changes the colour permanently to pink or light red.

CHARACTERISTICS: Trees tend to grow in large stands with trunk diameters up to 6ft and heights of 50ft. wide, long boards are commonly available.

COMMON USES: Cabinetmaking, Chairs, Decorative veneer, Furniture , Musical instruments , Sporting Goods, Tool handles, Toys, Veneer, Workbenches

MOVEMENT IN SERVICE: The timber is reported to have very poor dimensional stability. It tends to exhibit rather large movement in use, and requires careful and proper seasoning before application.