Crossing the pond: European beech has recently begun to garner the attention in the United States that it has always had overseas.

Family Name

Fagus sylvatica of the Family Fagaceae 

Common Names

European beech, German beech, English beech, Danish beech, French beech

Height/Weight

Average height is 100 to 130 feet, but trees can grow to 150 feet. Average weight is 45 pounds per cubic foot.

Properties

Wood dries fairly rapidly, but care is needed in both air drying and kiln drying to avoid shrinkage and other problems.

Pre-boring recommended for nailing.

Wood glues easily, stains well and takes an excellent finish.

Wood usually has a straight grain and even texture.

Wood turns pink if steamed. Steam bending properties are exceptionally good. Wood has medium stiffness, high crushing strength and medium resistance to shock loads.

Fagus sylvatica's natural range is in Europe, but it is also found in West Asia.

European beech, or Fagus sylvatica, has a long impressive history as a commercial hardwood in Europe, but it is just now beginning to make a name for itself in North America.

"Beech has been widely used in European furniture and cabinetry for generations, and offers durability similar to that of oak, with a grain pattern that is often compared to maple," said Cindy Draper, marketing manager for Canyon Creek Cabinet Co., Monroe, WA. "Its tight-colored appearance is suitable for a wide range of stains and finishes."

Draper said that beech has been a standard offering in Canyon Creek's frame and frameless cabinetry lines since June. She added that the company began using European beech for a variety of reasons, including the fact that customers like the consistent took and price points.

"Through organized forest management, European beech is an environmentally sustainable species, ensuring a continuous supply to meet the demands of our market. We continue to see increasing numbers of orders for beech cabinetry. We buy select grades and our employees find it easy to work with because it machines and finishes extremely well."

Jack Campbell, vice president of sates and marketing for Custom Cupboards, Wichita, KS, also has been offering solid lumber European beech cabinets for about a year. "We are very pleased with consumer acceptance. It has taken off like a house afire for us." Campbell said they offer the species in a range of colors, from natural to a dark chocolate stain.

"European beech can be used in all sorts of styles. Natural goes well in a contemporary took. The rustic grades can be tight or dark and some took good with glazing, giving an old-world took," Campell says

"Beech is the predominant species of hardwood in Central Europe, and with beech trees occupying a share of almost 40 percent of the German hardwood forests, it is by far the most important German hardwood," according to GERMANTIMBER, a supplier of the species.

Beech is used in solid timber, veneer and plywood in the manufacture of stairs and flooring, wall and ceiling panels, doors and door frames. A major application for beech is furniture production, both residential and commercial/institutional.

"Being hard and resistant, beech is a popular choice for furniture in schools, offices and children's rooms, and for seating in art areas subject to heavy use, such as assembly rooms, concert halls, canteens and hotels," according to GERMANTIMBER.

Doug Martin, North American director of sates and marketing for Pollmeier, said European beech has at feast 250 documented end uses in Europe.

"In the North American market, it was initially used for chairs and chair parts. Today, the majority of the solid lumber imported to North America is being used in kitchen cabinets."

Martin said the wood's strength, width, clarity, ease of machining and color conformity are attributes that will attract users.

"It represents 57 percent of the forest in Germany. The sustainability and availability of European beech is also an important factor," Martin added.

In addition to cabinetry, traditional uses for European beech also include high-end joinery, solid and laminated furniture, desks, sportsware, bobbins, tools, handles, turnery and musical instruments. It's a popular choice for flooring and widely used in the production of toys because it won't splinter and is non-toxic. It is also used in shipbuilding, yacht interiors, marine pilings and heavy construction.

The Veneer Market

"At Least 90 percent of what we sell in beech veneer is steamed European beech, which offers a darker, pinkish color," said Cam Gantz, sates manager for Interwood Forest Products Inc., (a subsidiary of Fritz Kohl Veneer Mill, Germany).

Gantz said market preference is evenly split with regards to flat cut and quarter cut.

"I think the figured togs are really underutilized. Figured European beech offers a very nice, bold herringbone figure that would work well in architectural applications," Gantz said.

"Our market is primarily the architectural uses, which includes doors and paneling. There are some office furniture manufacturers using it, but not too many residential furniture manufacturers. In Europe, the reverse it true. The residential furniture manufacturers there are the biggest users of European beech," he added.