Beech

1-2.5 usd/kg
Circularity potential
Very high
Strength
Medium
Production energy
Low
Stiffness
Medium
Embodied CO2
Low
Density
Low

Beech is a popular wood, and reasonably priced, for many interior and household applications due to it’s ease of working and uniform appearance. It is available from certified and well-managed forests. As a thermally modified timber (TMT) is can be used outdoors, such as for furniture and cladding.



Beech has a clean and straight grain, and takes treatments and coatings well. Sometimes similar to oak in colour, it tends to be slightly darker yellowy-brown than birch, ash or maple.

Dry beech has no distinctive smell or odour, and it can be polished to a smooth and splinter-free surface. As a result of all these combined benefits, it is commonly used in kitchen items and utensils, as well as toys and furniture. It is also utilised in joinery, such as dowels and biscuits for floating tenon joints (Domino, for example).

It is not rot resistant, and is prone to water absorption. It is also quite porous and, if left untreated, will absorb water, making it warp and buckle (this is turned to its advantage in the case of steam bending). It tends to swell and shrink more than other timbers, which can cause it to crack.

Beech is converted into a thermally modified timber (TMT), such as thermowood, to increase durability and so allow it to be used outdoors, such as in decking, cladding and furniture (although not in continuous contact with water or damp soil). Cooked at high temperature, 180-230 degC, TMT beech develops a darker appearance than untreated wood. As with other thermally modified timbers, the colour will change through exposure to UV. Even though heat treatment reduces the swelling, TMT beech is still prone to cracking.


Design properties
Cost usd/kg
1-2.5
Embodied energy MJ/kg
1.4
Carbon footprint kgCO2e/kg
0.8-0.95
Density kg/m3
750-800
Tensile modulus GPa
9.5-16
Tensile strength MPa
7-135
Flexural modulus GPa
8.5-11.9
Flexural strength MPa
31-60
Modulus of rupture MPa
59-103
Compressive strength MPa
3.7-50.3
Hardness Mohs
1
Janka hardness kN
5.78
Brinell hardness HB
2.2-5.5
Poissons ratio
0.29-0.62
Thermal expansion (µm/m)/ºC
5.4-34.8
Thermal conductivity W/mK
0.14-0.18
Temperature min-max °C
-200 to 150
Thermal
insulator
Electrical
insulator