Species data
American Beech
Fagus grandifolia - a hardwood from eastern United States. Also sold as beech.
Properties at a glance
| Janka hardness | 1,300 lbf |
| Stiffness (MOE) | 1,720,000 psi |
| Specific gravity | 0.72 |
| Density | 44.9 lb/ft3 (720 kg/m3) |
| Weight per board foot | 3.74 lb |
| Shrinkage, green to oven-dry | 11.9% tangential / 5.5% radial |
| Movement coefficient (CT / CR) | 0.00431 / 0.00190 |
| Indicative price | $4.50 per board foot (estimated) |
Values are at about 12% moisture content. Density is specific gravity times 62.4; a board foot is one twelfth of a cubic foot, so weight per board foot is that density divided by twelve. Anything marked estimated is our own figure, not a measured one.
How American Beech compares
Measured against the 113 solid woods in this database: it is harder than 59% of them, heavier than 65%, and stiffer than 59%.
What that means in the shop
A 4/4 board 8 inches wide and 8 feet long is 5.33 board feet, so in American Beech it weighs about 20.0 lb. A stack of ten is 200 lb - worth knowing before you load a rack or a car.
Against red oak, the trade's usual yardstick at 1,220 lbf, American Beech is about 1.1x as hard and 1.03x as heavy.
Its shrinkage is 11.9% tangential against 5.5% radial, a ratio of 2.2 to 1. The wider that ratio, the more unevenly a flatsawn board moves across its width as humidity changes, and the more it wants to cup; anything near or above 2 to 1 is worth quartersawing or restraining for panels and wide tops. This one sits in that range.
Woods of similar hardness
Closest to American Beech on hardness in this database: White Ash (1,320 lbf), Yellow Birch (1,260 lbf), White Oak (1,350 lbf), Bur Oak (1,360 lbf). Similar hardness does not mean similar behaviour - check density and movement before substituting one for another.
Working with it
Workability. Turns, finishes, machines and glues well; steam-bends nicely though it moves considerably in service
Durability. Rates non-durable to perishable; insects attack it readily
Typical uses. flooring, furniture, veneer, railroad ties, turned objects.
Related calculators
Sources
- The Wood Database - American Beech
- Dimensional change coefficient table (Hoadley / FPL Wood Handbook), reproduced by Popular Woodworking
MOE, SG (12% MC), Janka and shrinkage from The Wood Database (cites USDA FPL Wood Handbook). CT/CR from the FPL/Hoadley table where listed. Uses, region, durability, workability summarized from The Wood Database. Price indicative.
These calculators are for planning and estimation. Engineering results (shelf sag, wood movement) use published average material properties; real boards vary by grade, grain, moisture and defects. Verify load-bearing designs with a professional.