Like American Beech, this wood features pale cream coloration, also often augmented by a pink or muted light reddish-brown hue. Its large supply across the continent and typically modest price range makes it one of the most popular and commercially important hardwoods in Europe. Its straight grains and medium texture give comparable working and steam-bending properties to its American first cousin; it machines, turns, glues and finishes with ease.

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Sustainability: Not listed in the CITES Appendices or on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

Common Uses: Lumber, veneer, flooring, boatbuilding, furniture, cabinetry, musical instruments (piano pinblocks), plywood, and turned objects.

Comments: European Beech is slightly denser than its American first cousin (at roughly the same dried weight). In optimal conditions, trees can grow to be very large — yielding long, wide boards. Its toughness, strength and excellent bending characteristics has seen the wood utilized in marine applications for centuries throughout the European continent.

Also akin to its American counterpart, European Beech wood is non-durable and unstable to the point of commonly experiencing movement in service. Optimal lumber would be quartersawn and dried as thoroughly as possible (in the 6% range).