Appearance

• Different birch species produce different-looking lumber, but most species have light yellow, light brown or white sapwood, with light brown, reddish-brown or dark brown heartwood. The grain is usually straight, though occasional logs may contain curly or wavy grain. Some species have little distinction between sapwood and heartwood. Birch wood tends to have little luster and a very consistent, fine, even texture with no conspicuous marks or distinctive features.
  
  

Durability

• Birch is a hardwood, but its actual hardness and density vary by species. All types of birch are strong enough to be used in flooring, cabinetry and furniture. Paper birch is the softest, at 910 pounds-force on the Janka hardness scale, while sweet, black or cherry birch is the hardest, at 1470 pounds-force. Birch has little natural resistance to decay and tends to rot when exposed to damp conditions, unless treated with preservative chemicals. Birch species are also prone to attack by furniture beetles but resist the powder-post beetle.
  
  

Working Properties

• The fine, even texture of birch wood makes it a popular choice for veneer and fine-grade plywood. Birch is easy to turn, bore and mortise but difficult to plane, as it often tears and chips. Birch wood responds poorly to molding, producing rough surfaces. This wood glues well under controlled conditions, but its pale color causes darker glues to show up starkly against the wood surface. Birch wood accepts nails and screws tolerably but must be predrilled to prevent splitting and other problems. Birch can be difficult to dye or stain and tends to look muddy when coated with a pigmented finish. Stained birch does not take the stain deeply and shows the natural color of the wood when scratched.
  
  

Heat Value

• Small pieces of birch wood or downed trees burn well. This hard, dense wood has a relatively high heat value per cord, though its actual value varies by species. Black birch produces 24.2 million British thermal units (MBTU) per cord, a value comparable to oak or hard maple. Gray birch produces only 19.5 MBTU; yellow birch, 22.1 MBTU; and paper birch, 20 MBTU. Softwoods, such as eastern white pine, provide only about 13 to 15 MBTU per cord. Denser woods provide more heat per volume, allowing homeowners to use less wood to heat their homes.