Yellow Birch has a white sapwood and light reddish brown heartwood. The wood is generally straight-grained with a fine uniform texture. Generally characterized by a plain and often curly or wavy pattern.

BOTANICAL NAME: 

The type of Birch most commonly used for wood flooring is Yellow Birch, Betula Alleghaniensis. However, Sweet Birch, Betula Lenta and Paper Birch, Betula Papyrifera are also frequently used for this purpose.

ORIGIN: 

North America - Eastern United States, principally Northern and Lake States

COMMON NAMES: 

Birch, Yellow Birch, Red Birch, Sweet Birch, Paper Birch, Black Birch, Cherry Birch, White Birch, Canoe Birch, Silver Birch.

 JANKA HARDNESS:

1260

 DIMENSIONAL STABILITY:

Average - Change Coefficient .00338 - 8% more stable than Northern Red Oak

RELATIVE ABUNDANCE: 

Reasonably available, but more limited if selected for the specific color, either heartwood (red birch) or sapwood (white birch).

INTERESTING FACTS: 

Birch trees are deciduous and have a thin papery bark that varies in color from tan to bright white. The bark tends to continuously peel off in sheets. The expansion of the trunk is what causes the bark to peel. A birch tree will have both male and female cones. The female cones will break apart in the fall, releasing hundreds of tiny seeds with wings. The tree is also known as the Canoe Birch because of the fact that Native Americans used the bark for constructing their canoes.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION: 

The sapwood of yellow birch ranges from pale white to creamy yellow, while the heartwood tends to be a light-reddish brown with a red tinge. By contrast, the sapwood of sweet birch is light-colored, whereas the heartwood is dark brown with a red tinge. Birch wood has an even texture with a straight, closed grain. Occasionally, boards may show curliness in the grain as well as some wavy figuring. It is among the most featureless of all North American hardwoods; but with its natural, pleasing figure, it makes for very attractive furniture and flooring. Birch has a small degree of luster, making it seem almost dull in appearance.

MAIN USES: 

In addition to wood flooring, birch is commonly used in furniture, veneers, interior finishing, windowsills, cutting surfaces, drumsticks, violin bows, and wooden novelties.

PHYSICAL PROPERTIES:

The wood of yellow birch is heavy, hard and strong. It has very good bending properties, with good crushing strength and shock resistance.

WORKING PROPERTIES:

Birch wood works fairly easily, glues well with care, takes stain extremely well, and nails and screws satisfactorily where pre-boring is advised. It dries rather slowly with little degrade, but it has moderately high shrinkage, so is susceptible to movement in performance.