Advantages and disadvantages of birch wood

Due to its light color and a high degree
of flexibility, birch wood is ideal for the production of furniture and
parquet. Due to its properties and high availability, birch wood is also
often processed into plywood. The largest birch occurrences are found in
Northern Europe and Russia. But also in North America and Asia there are
birch species which are native there. In total, there are over 50 different
types of birch, whose wood can be used. Birch wood for further processing is
produced primarily in Finland and Russia. The highest quality birch wood
comes from these countries.

Appearance:

Birch wood has a very light color, depending on the type of birch, the
color can also turn reddish or yellowish. Generally, the wood of birch
darkens very quickly. The grain of birch wood is rather subtle and usually
consists of barely visible lines, which are very bright. But there are also
birch wood whose grain is flamed, or has the so-called Eisbirkenmuster. This
is similar to the appearance of frost flowers. Birch wood with this grain,
which is created by irregular fibers, often comes from Finland. When birch
wood is interspersed with red patches, this is mostly due to insect
infestation, which is not particularly resistant to birch wood.

Properties:

Since birch wood is very vulnerable to external influences such as fungi
and insects, it is primarily suitable for indoor use. Birch wood is a very
hard wood that is difficult to split but otherwise easy to work with, as it
is very light. The surface of birch wood, which shines silky when smoothed,
can easily be treated with varnish and varnish. Often birch wood is stained
dark and used as a substitute for woods such as walnut or mahogany. As it has
good resistance to contact with water, it is also often used for wooden
structures under water. Another special feature of birch wood is the great
elasticity that makes it very flexible. But what causes birch wood is not
very sustainable.

Advantages of birch
wood:

 

• inexpensive

 

• Very
  elastic

 

• Low
  weight

 

• Local wood, therefore
  good environmental balance

Disadvantages of birch
wood:

 

• open to the
  elements

 

• cracks

 

• low load
  capacity

Use:

In addition to the mentioned applications as wood for furniture or parquet
floors, birch wood is also often used for food packaging such as boxes and
barrels. Due to its low odor, it is ideal for this purpose. Since birch wood
is a domestic wood and is present in sufficient quantities, the prices for
birch wood are also rather moderate and it has a good environmental balance
compared to other types of wood.