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Yellow birch

Betula alleghaniensis

U.S. hardwood · Birches · United States

Yellow birch measures 1,260 lbf on the Janka scale, 2% softer than northern red oak.

  • Of the 155 woods, only five have a T/R ratio closer to 1 and seven shrink more through the thickness.
  • Of the three birches in the handbook, none shrinks more across the face.
  • Drying hardens it more than most: from 780 lbf green, it gains 62% by 12% moisture, where the median wood gains 31%.

Compare yellow birch

U.S. hardwoodsU.S. softwoodsImported woodsNorthern red oak

Yellow birch · 1,260 lbfCeibaEastern white pineNorthern red oakSugar mapleShagbark hickoryIpe01,0002,0003,0004,000 lbf← softerharder →Ceiba, 240 lbfNorthern white-cedar, 320 lbfAtlantic white-cedar, 350 lbfBlack cottonwood, 350 lbfQuaking aspen, 350 lbfSubalpine fir, 350 lbfWestern redcedar, 350 lbfBalsam fir, 380 lbfCuangare, 380 lbfEastern white pine, 380 lbfOkoume, 380 lbfSugar pine, 380 lbfEngelmann spruce, 390 lbfAmerican basswood, 410 lbfNoble fir, 410 lbfRedwood (young-growth), 420 lbfWestern white pine, 420 lbfEastern cottonwood, 430 lbfObeche, 430 lbfPacific silver fir, 430 lbfLight red meranti, 460 lbfPonderosa pine, 460 lbfIncense-cedar, 470 lbfLodgepole pine, 480 lbfRedwood (old-growth), 480 lbfWhite fir, 480 lbfButternut, 490 lbfGrand fir, 490 lbfLimba, 490 lbfCalifornia red fir, 500 lbfEastern hemlock, 500 lbfBanak, 510 lbfSitka spruce, 510 lbfBlack spruce, 530 lbfAmerican chestnut, 540 lbfWestern hemlock, 540 lbfYellow-poplar, 540 lbfHura, 550 lbfRed pine, 560 lbfJack pine, 570 lbfYellow-cedar, 580 lbfRed alder, 590 lbfTamarack, 590 lbfDouglas-fir (Interior North), 600 lbfSpanish-cedar, 600 lbfIlomba, 610 lbfCativo, 630 lbfPort-Orford-cedar, 630 lbfDeterma, 660 lbfDouglas-fir (Interior West), 660 lbfPrimavera, 660 lbfMountain hemlock, 680 lbfLoblolly pine, 690 lbfShortleaf pine, 690 lbfCucumbertree, 700 lbfSilver maple, 700 lbfDouglas-fir (Coast), 710 lbfVirginia pine, 740 lbfAmerican sycamore, 770 lbfYellow meranti, 770 lbfDark red meranti, 780 lbfParana-pine, 780 lbfMahogany, 800 lbfBlack tupelo, 810 lbfAfrican mahogany, 830 lbfAmerican elm, 830 lbfWestern larch, 830 lbfBigleaf maple, 850 lbfBlack ash, 850 lbfSweetgum, 850 lbfSlippery elm, 860 lbfLongleaf pine, 870 lbfHackberry, 880 lbfWater tupelo, 880 lbfSande, 900 lbfOcote pine, 910 lbfPaper birch, 910 lbfBlack cherry, 950 lbfRed maple, 950 lbfRoble, 960 lbfTeak, 1,000 lbfBlack walnut, 1,010 lbfAlbarco, 1,020 lbfSouthern magnolia, 1,020 lbfSouthern red oak, 1,060 lbfAvodire, 1,080 lbfManni, 1,120 lbfAndiroba, 1,130 lbfChestnut oak, 1,130 lbfOregon ash, 1,160 lbfBlack maple, 1,180 lbfOvercup oak, 1,190 lbfWater oak, 1,190 lbfGreen ash, 1,200 lbfBlack oak, 1,210 lbfLaurel oak, 1,210 lbfKapur, 1,230 lbfCaribbean pine, 1,240 lbfSwamp chestnut oak, 1,240 lbfIroko, 1,260 lbfKeruing, 1,270 lbfAngelique, 1,290 lbfMersawa, 1,290 lbfNorthern red oak, 1,290 lbfAmerican beech, 1,300 lbfRamin, 1,300 lbfRock elm, 1,320 lbfWhite ash, 1,320 lbfPost oak, 1,360 lbfWhite oak, 1,360 lbfBur oak, 1,370 lbfScarlet oak, 1,400 lbfSepetir, 1,410 lbfSugar maple, 1,450 lbfWillow oak, 1,460 lbfSweet birch, 1,470 lbfPin oak, 1,510 lbfSapele, 1,510 lbfAfrormosia, 1,560 lbfHoneylocust, 1,580 lbfPeroba de campos, 1,600 lbfOpepe, 1,630 lbfBlack locust, 1,700 lbfPilon, 1,700 lbfKempas, 1,710 lbfPara-angelim, 1,720 lbfPiquia, 1,720 lbfPeroba rosa, 1,730 lbfAngelin, 1,750 lbfBenge, 1,750 lbfShellbark hickory, 1,810 lbfPurpleheart, 1,860 lbfShagbark hickory, 1,880 lbfJarrah, 1,910 lbfDegame, 1,940 lbfMockernut hickory, 1,970 lbfKarri, 2,040 lbfPignut hickory, 2,140 lbfSucupira, 2,140 lbfGoncalo alves, 2,160 lbfMora, 2,300 lbfCourbaril, 2,350 lbfGreenheart, 2,350 lbfTropical oak (roble), 2,500 lbfBubinga, 2,690 lbfBrazilian rosewood, 2,720 lbfKaneelhart, 2,900 lbfMacawood, 3,150 lbfIndian rosewood, 3,170 lbfBulletwood, 3,190 lbfAzobe, 3,350 lbfManbarklak, 3,480 lbfMarishballi, 3,570 lbfIpe, 3,680 lbfYellow birch · 1,260 lbfIpe01,0002,0003,0004,000 lbf← softerharder →

Six measures

Yellow birchU.S. hardwoods medianOther woods

  • Cupping tendency

    1.306th lowest of 155
    1.092.90
    31% below the U.S. hardwoods median

  • Shrinkage across the face

    9.5%radial 7.3%32nd highest of 155
    3.5%12.7%

  • Stiffness

    2.01 M psi13.9 GPa39th stiffest of 155
    0.54 M psi4.06 M psi
    26% above the U.S. hardwoods median

  • Bending strength

    16,600 psi114.5 MPa41st strongest of 155
    4,300 psi29,900 psi
    28% above the U.S. hardwoods median

  • Janka hardness

    1,260 lbf5,605 N55th hardest of 155
    240 lbf3,680 lbf
    19th of 53 U.S. hardwoods

  • Density

    0.550.62 at 12% MC60th heaviest of 155
    0.250.96

For its weight: strength-to-weight 30,182 psi (16th of 155).

How much it moves

It shrinks a lot, but the two directions stay close (T/R 1.30), so a board loses size more than it changes shape.

0.57 in.

off a 6-inch flatsawn board, green to oven-dry; quartersawn 0.44 in.

Tangential
9.5%
Radial
7.3%
Volume
16.8%
T/R ratio
1.30 (6th most stable of 155)
6 in. green (dashed)5.43 in. dry · −9.5%
Flatsawn
6 in. green (dashed)5.56 in. dry · −7.3%
Quartersawn

End view, shrinkage drawn 3× life size.

Closest substitutes

  • Sweet birch

    17% harder · 9% heavier · shrinks 0.5 points less across the face

  • Shagbark hickory

    49% harder · 16% heavier · shrinks 1.0 points more across the face

  • Jarrah

    52% harder · 22% heavier · shrinks 1.5 points more across the face

Compare with the first two

Among the birches

2nd hardest of 3, lbf.

Laboratory values

Its most unusual laboratory figure is impact bending height: 7th highest of the 89 woods with a published value.

PropertyGreenDry, 12% MCChange when driedMetric, 12% MC
Impact bending48in.55in.+15%1,397mm
Tension perpendicular430psi920psi+114%6.30MPa
Work to maximum load16.1in-lbf/in³20.8in-lbf/in³+29%143.4kJ/m³
Modulus of elasticity1.50M psi2.01M psi+34%13.9GPa
Modulus of rupture8,300psi16,600psi+100%114.5MPa
Compression parallel to grain3,380psi8,170psi+142%56.3MPa
Compression perpendicular430psi970psi+126%6.70MPa
Shear parallel to grain1,110psi1,880psi+69%13MPa
Side hardness780lbf1,260lbf+62%5,605N

Wood Handbook Table 5-3b, Table 4-3. Data & method · Guides