birch

open main page for all woods open page 2 for articles

NOTE: there is rarely any "standard" or "typical" look for a wood so take what's in this table with a grain of salt
the REST of the pictures on this page will give you a better overall feel for this wood

birch / Betula spp. of the family Betulaceae
5" x 5" flat cut, 5" x 5" quartersawn, 1" wide end grain, and a 1/4" x 1/4" end grain closeup.

Diffuse porous with moderate density, medium sized pores in short radial strands (multiples?), marginal parenchyma present but often quite faint. Rays are fairly dense but very thin, often not visible even at 10X.

In birch, the term "flame" is often used to describe what in other woods would be called "curly" with the curls being relatively widely spaced, somewhat like a sausage quilt and quite far from fiddleback (which is a very tight curl), and can be very attractive.

The terms karilian and mazur efer to exactly the same type of birch which is one in which there is a pock-mark figure as seen in the pics further down this page. Sometimes it appears just a splotchy ovals. I've just put the pics in here with whichever of those terms was used where I found them or when they were sold to me. This type of birch is also sometimes called "burl" birch, but that is not correct ... this is not a type of burl and does not come from a canker on the side of a tree but rather is part of the bole itself (and usually only parts of the bole). The figure is sometimes slightly similar to bird's eye figure in maple.

Some of the more common varieties (out of at least 4 dozen Betula species) are:

Betula pubescens (common)
Betula Alleghaniensis (yellow)
Betula pendula (European, silver, white)
Betula papyrifera also seen as B.papynfera (Paper)
Betula nigra (river)

there are dozens of species of birch with a wide growing range world-wide and having a wide range of uses, especially high quality veneer. I will break out some of this in more detail at some point.

My thanks to Dr. Axel Rohde for alerting me to the fact that "eisbirke" is just German for "ice birch" (I had mistakenly given "eisbirke" its own page on this site but it has now been combined into this one)

my samples:
NOTE: these pics were all taken in very bright incandescent lighting ("soft white" at 2700K)
colors will vary under other lighting conditions

3 sections, all of the same 12-foot long plank

closeups from the same plank as directly above

both sides and end grain of a piece cut from the larger plank above, and sanded

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

both sides of a sample plank of yellow birch / Betula spp. --- HUGE enlargements are present. The first face is sanded smooth and the second face is raw.

end grain and HIGH GRIT END GRAIN CLOSEUP of the piece directly above

yellow birch plank and the same piece moistened

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

both sides of a sample plank of yellow birch / Betula alleghaniensis --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by David Clark whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site. The vendor has this listed as "bird's eye" but I'm not convince that's an accurate description despite the fact that it does have some markings that are somewhat similar to bird's eye marks as seen in, for example, maple.

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

both sides of a sample plank of yellow birch / Betula alleghaniensis --- HUGE enlargements are present.

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

both sides of a sample plank of yellow birch / Betula alleghaniensis --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by David Clark whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site. The vendor has this listed as "bird's eye" figure which is just silly and is common for the kinds of inventive figure descriptions that this wood sample vendor comes up with. It does have some bark inclusions (or possibly branch inclusions) but that in no way makes it a bird's eye figure.

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

first face and the end grain of a sample of yellow birch / Betula lutea. This part of a collection which is discussed here: COLLECTION A. I note that Betula lutea is now considered to be just a synonym of Betula alleghaniensis

the second face, before and after sanding, showing how the patina from aging is only surface deep.

end grain closeup and END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above.

both sides of a sample plank of blue birch / Betula caerulea var grandis --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by David Clark whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

both sides of a sample plank of mountain birch / Betula cordifolia --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by David Clark whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

both sides of a sample plank of sweet birch / Betula lenta --- HUGE enlargements are present. These pics have too much yellow in them.

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

both sides of a sample plank of sweet birch / Betula lenta --- HUGE enlargements are present.

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

both sides of a sample plank of sweet birch / Betula lenta --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by David Clark whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

NOT A RAW WOOD COLOR --- both faces of this sample have a light coat of clear paste wax
both sides of a sample plank of black birch / Betula lenta --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by Mark Peet whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

both sides of a sample plank of black birch / Betula lenta --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by David Clark whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site. The dark blotches are blue stain.

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

both sides of a sample plank of water birch / Betula occidentalis --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by David Clark whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

both sides of a sample plank of water birch / Betula occidentalis --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by Mark Peet whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

both sides of a sample plank of water birch / Betula occidentalis --- HUGE enlargements are present. The white streaks are white rot, which is particularly obvious in the end grain update below.

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

both sides of a sample plank of Japanese white birch / Betula platyphylla var japonica --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by David Clark whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

both sides of a sample plank of Erman's birch / Betula ermanii --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by Mark Peet whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site. Although the vendor of this sample has it as "Japanese yellow birch" I do not find that name in any reference material so am using the more common name of Erman's birch.

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

both sides of a sample plank of monarch birch / Betula maximowicziana --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by David Clark whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

both sides of a sample plank of monarch birch / Betula maximowicziana --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by Mark Peet whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

both sides of a sample plank of tian-shan birch / Betula tianshanica --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by David Clark whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

both sides of a sample plank of Japanese cherry birch / Betula grossa --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by Mark Peet whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

both sides of a sample plank of Japanese cherry birch / Betula grossa --- HUGE enlargements are present.

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

plank and end grain

end grain closeup and END GRAIN UPDATE of the piece directly above --- color is too dark on both

plank and end grain

end grain closeup and END GRAIN UPDATE of the piece directly above --- color is a little too dark

planks at a lumber yard, pics taken to show color variety

more planks from various lumber yards

I had this labeled as a plank from a lumber yard but I think it plywood

plank marked "sweet birch" --- the squiggly marks are boring insect tracks.

end grain and end grain closeup

END GRAIN UPDATE of the piece directly above

both sides and both ends of a sample piece of spalted sweet birch

end grain closeup and END GRAIN UPDATE of the piece directly above

both sides of a sample plank sold to me as river birch / Betula nigra

end grain and end grain closeup of the sample plank directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

a set of river birch short planks and one closeup

river birch plank and closeup

end grain closeup of the piece directly above

both sides of a sample plank of river birch / Betula nigra --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by David Clark whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above and also a quartersawn side grain shot showing ray flakes (and a lot of sanding streaks because this was only rough sanded with a belt sander)

both sides of a sample plank of river birch / Betula nigra --- HUGE enlargements are present.

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

NOT A RAW WOOD COLOR --- both faces of this sample have a light coat of clear paste wax
both sides of a sample plank of river birch / Betula nigra --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by Mark Peet whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

both sides of a sample plank of European white birch / Betula pendula

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

both sides of a sample plank of European white birch / Betula pubescens --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by David Clark whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

NOT A RAW WOOD COLOR --- both faces of this sample have a light coat of clear paste wax
both sides of a sample plank of European white birch / Betula alba --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by Mark Peet whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

both sides of a sample plank of gray birch / Betula populifolia

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

both sides of a sample plank of gray birch / Betula populifolia --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by David Clark whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

NOT A RAW WOOD COLOR --- both faces of this sample have a light coat of clear paste wax
both sides of a sample plank of gray birch / Betula populifolia --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by Mark Peet whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

both sides of a sample plank of paper birch / Betula papyrifera

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

both sides of a sample plank of paper birch / Betula papyrifera --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by David Clark whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

NOT A RAW WOOD COLOR --- both faces of this sample have a light coat of clear paste wax
both sides of a sample plank of paper birch / Betula papyrifera --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by Mark Peet whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

first face and the end grain of a sample of paper birch / Betula papyrifera. This part of a collection which is discussed here: COLLECTION A

the second face, before and after sanding, showing how the patina from aging is only surface deep.

end grain closeup and END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above.

both sides of a sample plank of Himalayan whitebarked birch / Betula utilis --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by David Clark whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

NOT A RAW WOOD COLOR --- both faces of this sample have a light coat of clear paste wax
both sides of a sample plank of Himalayan Himalayan whitebarked birch / Betula utilis --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by Mark Peet whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

both sides of a sample plank of Himalayan birch / Betula utilis --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by David Clark whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

a red birch plank, two closeups, and the end grain

curly red birch plank very nicely showing heartwood and sapwood

yellow birch sample plank and end grain

end grain closeup and END GRAIN UPDATE of the piece directly above

[missing pic(s)]

yellow birch plank and end grain --- plank generously contributed by Chris Arvidson, whom I thank for this and other contributions. The plank is rough sanded and still has a lot of scratch marks but the grain is quite clear.

end grain closeup and END GRAIN UPDATE of the piece directly above. Apparently I took the update on the end opposite the original closeup.

[missing pic(s)]

same plank as directly above, but moistened with water

yellow birch crotch

some small crotch pieces

sample plank and end grain sold to me as Western birch / Betula occidentalis

end grain closeup and END GRAIN UPDATE of the piece directly above

both sides of a piece of Western birch / Betula occidentalis --- HUGE enlargements are present. This piece was contributed to the site but when this birch page got corrupted, I lost the information on who contributed it.

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

both sides of two pieces of Western birch, cut from the same larger piece. The second pic is facing surfaces after the cut and is in an area of all sapwood, near the bark. This piece was contributed to the site but when this birch page got corrupted, I lost the information on who contributed it.

end grain of both pieces directly above

end grain closeups of the pieces directly above

sample plank and end grain sold to me as white birch / Betual populifolia --- the fairly poor quality of the sample plank was common among the sample planks that I got from the IWCS. The dark line in the lower left corner of the end grain shot is spalting

end grain closeup and END GRAIN UPDATE (reversed) of the piece directly above

first face and the end grain of a sample of birch / Betula spp. This part of a collection which is discussed here: COLLECTION B

the second face, before and after slicing off 1/8" showing how the patina from aging is only surface deep.

end grain closeup and END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above.

about 2/3rds of the surface of a panel sized sheet of birch veneer plywood photographed at a lumber yard --- the lack of seams clearly indicates rotary cut, as does the grain pattern, which would make sense for veneer used on plywood

both sides and the end grain of a piece of yellow birch burl

both sides of a half-sheet of birch plywood --- LARGE enlargements are present. Both sides are clearly rotary cut. I bought this sheet because of the nice swirl and the fact that one side is almost all heartwood.

two closeups from the second side directly above --- LARGE enlargements are present

plywood sheet with obvious rotary cut outer veneer; I shot this at a lumber yard because it was particularly interesting, not because it was representative. The slightly orangish color is correct

birch plywood --- I bought this sheet for a project because of the interesting rotary cut grain swirls on the first side (these are better seen in the enlargments)

two pieces and the end grain. These are labeled "curly" birch but I don't see any curl and any notes I had about them were lost when this birch page got corrupted.

a freshly cut plank of birch from Europe, submitted by Gert Breugelmans, whom I thank for the contribution. He says it is "brown birch".

birch veneer --- this is what I think of as the "classic" birch grain

a couple of sheets of figured birch veneer

veneer from different flitches --- the slight color variations are accurately captured but all of the pics are a bit too yellow

white birch veneer --- HUGE enlargements are present. This part of a collection which is discussed here: COLLECTION D

veneer with more color than you usually find in birch

flat cut red birch veneer --- significantly different colors are both accurate

red birch veneer --- very smooth stuff, this batch

quartersawn red birch veneer with a slight curl and tiny ray flakes. To show the ray flakes better, I've taken a couple of angled shots shown directly below.

angled closeups of the sheet above, to show the ray flakes better --- the 2nd pic shows them best.

quartersawn red birch veneer --- this is from the same flitch as the sheet directly above, but this one has no ray flakes.

quartersawn red birch veneer --- yet another flitch and again with no ray flakes

red birch veneer with half moistened by mineral oil

flat cut red birch veneer, all from the same lot --- the first pic is taken from farther away from the wood and has the most accurate color of these 4 shots, but I can't quite get the color of the rest to match up with it. The others are just slightly too red.

flat cut red birch veneer sheet and closeup --- the somewhat washed out color of this sheet is accurate.

the first sheet was sold to me as quilted red birch veneer and the other two were sold to me as curly yellow birch veneer --- in any case, it's a mild curl/quilt. The two-sheet pic should have just a bit more red in the pic.

birch veneer sheets at LOWES --- there's a little too much red in the pics

spalted white birch veneer --- spalted veneer is almost never offered commercially. I got this in a mixed cutoff lot from a jewlery box maker who makes his own veneer (about 1/16th inch thick) from odd pieces such as spalted woods. I have seen similar spalted birch lumber offered on occasion.

yellow birch burl veneer

The Wood Book pics

flat cut, quartersawn, end grain
paper birch (Betula papyracea, also listed as canoe birch and white birch) from The Wood Book --- both levels of enlargement are available for each of the 3 views

flat cut, quartersawn, end grain
red birch (Betula nigra, also listed as river birch) from The Wood Book --- both levels of enlargement are available for each of the 3 views

flat cut, quartersawn, end grain
sweet birch (Betula lenta, also listed as cherry birch and black birch) from The Wood Book --- both levels of enlargement are available for each of the 3 views

flat cut, quartersawn, end grain
Western birch (Betula occidentalis, also listed as Puget Sound birch) from The Wood Book --- both levels of enlargement are available for each of the 3 views

flat cut, quartersawn, end grain
white birch (Betula populifolia, also listed as poplar-leaved birch and old-field birch) from The Wood Book --- both levels of enlargement are available for each of the 3 views

flat cut, quartersawn, end grain
yellow birch (Betula lutea, also listed as gray birch) from The Wood Book --- both levels of enlargement are available for each of the 3 views. I note that Betula lutea is now considered to be just a synonym of Betula alleghaniensis

web pics:

flat cut, quartersawn, and end grain

planks with wet and dry sections; both are flat cut and the first one was listed as Betula spp.

end grain listed as silver birch / Betula verrucosa

log ends, nicely showing the variable width of the sapwood

flat cut planks

quartersawn planks

rift cut plank

plywood sheets or parts of sheets

curly plank

quilted plank (what some people call curly in birch, others call quilted ... to me it looks curly, not quilted)

European birch curly planks listed as eisbirke, which is German for "ice birch" which is a name given in Europe to curly figured birch

European birch figured planks listed as eisbirke, which is German for "ice birch" which is a name given in Europe to curly figured birch

figured birch listed eisbirke, which is German for "ice birch" which is a name given in Europe to curly figured birch

turning stock

flat cut veneer

figured veneer

veneer --- the pics that are very pale pink are incorrect color, I'm sure

quartersawn figured veneer

veneer sheet closeups with both levels of enlargement

rotary cut veneer

burl veneer

red birch planks

flat cut red birch veneer

red birch veneer

red birch figured veneer

red birch flat cut quilted veneer

river birch plaque

river birch split log

white birch planks

white birch veneer

yellow birch planks

curly yellow birch plank

sweet birch plank

paper birch planks

curly yellow birch plank and yellow birch veneer

advertised as "ice" veneer --- looks to me the same as "curly yellow" directly above

"blistered" birch veneer

European birch

"European" birch veneer

burl veneer speficed as European birch burl veneer / Betula pendula, and all from the same vendor

spalted birch on the left (top and bottom) and the right (top and bottom). I don't remember what the middle two pieces were but they are not birch

spalted birch planks

marbled Alaskan birch

listed as "golden" birch veneer, and with a green tint that I am confident is NOT the correct color --- I've purchased this veneer from this vendor and the wood is a light golden tan color, as in my own sample above that I mention as a "classic" birch grain pattern

quilted veneer

veneer listed as ice birch, which is a European name for quilted birch

curly veneer

listed as "flame" birch; "flame" is just another name for what, in most other woods, would be called either curly or quilted

"yellow curly" aka "flame" birch

karilian burl plank that is spalted, although it was not so listed

karelian birch burl veneer

just listed as birch burl veneer and seems to be just a very weak form of masur burl

spalted birch pen blanks

figured white birch

birch cabinet door

a white birch bowl blank.

turning blanks and bowls made from similar blanks

yellow birch bowls

bowl listed as flamed yellow birch. "Flamed" is used with birch to mean curly.

black birch bowl shot at a woodworking show. Finish was listed as tung oil. HUGE enlargements are present.

platter and vase just listed as birch

a bowl made from curly Swedish birch, which to me definitely appears to be a karelian burl

spalted birch rolling pin

river birch bowls turned and photographed by Tom Pleatman, whom I thank for these pics and other contributions to the site. Big enlargements are present.

sweet birch bowls turned and photographed by Tom Pleatman, whom I thank for these pics and other contributions to the site. Big enlargements are present.

spalted birch bowls

vase listed as spalted white birch --- both levels of enlargement are present

two views of a spalted birch bowl that has mineral stain (or possibly blue stain, but I think it's more likely mineral stain) and white rot

silver birch winged bowl shot at a woodworking show. HUGE enlargements are present. This was not listed as spalted, but clearly it is.

turned plate listed as spalted birch

one end of a flame (i.e. curly) birch table

a desk extension made of birch plywood (most likely Baltic birch plywood). A note on the color correction: the wood color is perfect but to get it that way, I had to do color correction that ended up making the mouse a much brighter blue than it really is. The wood has a polyurethane finish which makes the color considerably more yellow than the natural wood which is a whitish tan.