Red Beech
Red beech is sourced from sustainably managed forests. It is stable and suitable for interior joinery and flooring. Its fine, even texture makes it most suitable for turning into dowels and brushware. Being hard wearing, it is also suitable as stair treads and flooring. As a flooring timber, it has an attractive, figurative appeal and lustre, and is significantly harder and more resistant to impact than alternative softwood species, such as rimu and matai.
Sustainability of supply
All New Zealand indigenous timbers are now sourced from privately owned forests.
These forests are required to be managed to exacting standards under detailed long-term sustainable management plans.
Every forest managed for timber on a sustainable basis has its own individual Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry approved Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) Plan or SFM Permit.
Red beech is abundant in the forests of Nelson, north Westland and parts of the central North Island and East Coast of the North Island.
SFM Plans and Permits are in place in each of these regions, although management for timber to date has centred on north Westland. This will change as and when demand for red beech timber increases.
As credible supplies of native rimu decline to minimal levels, beech forests will move to the forefront of providing New Zealanders with sustainable supplies of quality indigenous timbers.
For further information please contact the Indigenous Forestry Unit, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Wellington.
Summary fact sheet for Red Beech - Printable PDF
Red Beech Outdoor Furniture
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Quick Facts
Botanical name: Nothofagus fusca
Other common names:
Tawhairaunui, red beech
Strength
Good strength properties.
Durability
Red beech is naturally durable to Hazard Class H3.2 and not prone to borer attack.
Finishes
No particular considerations.
Working properties
Red beech combines the qualities of excellent sawing, machining, turning, finishing and bending properties with good strength, durability, hardness and exceptional dimensional stability.
Appearance
The dry heartwood is a light to medium red-brown colour. The sapwood is light brown to white and exhibits toning in greys, browns and greens.
Description
The dry heartwood is a light to medium red-brown colour. It has a tight, close grain appearance. Good machining characteristics allow high-quality finishes to be attained.
The timber often darkens and becomes richer after several months’ exposure to natural light, and tonal variations even out.
The timber has a lustre and natural sheen that tends to improve with age, meaning red beech remains lively and does not appear muddy like some contemporary timbers.
The sapwood is light brown to white in colour and often generates unique sap stains because of the reaction of sugars in the protracted drying process.
This ‘colour’ exhibits toning in greys, browns and greens, and is well suited to feature furniture making and select panelling where high character is required.
Once dry, red beech is considered the most stable timber in New Zealand because of its tight cell structure.
