The best measured girth exceeds 8.9m. Beech timber is ideal for furniture. Steam treated strips of it become pliable enough to be bent double for chair backs. It does not smell or taste so is suitable for children's toys or in direct contact with food. Many of the famous Chiltern beechwoods were planted to provide material for the furniture industry centred on High Wycombe.
Healthy timber is pinkish-brown with small darker flecks.
Over mature wood infected by fungi is also prized. Called 'dozed beech' it exhibits patches of orange, brown and creamy white. Beech trees are relatively short lived, seldom lasting over 250 years. Large specimens often become top heavy and fall over. Stem and branch failure may occur very rapidly in old age.