If you want to familiarize yourself with various types of wood that you might use around your house for basic woodworking and construction projects, both birch and acacia are ones you should know all about.
Today, we are going to take a much closer look at both to see what they are all about, and we will be doing a side-by-side comparison. We want to determine whether birch or acacia is the better choice for your next big project, and we will base this on a variety of factors.
What Is Birch?
First, we have the birch tree, and today we are talking about the yellow birch, as it grows very commonly in North America and is popular for construction purposes. However, there are technically over a dozen different species of this tree in North America. The yellow birch that we are focusing on today can be found from the eastern edge of Manitoba over to the Atlantic provinces and in the Northeastern United States.
The birch tree features a relatively tight and straight grain, and sometimes has waves or irregularities, along with a low natural luster, and an even and fine texture. It may also have some voids, gaps, or knots. The sapwood is white, with the heartwood being a reddish-brownish-yellow color, which is what is typically used in construction.
Birch is somewhat hard and heavy, although easy to work with. it is also decently resistant to physical damage, as it is actually quite durable. That said, it is not very resistant to pests or moisture, so it’s not the best choice for outdoor use.
It does have more moisture resistance than pest resistance, but it’s not ideal for outdoor use either way. However, birch is ideal for indoor use, especially for decorative pieces, low-end indoor furniture, floors for low-traffic areas, cabinets, and other such purposes. People also tend to like birch because it is quite affordable.
What Is Acacia?
We then have the acacia tree, which grows in Asia, Africa, and throughout the Pacific Rim, and it is most commonly found in Australia. One of the most important things to note about acacia is that the grain is very irregular, and it can be straight, curly, wavy, or even ringed.
Acacia wood also has a lot of knots and gaps, along with many branches that grow out of the trunk. It may sometimes be a light brown color, but it can also be a darker brown and red, almost like mahogany.
This is also a very dense and hard type of wood, one of the hardest types of hardwood that can be found in the world. Because acacia wood is so hard and dense, along with other factors, it also tends to have great resistance to decay, moisture, pests, and fungus.
It is somewhat rare, durable, and moisture-resistant, which does make it very expensive, and it is therefore usually only used for higher-end applications, such as for indoor and outdoor furniture, cabinets, decorative pieces, laundry doors and windows, and for other such purposes.
Birch vs. Acacia: What Are the Differences?
Now that we know what both birch and acacia are, let’s figure out what makes these two types of wood different from each other.
Hardness
First, we have yellow birch, which features a Janka hardness rating of 1,260 lbf, while acacia comes in at 2,200 lbf. As you can see, acacia wood is almost twice as hard as yellow birch, and therefore much more resistant to denting, scratching, and other such forms of physical damage. That said, yellow birch is no slouch here, as it is also quite hard.
Density
Not only is acacia wood harder than birch, but also heavier. Birch features a weight of 43 lbs/ft3, whereas acacia weighs roughly 49 lbs/ft3. Although both of these types of wood are fairly dense and heavy, acacia is the heavier of the two, which does in part lead to increased durability, although the heavier weight does also make it a bit harder to work with.
Pest and Moisture Resistance
Perhaps one of the biggest differences between these two types of wood has to do with pest and moisture resistance. On one hand, we have yellow birch, which is not very resistant to the elements at all and is not ideal for outdoor use. We then have acacia, which is very resistant to pests and moisture and is therefore ideal for outdoor applications. Many people might not use it for outdoor purposes because it is quite expensive, but it does perfectly fine outside.
Overall Strength
If we are talking about the overall strength of wood, such as the compressive strength, the modulus of elasticity, and the modulus of rupture, acacia is the much stronger of the two.
It scores much higher in all of those categories, so it can take a lot more weight and pressure, and is therefore structurally sound. It is by far the better choice if you need to build something that can bear a lot of weight and have a lot of structural integrity.
Workability
Another huge difference between these two types of wood is that acacia is very difficult to work with because it has so many knots and gaps, whereas yellow birch tends to be much easier to work with. This is not only the case because of the knots and gaps, but also because yellow birch isn’t quite as heavy or hard.
Appearance – Color and Grain
Birch has a relatively fine texture and features a very light color. On the other hand, acacia tends to be a bit darker in color, and also has an extremely unpredictable texture and grain pattern. Acacia can indeed look extremely nice, maybe because it’s so unique and unpredictable, but we suppose it depends on the exact specimen.
Cost
Yellow birch will usually come out at around $10 per board foot, whereas acacia wood can cost you up to $50 per board foot.
When to Use Birch?
If you need a relatively affordable type of wood, then yellow birch is definitely a good option to consider. Yellow birch is quite hard, dense, and strong overall. It is resistant to many types of physical damage, and it is also weight-bearing and structurally sound.
It’s something that you can use for a variety of indoor purposes whether more utilitarian or functional, as well as decorative too. It works well for lower-end furniture, decorative pieces, and everything in between. However, it just isn’t the most moisture-resistant, so it’s not something we would use for outdoor purposes.
When to Use Acacia?
If you need a type of wood that is extremely strong, weight-bearing, structurally sound, hard, and moisture-resistant, then acacia makes for a great option. Just keep in mind that acacia wood is extremely expensive, so it’s not something people generally use for large-scale construction purposes.
Rather, acacia is usually used for smaller purposes, such as making very high-end furniture, doors and windows, decorative pieces, and more. It’s also so expensive that most people usually don’t use it for outdoor purposes, although it is a viable option nonetheless.
Alternatives to Birch and Acacia
If you just don’t want to spend a lot of money, and you want something that is as affordable as possible, two of the cheapest types of wood you can go for are eastern white pine and yellow poplar. If you just don’t like the appearance of either of these types of wood, check out oak, elm, and maple.
Summary
Now that you know what makes birch and acacia different from each other, you can decide which one to use for your next big woodworking projects. Acacia is a very beautiful and strong type of wood, but just remember that it’s quite expensive, so if you are going to use it, choose your projects wisely.