Abstract

The aim of the study is to present the coefficients of swelling and shrinkage for the beech wood. Mostly, the values of swelling and shrinkage, obtained from of heart of red wood, are higher than white beech wood. The swelling is smaller in naturally drying lumbers than in kiln drying. Because of calculated values of over dimensions needed for swelling, there was calculated also the coefficient of partial swelling, during the relative humidity from 30 to 10%. The coefficient of shrinkage increases in white wood of beech, but it remains nearly the same in heart red wood of beech. 

Key words: Swelling, shrinkage, density, radial cutting, tangential cutting, longitudinal cutting.