Fagus sylvatica has an excellent finish and is resistant to compression and splitting and it is stiff when flexed. Milling is sometimes difficult due to cracking. The density of the wood is 720 kg per cubic meter. It is particularly well suited for minor carpentry, particularly furniture. From chairs to parquetry (flooring) and staircases, the European beech can do almost anything other than heavy structural support, so long as it is not left outdoors. Its hardness make it ideal for making wooden mallets and workbench tops. The wood rots easily if it is not protected by a tar based on a distillate
Fagus Factory are left open and the piers are recessed leaving the glass surface to the front. Gropius describes this transformation by saying, "The role of the walls becomes restricted to that of mere screens stretched between the upright columns of the framework to keep out rain, cold and noise" At the time of the design of Fagus, Gropius was collecting photographs of industrial buildings in the USA to be used for a Deutscher Werkbund publication. The design of these American factories was also a source of inspiration for Fagus. Carl Benscheidt (1858–1947) founded the Fagus company in 1910. He had then