Emanating from the northeastern region of Europe around the Baltic Sea (chiefly Russia and Finland), Baltic birch plywood has long been prized by the world’s finest cabinet makers for its strength and consistency. Many high-quality musical instruments, such as guitars and percussion, are made from Baltic birch.

Its core is completely unlike traditional plywood you might find in lumber yards or big box stores. The layers of inner plies are 1 mm-thick solid birch veneer, cross-banded, and laminated with strong adhesive. It’s a recipe that results in a void-free core with a number of distinct advantages over other desktop materials. We use top grade (B/BB) Baltic birch to make our desktops.

Beyond its gorgeous maple-mimicking aesthetics, Baltic birch is incredibly strong and stable. Compared to natural hardwoods of the same or even much greater thicknesses, it is far less susceptible to flex and movement over time and with changes in temperature and humidity. Furniture makers love Baltic birch for its uniformity, which allows for precision joinery and impressive durability.

Baltic birch is also sustainable, growing to maturity more quickly than many of our native North American species. It takes less than half the raw wood material to make a desktop that looks like maple yet is much stronger and more stable, making it an arguably “greener” option. It’s also a much safer material than the cheap plywoods that flood the market from other countries, which are unregulated and often glued together with toxic adhesives you would never want in your home or business.

Choose from eight gorgeous custom-blended stains or just the natural, unstained finish. We use only GREENGuard-certified, formaldehyde-free stains and sealants in the meticulous hand-crafting of these desktops, to give them a shimmering gleam and protect the beauty of the wood for many years to come.