European Sweet Chestnut (Castanea sativa) is one of the few European hardwoods with genuinely high natural durability, rated Class 2, making it suitable for ground-contact and exposed outdoor applications without preservative treatment. The heartwood is warm brown, similar in appearance to oak, with a coarse, ring-porous grain structure. Unlike oak, chestnut is relatively low in tannins in its heartwood and does not produce the blue-black staining associated with iron fixings to the same degree. Density is moderate at approximately 560 kg/m³. EU-TIMBER supplies PEFC-certified sweet chestnut logs from Belgian and French coppice woodlands — an inherently sustainable management system. Ideal for fencing, outdoor furniture, cladding, rustic interior joinery, wine barrel alternative cooperage, and traditional crafts.