Common Softwoods And Hardwoods

Pine lumber since pine is one of the most abundant sources of lumber it may not be as expensive as other types of lumber and is mostly used in construction and furniture.

Common softwoods and hardwoods.

For example balsa wood is known as one of the softest and least dense types of wood yet it is. For example swietena mahagony south american mahogany and african mahogany are all marketed as mahogany but their. Hough us forest products laboratory characteristics and availability of commercially important wood from the wood handbook pdf 916k. Classifying wood as either a hardwood or softwood comes down to its physical structure and makeup and so it is overly simple to think of hardwoods as being hard and durable compared to soft and workable softwoods.

This type of wood is relatively soft 1 on a scale of 1 to 4 has a straight grain and has a slightly aromatic smell. Western red cedar as its name implies has a reddish color to it. Typically they grow slower and are thicker than softwoods. Ncsu inside wood project reproduction of the american woods.

Wood is generally categorized as either softwood or hardwood and it is a common misconception that softwood is soft and workable while hardwood is hard and durable. Here is a list of common hardwoods and softwoods used in the crafting of furniture. To help you in choosing the right wood for your construction project here are three of the most common types of softwood lumber and what they are used for. In both groups there is an enormous variation in actual wood hardness the range of density in hardwoods completely including that of softwoods.

Hardwoods are also stronger and more durable due to their more condensed and complex structure. Also wood names can be misleading. Most common hardwoods unlike the conifers or softwood firs spruce and pines hardwood trees have evolved into a broad array of common species. This happens to be generally true but there are exceptions such as in the cases of wood from yew trees a softwood that is relatively hard and wood from balsa trees a.

Hardwoods are sourced from broad leaved trees. Do note a wood s heartwood is harder than its sapwood. However this is not what qualifies a piece of wood as either soft or hard. Common hardwoods and softwoods for furniture.

Softwood is usually wood from gymnosperm trees such as pines and spruces softwoods are not necessarily softer than hardwoods. The most common type of cedar is the western red variety. Some common types of hardwoods include oak teak iroko and meranti.