Timber Types Hardwood And Softwood

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.

Timber types hardwood and softwood.

Different types of construction projects call for different kinds of timber both hardwood and softwood are used for everything from structural to decorative. Hough us forest products laboratory characteristics and availability of commercially important wood from the wood handbook pdf 916k. There are also some woods which are considered to be hardwoods that are not deciduous trees such as bamboo and palm. Ncsu inside wood project reproduction of the american woods.

Softwoods come from conifer trees or cone bearing trees. Hardwood species are not always necessarily stronger than softwoods but many species are well known for their beautiful and distinct wood grain patterns. Wikimedia commons the reason why we have included this wood in our list of softwoods is that people tend to consider cedar as hardwood but no it is a softwood. North american softwood species have needle shaped foliage instead of the leaves found on hardwood trees.

This wood has a soft red brown coloration with a fine straight grain and a smattering of knots. Softwood species pretty pretty wood. 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. Exhibited by actual specimens and with copious explanatory text by romeyn b.

A guide to the grain. What are softwood species.