What Is Hardwood And Softwood And Types

Wood products are known for their natural beauty but when selecting a type of wood for your next cabinetry flooring furniture or millwork project it is important to also consider the level of durability by understanding the difference between wood types.

What is hardwood and softwood and types.

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. North american softwood species have needle shaped foliage instead of the leaves found on hardwood trees. Hardwood vs softwood is the comparison between them and comes down to its physical structure and makeup and as being hard and durable compared to softwood it is overly simplistic to think of hardwoods and softwood is also workable. Trees with seeds that are enclosed such as within a shell or fruit are categorized as hardwood.

A guide to the grain. Other types of hardwood trees in american forests include. Following is a list of common softwood varieties and their characteristics. Softwood lumber is highly versatile and beautiful making it ideal for structural applications as well as interior and exterior designs and projects.

This is a list of woods most commonly used in the timber and lumber trade. Douglas fir is a slightly under the average priced type of hardwood flooring. 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. Unfortunately douglas fir hardwood flooring is one of the softest types of hardwood flooring.

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. The most common type of cedar is the western red variety. Western red cedar as its name implies has a reddish color to it. Wikimedia commons coming to the reproductive description in botanical terms softwood trees are gymnosperms whereas hardwood trees are angiosperms the seeds of hardwood trees will have a shell or a fruit.

More specifically the type of seeds produced by a tree determines whether it is hardwood or softwood. It s damaged easily if the proper care and maintenance aren t taken on a regular basis. The primary distinction between hardwood and softwood is based on the reproductive biology of the tree species. So what is a softwood tree.

Biologists contract hardwood trees with softwood trees.