What makes hardwood

But, making the right selection can be harder than it sounds. Lumber dealers who specialize in selling hardwood have an even larger selection with more exotic woods such as alder and ipe. Determining whether a project demands hardwood or softwood is the first step in determining what wood is best for the job.

This guide can make the decision process easier by breaking down the main differences between these two wood types. For those rusty with their elementary school science, deciduous trees have leaves that change colors in the fall, die, and fall off, and then grow new leaves in the spring.

They originate from enclosed seeds surrounded by either a hard shell, such as an acorn or walnut, or fruit, such as a cherry. Among many other kinds, popular deciduous trees include oak, beech, birch, and walnut. Coniferous trees are evergreens that keep their foliage, which consists of either scaly leaves or needles, all year round. Unlike deciduous trees, seeds from evergreen trees are exposed to the elements. Common coniferous trees include pine, cedar, spruce, fir, and juniper.

The weight difference between hardwood and softwood is noticeable. For example, oak weighs between 37 and 56 pounds per cubic foot while a cubic foot of pine weighs between 22 and 35 pounds. The increased weight is part of what makes hardwood more durable and, well, harder.

Hardwoods better resist dents, divots, and scratches, so they can be ideal for construction projects that must be able to endure a significant amount of abuse.

For example, hardwoods like oak, teak, maple, and hickory are used for flooring, chairs, or a dining room table. To classify a wood as hard or soft depends on the seeds that the tree produces. A wood will be classified as a hardwood if the seeds that the tree produces have a coating.

These coatings can either take the shape of a fruit or a shell. Hard wood is the wood that comes from flowering plants, also known as angiosperm.

These types of trees include walnut, maple, and oak trees. Softwood is the wooD that comes from gymnosperm trees, which have needles and produce cones. Softwood, such as southern yellow pine, is lighter in weight not strength than hardwood, making roofing and sheathing work less of a pain. Softwoods are notoriously less expensive than hardwoods. Softwood is a versatile timber with high workability.

They stem from gymnosperm trees, which do not have pores, but rather, rely on medullary rays and tracheids to transport water and produce sap, resulting in a stunning, seamless finish.

Softwood is easier to work with than hardwoods and can be used for many varied applications. Softwood timber is mostly used for sheathing, roofing, framing, ceilings, furniture, molding, doors, and windows. Because softwoods grow at a faster rate, sustainability is much more attainable. Softwood trees are a very renewable resource, and the replanting of them has grown the United States timber basket in softwood-friendly regions.

Softwood timbers are ideal for fencing, porch pillars, decks, docks, walkways, and outdoor projects. Hardwoods produce a stylish, high-performing grained wood that is generally used for flooring and furniture.