Timber Types Hardwood And Softwood

Hough us forest products laboratory characteristics and availability of commercially important wood from the wood handbook pdf 916k.
Timber types hardwood and softwood. 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. Softwood species pretty pretty wood. Different types of construction projects call for different kinds of timber both hardwood and softwood are used for everything from structural to decorative. Hardwood species are not always necessarily stronger than softwoods but many species are well known for their beautiful and distinct wood grain patterns.
This wood has a soft red brown coloration with a fine straight grain and a smattering of knots. North american softwood species have needle shaped foliage instead of the leaves found on hardwood trees. 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. Hardwood is not necessarily a harder material more dense and a softwood is not necessarily a softer material less dense.
Softwoods come from conifer trees or cone bearing trees. Exhibited by actual specimens and with copious explanatory text by romeyn b. There are also some woods which are considered to be hardwoods that are not deciduous trees such as bamboo and palm. Common hardwood species include oak maple cherry mahogany and walnut.
What are softwood species. Ncsu inside wood project reproduction of the american woods.