A List Of Hardwoods And Softwoods

Also wood names can be misleading.

A list of hardwoods and softwoods.

Hardwood and softwood and the distinctive set of characteristics of each type of wood which will determines the aesthetic and intrinsic strength of the. Hardwoods angiosperms abachi triplochiton. Unlike hardwoods softwoods do not have pores but instead contain linear tubes known as tracheids which supply nutrients for growth. Hoop pine araucaria cunninghamii monkey puzzle tree araucaria araucana paraná pine araucaria angustifolia cedar cedrus celery top pine.

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. Because most coniferous trees grow fast and straight softwoods are generally less expensive than hardwoods. Wood is soft and light with a fine texture. Softwoods aren t weaker than hardwoods.

This article is a one stop guide to provide some insights into the traditional classification of wood. 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. Softwoods come from coniferous trees such as cedar fir and pine and tend to be somewhat yellow or reddish. For example swietena mahagony south american mahogany and african mahogany are all marketed as mahogany but their properties can be quite different.

Due to the presence of vessels hardwood is also called as porous wood. Do note a wood s heartwood is harder than its sapwood. This wood has a soft red brown coloration with a fine straight grain and a smattering of knots. Hardwood is the wood of dicot angiosperms.

Types of softwood cedar cedar wood image. The poster can be enlarged to suit a variety of sizes. A thorough understanding of how to distinguish hardwoods from softwoods is essential as you make your choices for the next project. Tracheids perform the same function as the pores in hardwood trees and also produce sap which protects the trees from pests and transports water and other essential elements necessary for growth.

Softwood is the wood of gymnosperms. As the name may suggest softwood timber is not necessarily softer than hardwood timber across the board as there is a great variation in the physical toughness of both hardwoods and softwoods with some softwoods actually being harder than some hardwoods. This is the second poster on materials. This poster explains the difference between hardwoods and softwoods.

More common examples of types of hardwoods and softwoods are displayed with practical applications. Wood is hard and heavy with a rough texture.