What Are Hardwood And Softwood Trees

Hardwood trees and their wood.

What are hardwood and softwood 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 information specifies that hardwood trees are deciduous. Hardwood and softwood and the distinctive set of characteristics of each type of wood which will determines the aesthetic and intrinsic strength of the. Hardness can be said to be a function of the wood s density and hardwood trees are generally denser than softwood trees.

Also known as gymnosperm trees softwood trees are defined by their ability to produce seed bearing cones or fruit which they drop to reproduce. Softwood is primarily used in construction framing the production of pulpwood for paper and other items such as fiberboard plywood and particleboard. On the other hand softwood conifers do not pass the winter with bare branches. 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.

On the other hand there are many exceptions to this rule. Unlike hardwood trees softwood trees generally don t shed their leaves once a year. Douglas fir is another. The reason why we have included this wood in our list of softwoods is that people tend to consider cedar as.

Softwood trees have medullary rays and tracheids and when observed under a microscope they do not appear to have pores like hardwoods. A few simple tests help you differentiate hardwood from softwood trees. This means that the leaves fall off in autumn and the tree remains leafless through springtime. Other examples of softwood trees include cedar douglas fir juniper redwood cypress and larch.

These trees usually have needles and cones so you ll recognize them as conifers such as spruce or pine trees. Although sometimes old needles. Hardwoods are woody fleshed plant species that are angiosperms the seeds are enclosed in ovary structures. The wood of hardwood trees has more cell types and less air spaces.

Pinewood is one of the better known varieties of softwood. You can cut it and shape it easily. This article is a one stop guide to provide some insights into the traditional classification of wood. Pollinated trees form what are known as naked seeds which drop to the ground or are spread by the wind and grow elsewhere.

From angiosperm trees that are not monocots and usually broad leaved and has vessel elements that transport water throughout the wood hardwood is formed and these elements appear as pores under a microscope. A thorough understanding of how to distinguish hardwoods from softwoods is essential as you make your choices for the next project.