Simply categorising hardwood as hard and softwood as soft is not the best approach.
Man made soft and hardwoods.
The differences between hardwood and softwood lies in their origin physical structure quality and uses.
Few people know why woods are split into these two categories however and they make the assumption that hardwoods are hard while softwoods are soft.
A hardwood tree is often but not necessarily a harder and denser wood than a softwood.
This distinction is incorrect.
The term comes from old logging camp rules of thumb where wood.
The two wood types are actually distinguished botanically.
Unlike hardwoods softwoods do not have pores but instead contain linear tubes known as tracheids which supply nutrients for growth.
This guide features 20 of the most abundant and most often used hardwood species.
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.
Types of wood comparing american hardwoods softwoods and tropical hardwoods.
Softwoods are fast growing inexpensive woods.
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.
Hardwoods and softwoods both have a wide array of applications in the wood products industry.
When it comes to types of wood it can be divided into two major types softwood and hardwood.
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.
Some thing softwoods are used to make include furniture fencing home decor and cabinets.
Softwood comes from coniferous trees hardwood comes from deciduous broad leaved trees and man made boards can contain wood of either type or other materials plus a bonding agent normally a resin.
Balsa wood for example is classified as a hardwood despite the fact that it is very soft and light.