What's The Difference Between Hardwood and Softwood?
Different projects will require different wood types, and whether you’re looking for a garage door, driveway gate or garden gate, you’ll find yourself encountering the terms ‘hardwood’ and ‘softwood’.
But what are the differences between these two wood types, and how do you tell them apart? What are the key benefits of each? Read on below as we dive into these two wood types and explore which you should choose for your next purchase.
Here at Juke’s Timber Solutions, our family-run business has been handcrafting both hardwood and softwood timber products since 2016. Our wide range of products guarantee the perfect design and style for your home, with durability and quality.
What Exactly Is The Difference Between Hardwood and Softwood?
Whether a timber is hardwood or softwood depends on the tree it comes from. Hardwoods come from angiosperm trees; typically deciduous with broad leaves that fall in autumn. Softwoods come from gymnosperm trees, for example conifers. They have needles and remain evergreen all year round.
Hardwoods
Hardwoods come from angiosperm trees, reproducing with a flowering plant like an oak, walnut or maple. The term angiosperm means ‘enclosed seed’, referring to the fact that the tree’s seeds are usually housed in a fruit or nut. These trees are typically found in temperate and tropical forests, and are mostly deciduous with broad leaves that will change colour and fall off the tree is autumn and winter.
A hardwood will have a more complex structure than a softwood, growing slower than softwoods and taking nearly 150 years before they are ready to harvest. As these trees take so long to grow, this means that they are typically denser, heavier and harder wearing.
Softwoods
Softwoods come from gymnosperm trees, such as conifer trees. The term gymnosperm comes from the Greek for ‘revealed seed’, meaning that the seeds from these trees, such as pine cones, have no form of housing. This means that they can spread easily and quicker than hardwoods.
These trees, such as pines, cedars and spruces, have needle-like leaves and remain green all year-round. They’ll grow faster than hardwood, taking around 40 years to grow before they are ready to harvest. This fast-growing nature makes them typically less dense than hardwoods.
Durability
Hardwoods have a complex and condensed structure. This makes them better suited to the elements and they also have better fire resistance.
When softwoods are intended to stand up to the elements, they will be treated, or ‘tanalised’.
When untreated, both softwoods and hardwoods will weather to a silvery-grey finish.
That being said, some softwoods are naturally-durable, including the Western Red Cedar, and can withstand the weather and knocks and bumps.
How To Tell The Difference Between Hardwood and Softwood
Whilst the best way to distinguish whether a timber is hardwood or softwood is by directly finding out which tree it came from, you can still work this out by looking at its appearance and properties.
Grain
Softwoods have a softer, less pronounced grain, whereas hardwoods have a heavy, distinctive grain.
Colour
Hardwoods are typically darker than softwoods.
Hardness
Hardwoods will naturally be stronger, more scratch resistant, and all round harder wearing than softwoods.
Weight
Hardwoods are typically heavier than softwoods, as they are denser.
Most Common Types of Hardwood and Softwood Trees
Hardwood
Oak
Oak timber is typically characterised by its timeless, golden brown colour and straight grain.
Walnut
Praised for its strength, grain and colour, Walnut timber is dense, tight-drained and identifiable by its chocolate-brown colour, sometimes with a purple tinge. Though, you will sometimes find some paler types of walnut on the market.
Iroko
Durable, dense and golden-brown in colour, Iroko originates from West Africa. It’s valued for its resistance to rot, insects and decay, making it an ideal choice for outdoor use.
Softwood
Pine
A quintessential softwood, pine is found in homes across the world. It is typically characterised by its reddish-yellow colour, which can darken into a beautiful reddish-brown colour over time.
Spruces
With one of the most common types of spruce being the Norway spruce, used as Christmas trees around the world, spruce timber will have a pale creamy-yellow to reddish-brown colour.
Cedar
Reddish-brown in colour, cedar is highly resistant to decay and insects, making it ideal for outdoor applications.
What Is Hardwood Used For?
Hardwoods are strong and durable, making them ideal for both large-scale building and small, more intricate applications. Commonly, they are used for construction work, furniture, fencing, decking, gates and garage doors. They are long-lasting and boast a decorative, grainy appearance, making them popular for high-end furniture.
What Is Softwood Used For?
80% of timber globally comes from softwood trees, proving their versatility. When treated properly, softwoods can perform just as well as hardwoods outdoors and can be used for doors, fencing, cladding, decking and building components.
Softwoods take finishes such as paints and stains very well, making them a popular choice for home applications.
Which Is More Environmentally Friendly?
Both hardwoods and softwoods are renewable, however purchasing a softwood product will be that bit more environmentally friendly. This is because softwoods take less time to grow and can be replenished faster.
However, when you purchase a timber product from an environmentally-conscious merchant such as Juke’s Timber Solutions, we only source our wood from sustainably-managed forests, so that you can rest assured that the wood you are buying has been grown sustainably and in a way that is kind to the planet.
Sustainably-managed forests balance ecological health, maintaining forest biodiversity and regeneration capacity through selective harvesting, replanting and planning. These forests ensure that a sustainable supply of timber is provided whilst still restoring the forest itself and creating open spaces for new growth. This minimises disturbance from machinery and maintains the forest structure, to preserve the habitats of animals that reside in the forest.
Which Is Best For Outdoors Use?
Once processed, hardwoods will typically last longer outdoors than softwoods, especially when exposed to the elements.
Some softwoods contain natural properties that repel insects, yet are typically tanalised to protect the timber further, or can be painted to prolong their lifespan.
Hardwoods can be more expensive, but are less likely to need preservative treatment, making them suitable for both indoor and outdoor applications. However, for prolonged outdoor use, a protective coating is advised.
An Overview
Hardwoods | Softwoods | |
|---|---|---|
Originate from | Deciduous trees | Evergreen trees |
Examples | Oak, Walnut, Iroko | Pine, Spruce, Cedar |
Price | More expensive | Less expensive |
Density | Harder | Softer |
Colour | Typically dark | Lighter in colour |
Structure | Lower sap | Higher sap |
Grain | Close | Loose |
Fire Resistance | High | Low |
Weight | Heavy | Light |
Got More Questions?
As a family-run business, we believe in the importance of offering a quality service to our customers. That’s why we’re on hand to answer any questions you may have in choosing the right wood type for your timber product. Whether you’re looking for a garden gate, driveway gate, garage door or something else, we’ll take all the time needed to answer your questions and make sure that you get the perfect product to match your home.
Here at Juke’s Timber Solutions, we can design, make and deliver a variety of timber products for you. What’s more, all of our wood is only ever delivered from sustainable sources, guaranteeing environmentally friendly designs. Get in touch with our team of experts today.