Deciduous Hardwood – Broad Leaves
Hardwoods are deciduous trees that have broad leaves. They produce a fruit or nut and generally go dormant in the winter.
There are some hardwoods that are very hard (mesquite) and some that are very soft (balsa).
Hardwood is mostly grown in tropical areas. Typical hardwoods are Okoume, Bintangor, Sapele, Meranti, etc. The majority source of hardwood is Gaboon, Papua New Guinea, Malaysia, Indonesia, etc.
Deciduous trees grow slow. But there are some deciduous trees that grow fast such as Falcata, Balsa, cottonwood, eucalyptus, and poplar trees.
North America’s forests grow many American hardwoods including oak, ash, cherry, maple and poplar species. Other hardwoods are Elm, Spanish chestnut, Lime, Cherry, Sycamore and maple.
Tropical Hardwoods include mahogany, rosewood, balsa, ebony, teak and wenge. They grow in tropical forests. The colour, grain pattern, hardness and lustre of many imported woods differ from those of American hardwoods.
Tropical hardwoods are more expensive than softwood.
Lose leaves in Autumn
Hardwood Type Features Timber Use Oak Hard and durable Wood
Finishes well
Silver grain when cut radiallyFurniture
Doors
Flooring
Boats
Plywood faceElm Attractive grain
Resists splitting
Moisture resistantWoodturning
Garden furniture
Outdoor projectsBirch Not a large tree
Common in Ireland
Light-coloured woodMaking plywood
Furniture
FlooringAsh Very common tree
Grows quickly
Hard, durable wood
Wood is light-coloured
Distinctive grain
Elastic propertiesHurleys
Furniture
Tool handles
Laminating veneer
Conifer Softwood – Needle-like Leaves
Softwoods or conifers have needles rather than leaves. Widely available U.S. softwood trees include cedar, fir, hemlock, pine, redwood and spruce. We see a lot of pine used in the manufacturing of structural plywood and CDX plywood.
Coniferous softwood doesn’t always grow fast. Pinon pine, for example, grows insanely slow.
Softwoods are great for furniture too. Quartersawn fir is beautiful and clear pine is a joy to work with.
There are many pines used for plywood production. Radiata pine from New Zealand. Hoop pine from Australia. Agathis pine are grown in Papua New Guinea and northern Australia.
