Wood Types (hardwood & softwood)

Definitions

• Wood: Fibrous substance forming the trunk, stems and branches of the tree

• Lumber: Product from sawing, planing, and preparing Wood.

• Timber: Lumber with a 5” minimum sectional dimension.

• Rough Carpentry: Structural framing, sheathing, blocking, and miscellaneous pieces necessary to prepare the building for finish work.

  • Nearly all rough carpentry is hidden once construction is complete (under typical building designs).
  • Exposed lumber such as heavy timber beams, glued-laminated members, and outdoor deck frames are considered rough carpentry.

Types (Hardwood & Softwood)

Wood is divided up into two major groups, softwood and hardwood. Softwood and hardwood refer to whether the wood comes from a coniferous tree (softwood) or a deciduous tree (hardwood).

The terms softwood and hardwood do not actually refer to the strength or resistance of a wood, and therefore it cannot be used as a rule in identifying wood types. However, the properties of hardwood generally make it a stronger wood, but it's important to remember that it's not a steadfast rule. For the most extreme example, balsa wood is a hardwood, even though it's super light, and ‘soft’ — and used in many hobbyist models like airplanes. (Balsa is the softest and lightest hardwood available)

Beyond hardwood and softwood, which every single piece of wood can be classified as. For example, Douglas Fir is a softwood, but it also belongs to the structural and rough carpentry wood group as its typically used for that. It's easiest to think of hard and soft as being large designations that wood species have to be placed into (one or the other), while the wood itself can also be tagged as other uses, groups, and types.