Softwood Varieties

For a touch of class and old-style charm, you cannot go wrong with wooden furniture. The naturally beauty of wood can enhance just about any décor theme you have in mind. Because of their immense popularity, you can find just about any type of furniture in the wood of your choice. These include the quaint blanket box for bedrooms, cupboards, chairs and shoe racks. There are two basic types of wooden furniture, softwood and hardwood furniture. Let’s explore these two woods further.

Despite its name, softwoods are not always softer than hardwoods. This is because of the wide range of densities available when dealing with both types of woods. The reverse is also true as there are some hardwoods that are softer than softwoods. Balsa, is a great example. Having said that, the hardest hardwood will beat out any softwood in density. Again, the reverse is also true as the softest softwoods are far softer than any hardwood species. Softwood is the world’s most popular choice for wooden furniture as some 75% of them are made from it. Harvesting and productions centers usually revolve around North America and the Baltics. The types of softwood species normally used in furniture include Pine, Redwood, Fir, Yew, Spruce and Cedar.

Among both hard and soft wood types, pine is arguably the most popular and commercially important wood used in furniture today. They grow quite fast and are fairly durable. However, they are prone to dents from knocking. They are best suited for indoor use as they tend to degrade qutie quickly when left to the hazards of the environment. The rate of degradation depends very much on the type of climate it has to endure. Cedar is another popular species that is used in a wide variety of commercial products from pencils to fence posts. The cedar species is made up of many large and tall trees from around the world. The North American cedar tree can reach heights of up to 180 feet and a trunk diameter of over 12 feet. The North American cedar species (Calocedrus Decurrens) is primarily used for pencil production. The Japanese cedar tree (Cryptomeria Japonica) is a larger species that can reach upwards of 220 feet in height. They are only found in Japan and are used exclusively for house building.

Lastly, we look at Fir wood. This particular softwood is mostly used as pulp for the construction of plywood. It has no inherent insect repelling qualities and furniture made from it is largely used indoors. These trees are also the most popular variants of Christmas trees sold during the festive season. Douglas Fir wood (Pseudotsuga Menziesii) is a particularly dense species of fir that is commonly used for frame building as it can withstand relatively high loads. Due to their inherent strength, they can even be used in small aircraft construction.

While hardwoods will always be worth more, it has maybe unfairly put a damper on furniture's that are made from softwood somewhat. For those on a budget, going for softwoods can be very rewarding.