Help the development of the site, sharing the article with friends!
Wood is one of the first raw Materials that were used by humans. Currently, wood is used for essential processes in our society such as construction material, cladding, furniture construction, carpentry, shoe manufacturing, joinery or serving as fuel, but what is less known is that there are different types of wood that adapt to different types of uses. Therefore, in this Green Ecologist article we talk about the different types of wood, their characteristics and classification.
Wood and its types
Wood is a material that is extracted from the trunk existing under the bark of trees and shrubs that have a fibrillar structure. As we said, wood currently has various uses, but since the Paleolithic period, it was used for different uses such as the manufacture of weapons, but it was later when they began to work with metal, when these possibilities of use increased. The wood production process It consists of a series of steps:
- Tree felling.
- Extract its bark and remove the branches.
- Cut up and chop the tree.
- Extract and dry the wood.
They differ different types of wood (as there are also differences in the characteristics of the trees from which it is extracted), although the currently most used classification is the one carried out based on the hardness of the wood, which includes them in two large groups: softwoods and hardwoods.
This was already known also by our ancestors, who used hard woods for the manufacture of axes or skewers and soft woods for sticks or rods or, for example, less experienced carpenters, prefer to work with soft or soft woods, since they are easy to work with tools that are not too expensive and easily available.
Examples and characteristics of softwoods
The kinds of woods classified as soft usually come from fast growing trees or accelerated, perennials and conifers such as pines, poplars, elms, cypresses, firs or cedars. Soft woods are easy to work with and are ductile, however, soft woods should not be associated with brittle ones, as there are woods of this type that are very resistant.
They are woods that are light, cheap and easy to get. As disadvantages, they have less durability than hard, less aesthetic appeal than hard (they are usually treated with paint, varnish or stains) and in their treatment, they chip easily.
Some examples of softwoods are:
- Pine tree: pine wood easy to work, cheap and uniform texture. It is commonly used carpentry, panels, furniture and moldings.
- Cedar: reddish wood and a pleasant sweet smell. Widely used in drawers, roofs, tiles and in construction.
- Fir tree: wood with characteristics similar to pine, light, high resistance to chemicals, good elasticity and without resins. Widely used in wall and ceiling coverings.
In the image below you can see photos of types of softwood in the same order that we have mentioned them.
Examples and characteristics of hardwoods
They are woods usually more resistant than soft. They are also more expensive than soft ones (they are obtained from slower-growing trees, so there is less supply) and difficult to work, because their external appearance is more irregular and less smooth than soft ones.
They are widely used in construction and cabinetmaking, since with them it is possible to manufacture high quality furniture, they withstand the passage of time well, have greater hardness and are much more aesthetic than soft woods.
These are some hardwood examples:
- Mahogany: reddish wood, fine grain, resistant. Widely used in cabinetmaking for its quality. In addition to having high density and hardness, it is widely used in tropical and humid areas.
- Oak: hard wood with great bending qualities. Widely used in parquet, floors or some types of furniture
- Walnut: extremely hard, chocolate brown wood. Widely used for the manufacture of panels, some types of furniture, ornaments or turned elements.
- Teak: hard wood very resistant to humidity, deformation, cracks or the passage of time
- Olive: thick and very resistant wood of yellowish, light or reddish colors
- Cherry: In principle, it has pinkish brown colors, but it darkens over time until it reaches more reddish tones. It is more delicate than the previous ones.
- Elm: wood with shades ranging from light brown to reddish and highly resistant to rot.
- Ash tree: slightly pinkish or greyish cream colored wood.
In this image you can see photos of types of hardwoods displayed in the same order as in the list.
If you want to read more articles similar to Types of wood: characteristics and classificationWe recommend that you enter our Nature Curiosities category.
