Hardwood VS Softwood

Hardwood and Softwood Compared

Hardwood comes from deciduous trees, like Maple, Oak, Birch, even Apple. They generally grow slower, resulting in denser, and therefore harder, wood, and they lose their leaves in the fall. Softwood comes from conifers, like Pine, Spruce, Hemlock, and Cedar. They have needles and usually remain evergreen. Hardwood trees tend to be slower growing, which usually makes the wood more dense, and therefore harder. Some hardwood is softer than some softwood, like Balsa Wood, but most hardwoods are harder, and more expensive.

Many wood species have variations, like Hard Maple (Sugar Maple) and Soft Maple (all other species), or Eastern White Pine, Red Pine, or Jack Pine. Here are basic lists of common wood species in Ontario, Canada.

Popular Softwoods (in Ontario)

• Pine
• Spruce
• Fir
• Cedar
• Hemlock

Popular Hardwoods (in Ontario)

• Maple
• Oak
• Cherry
• Hickory
• Walnut
• Butternut (White Walnut)
• Ash
• Birch
• Beech

Check back for more blog posts about wood.