Is Douglas Fir A Hardwood Or Softwood

Many people are unaware that douglas fir is a softwood and will mark dent easily it also has a tendency to split and crack.

Is douglas fir a hardwood or softwood.

Balsa is a hardwood but its wood is so soft and lightweight that it s most commonly used for making model airplanes. However douglas fir which is a gymnosperm or softwood is actually harder than chestnut an angiosperm that most people would call a hardwood. You may not find this wood as readily as pinewood as it mostly comes only from the west coast or eastern asia. Oak is a hardwood and douglas fir is a softwood which means that oak is harder right.

Douglas fir like all firs is a softwood softwood is actually a term that is used to classify all the conifers while hardwood is used as a classification for all angiosperm trees. It is a very durable wood which is used extensively in industrial applications for wharves trestles and heavy construction. Softwood is typically less expensive compared to hardwood. The oldest trees can be more than 1 500 years old.

Most hardwoods have a higher density than most softwoods. Douglas fir has a high bending strength shear strength and stiffness. Douglas fir is a large tree reaching 85 metres on bc s coast and 42 metres in the interior. This softwood lumber dries well with good dimensional stability.

Due to its strength it is used for building and construction and is one of the finest timbers for heavy structural purposes including glulam beams and roof trusses. It dries evenly and stays stable during use. Wikimedia commons douglas fir is another softwood that plays a vital role in making furniture and several other wooden items. Hardwood is typically more expensive than softwood.

Straight grained and moderately heavy with limited resin this is one of the most attractive and strongest of the western softwood species. Examples of softwood trees are cedar douglas fir juniper pine redwood spruce and yew. It is a hard species and is suitable for use where wear is a factor. The heartwood is moderately decay resistant.

Spruce pine fir south this species combination classed as moderately strong is cross continental in origin. Douglas fir douglas fir wood image. Most softwoods have a lower density than most hardwoods. Red oak wood is almost exactly twice as hard as douglas fir wood and white oak wood is even harder.